Lotus Elise and Exige start long goodbye with final edition variants

Lotus has launched new special edition versions of the Elise and Exige, to mark the end of the sports cars’ lives. The British brand’s long serving bread-and-butter models will go out of production later this year to make room for the all-electric Evija hypercar and three new sports cars.
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The Lotus Elise is being discontinued just in time for its 25th anniversary – and Lotus says the run-out special edition will be the most extensively equipped version of the car to date. buyers will be used two new versions, with prices starting from £45,500 for the entry-level Lotus Elise sport 240 and £50,900 for the flagship Elise cup 250.

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The base-model replaces the old Elise 220. It’s powered by a retuned version of the same supercharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which produces an extra 23bhp, taking the car’s maximum output to 240bhp and 244Nm of torque. As such, 0–60mph now takes 4.1 seconds and the car’s power-to-weight ratio stands at 260bhp per tonne.
Both cars also come as standard with a new digital instrument cluster and a redesigned, flat-bottomed Alcantara steering wheel, which Lotus says makes it much easier for taller motorists to enter and exit the Elise. buyers can also spec a host of lightweight optional extras, such as a carbon fibre engine cover, a polycarbonate rear window and a lithium-ion battery.
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The Elise cup 250 final edition features the same engine as the base-model, but a little less weight and a lot a lot more aero. The lightweight rear window and battery pack are fitted as standard, along with a new front splitter, extended side skirts, an aggressive rear diffuser and a larger rear wing – all of which can produce 66kg of downforce at 100mph.
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