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2020 Lotus Elise Classic Heritage Editions celebrate past race car liveries

For 2020, the Lotus Elise is getting a very limited edition. The Elise Classic Heritage Edition is a version that can be had in one of four liveries that reference past Lotus race cars. While the paint schemes are fitting tributes, the redundancy of having "Classic" and "Heritage" in the same name seem antithetical to Colin Chapman's philosophy of "simplify and add lightness." Name aside, the color schemes look good. Naturally, one of them is the famous black and gold of the John Player Special Lotus race cars. Others are less familiar, but still significant. Two of them highlight cars driven by famous racers. The blue, red and silver combo references the 1980 Lotus Type 81 driven by Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Elio de Angelis. The red, white and gold version is for the 1968 Type 49B driven by Graham Hill. As for the blue and white car, it celebrates the first Lotus F1 car to win pole position and the race, the 1960 Type 18. The flashy paint is matched with equally flashy interiors. The upper door panels and other trim pieces are painted in coordinated colors, and the seat centers are finished in matching fabric. The one exception is the blue and white model that gets red seats. While the car is based on the 217-horsepower Elise 220, it gets features that are normally extra-cost on that car, including air conditioning, cruise control, a radio, carpeting and floor mats, two-piece brake rotors and forged wheels. Available as options are a hardtop, lithium-ion battery and titanium exhaust. All of these extra features, plus the colors and exclusivity help make the extra GBP6,350-pound upcharge worthwhile, which makes the car cost GBP46,250, or just over $57,000 at current exchange rates. Speaking of exclusivity, only 100 of these cars will be sold internationally. Lotus notes that the split between the different colors will be dependent on demand, so certain liveries could be rarer than others. Don't expect any of them to be offered in the U.S., though, since the Elise isn't available here at all. Related Video:    

Elise Time Attack could be most extreme Lotus yet

The Lotus Elise has given birth to some seriously fast and varied machinery. Aside from Lotus' own models like the Exige, 2-Eleven, 340R and Europa, electric vehicles like the Tesla Roadster, not to mention the never-released Dodge Circuit and Detroit Electric SP:01, are all based on the Elise's platform. As were/are the Melkus RS 2000, the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 and the Hennessey Venom GT. But this could be the most extreme use of the lightweight chassis yet.
This Series 1 Elise has been built by one performance-obsessed Brit with a single purpose: to compete in the UK's Time Attack championship. For those unfamiliar, Time Attack is something like a rally or a hillclimb event, only it takes place on a racing circuit. Each vehicle goes out on the track by itself and sets the best time it can, without needing to worry about other competitors until the finish line is crossed and it's the next racer's turn. That's what drove Lee to modify his Lotus so thoroughly, with more wings, diffusers, flaps and carbon fiber than a Boeing factory. Check it out in the video below.

Lotus Evija EV supercar is charging toward series production

It's almost time for Lotus to begin production of real Evijas bound for customers, but first, it must go through its final round of testing. To accomplish this task, Lotus had to prep its brand-new production facility to build the final prototypes. New photos and video give a glimpse of what the Lotus assembly hall looks like.  The Evija, which means "the first in existence," is an all-electric supercar that Lotus hopes will be the most powerful production road car ever made. The supercar uses electric motors for four-wheel drive with torque vectoring and has a battery pack rated at 70kWh. Lotus claims it has 1,973 horsepower and 1,254 lb-ft of torque, can go zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, can do zero to 186 mph in less than nine seconds, and has a top speed of 200 mph. All of that, with a weight of 3,704 pounds.  Possibly more impressive are the claimed battery stats. The Evija, which is the first Lotus developed with new majority shareholder Geely, can supposedly fully charge in less than 10 minutes and has a range of 250 miles. With a 350-kW charger, it'll fill up in 18 minutes. Lotus says the Evija has been an extremely collaborative effort, as 20 specialist contractors and 50 experts have been on site for the past six months. They've been hard at work in the new facility, which is located next to the 2.2-mile Hethel circuit in Hethel, in Norfolk, U.K. Check out the new state-of-the-art light tunnel, the vehicle lifts, the gantry crane, and more above and below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.