This week Lotus has announced the very last version of the iconic Elise and Exige, after 20 years in production the two models will both have limited editions, with more power and exclusive design changes. This discontinuation of existing Lotus models comes after the news that Lotus is introducing an entire new family of products, the first of which being the Type 131 which will go into production later this year.

“This year marks the end of an era for Lotus Cars. As the business moves towards an exciting future as outlined in recent announcements, time is being called on production of the iconic Elise and the genre-creating Exige, after 25 and 21 years respectively.”

Lotus

Lotus has introduced five new models, the Elise Sport 240 Final Edition, Elise Cup 250 Final Edition, Exige Sport 390 Final Edition and the Exige Sport 420 Final Edition as well as a top of the range Exige Cup 430 Final Edition.

Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

This model is priced from £45,500 and replaces the previous entry level car, the Elise Sport 220. As the name suggests the car now has 240bhp a jump of 23bhp. Lotus has made some small weight saving efforts to the car, the wheels are now 10 spoke which are 0.5kg lighter than the alloys found on the 220 model. The rear window has been changed to polycarbonate and the cars 12v battery is now lithium ion to save weight. These changes mean the 240 is 898kg, as apposed to 922kg.

Elise Cup 250 Final Edition

The Cup 250 hasn’t had much changed to the way it drives, but Lots has added lots of new aero accessories as well as Bilstein sports suspension. This model comes in at £50,900.

On both new Elise models, Lotus has added a new TFT digital screen for the first time with the choice of “a race car-style with digital speed read-out and an engine speed bar.” Lotus has also added a new leather and alcantara steering wheel, with a flat bottom

Exige Sport 390 Final Edition

The 390 now has 397bhp and comes in at £64,000. The extra power comes from new aero and an upgraded supercharger. The Exige 390 can now do 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds. Top speed is 172mph.

Exige Sport 420 Final Edition

The 420 has 420bhp and is priced at £79,900. It can do 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 180mph. Lotus has adjusted the chassis and suspension too with three-way adjustable Nitron dampers.

Exige Cup 430 Final Edition

At the top of the range sits the 430 Cup edition, Lotus haven’t changed anything on this model considering how new the model is, it does gain the Final Edition badging from the other models however. The Cup 430 comes in at £100,960 with 430bhp and it can do 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. Lotus also fit a titanium exhaust as standard.

Tags: