Lotus Exige 20th Anniversary edition makes debut
Two decades of hard-core small Lotus coupe celebrated by injecting some of the original Series 1 into new Exige special-edition -- and it's coming Down UnderLotus will mark 20 years and three generations of the Lotus Exige with a special-edition based on the current Series 3 but paying tribute to the original.
Named the Lotus Exige 20th Anniversary, the new limited-edition Lotus is based on the latest Exige Sport 410 and comes with unique design features recalling the Series 1 model launched back in 2000.
These include three exterior paint colours that were originally offered on the first-gen Exige – Chrome Orange, Calypso Red and Laser Blue.
Three additional hues – Saffron Yellow, Motorsport Black and Arctic Silver – are also offered.
More subtle hints at the first car, which originally produced just 132kW from its Rover-derived 1.8-litre four-cylinder, include a body-coloured roof, side air intake pods and the rear-wing.
The unusual shark fin stone guards are also claimed to hint at the Series 1 Exige.
Inside, the two-tone Alcantara-clad seats employ panelled stitching that, again, was used by the Norfolk-based manufacturer back on the first car.
Speaking of those buckets, they come with the same side profile silhouette as the Series 1, while the same motif is used on the dash and front fenders, and the rear wing end-plates get '20' logos.
New standard kit for the limited-edition includes Nitron three-way adjustable dampers and a set of ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels, plus 'luxuries', like a DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, cruise control and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel -- features missing on the base Exige.
Under its rear boot lid the Exige Sport 410's supercharged 3.5-litre V6 remains unchanged, with the anniversary model producing the same 305kW and 420Nm of torque.
That means that with a six-speed manual it can hit 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and top out at 290km/h, which is quite a step up on the first Exige sold from 2000 until 2004.
That car, even in its lightest and more powerful (142kW) state of tune, could only reach 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and ran out of puff at just 219km/h.
Lotus is yet to announce how many 20th Anniversary Exiges it plans to make, but says the new model will be available globally – including in Australia, for which a "limited" number has been allocated.
In the UK, the Lotus Exige 20th Anniversary has been priced from £79,900 ($A144,000), with deliveries confirmed to take place later this year.
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