Lotus is marking the 50th anniversary of its base in Hethel, Norfolk, with a new special edition Elise. The 250 weighs just 899kg, and has set the lap record for a street-legal production Elise round the company's test circuit.
The miniscule kerbweight is thanks to liberal use of hand-finished carbon fibre and aluminium components. The 250 gets a carbon-fibre front splitter, real wing, tailgate and front access panel. Carbon-fibre sports seats in leather are also included.
The Elise 250 Special Edition uses the familiar 1.8-litre supercharged petrol engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, producing 243bhp and 250Nm of torque - meaning a power to weight ratio of 270bhp per tonne. That enables a 0-60mph time of 3.9 seconds, with a top speed of 154mph and a Hethel circuit time of 1min 34secs.
It carries over the same suspension and braking components from the Cup 250, plus the switchable ESP system. Bluetooth, iPod connectivity, air-con, enhanced sound insulation and even cruise control can be specified.
The only downside is the price: at £47,900 it's also the most expensive Elise on sale, and that's before you've added any of the aforementioned options. A Porsche 718 Cayman S is just £2,000 more, for example.
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