Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Lotus celebrates Elise's 20th birthday. Image by Lotus.

Lotus celebrates Elise's 20th birthday
Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary Special Edition is lightweight collector's piece.
<< earlier Lotus article     later Lotus article >>

 


News homepage -> Lotus news

What's all this about?

You might think we're making this up, but the Lotus Elise is 20 years old. The world first saw it at the Frankfurt Motor Show way back in September 1995.

Wow, I didn't think it had been around that long. But why are you telling me this nugget of info?

Because Lotus has done a special edition of the current model to celebrate this momentous occasion. And it has called it the, er, Elise 20th Anniversary Special Edition. Which is about as straightforward a name as it could get.

What makes this different to an Elise S?

On the outside, a lot of matte black detailing - the lightweight, forged alloy wheels, rear diffuser, wing mirror, roll hoop cover and rear transom are all in this colour. Talking of hues, there are four to choose from for the body and the naming policy for these is as refreshingly honest as that for the entire car: take your pick from Blue, Green, Yellow or Silver. Decals to mark out the 20th Anniversary can be found above the side repeaters and there are discreet driving lamps in the front grille, which hark back to the original Elise.

Has the interior changed a lot?

The sports seats are thinner and lighter in weight, as is the centre console - which is also painted in whichever exterior colour you've plumped for. Upholstery choices are leather or Alcantara with colour-coded stitching. The 20th Anniversary decal can be found on the stereo blanking plate, as a CD/radio with USB connectivity and an NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) Pack is a £1,200 option. Air conditioning will set you back a further £1,250.

Are there a lot of options?

No, that's your lot, save for a hard top - which is also £1,200. However, Lotus says there is £5,150 worth of extra kit on this compared to a regular Elise S, but the 20th Anniversary SE is a mere £2,700 more at £39,900.

Right, you've prevaricated enough now. Has it got a load more power?

No. Sorry. It uses the same 1.8-litre supercharged four-cylinder engine as an Elise S, making 220hp and 250Nm. That means its benchmark performance stats are unchanged, with 0-62mph coming up in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 145mph; these are hardly shabby numbers, though. Lotus does claim ever-so-slightly improved green figures, as, despite the combined economy remaining unchanged at 37.5mpg, the CO2 emissions fall from 175- to 173g/km and the extra-urban economy creeps up to 47.6mpg. This is because the 20th Anniversary SE is 10kg lighter than the S, standing at 914kg.

Have you got anything else to add?

There's a sport mode that increases throttle response and alters the point at which the traction control intervenes, to allow the driver more enjoyment of the mid-engined, rear-drive chassis. If you like the sounds of all this, you can order the Elise 20th Anniversary Special Edition now.



Matt Robinson - 19 Mar 2015








www.grouplotus.com    - Lotus road tests
- Lotus news
- Elise images






Lotus Emeya: an electric hyper-GT. Image by Lotus.
Lotus reveals Emeya hyper-GT
Lotus targets mega-fast four-doors with its new Emeya EV.
 
Lotus Evija Fittipaldi marks 50 years since 1972 world championship success. Image by Lotus.
2023 Lotus Evija Fittipaldi Revealed
Lotus Evija Fittipaldi celebrates 50 years since Lotus and the Brazilian ace won the F1 drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Lotus Emira points to British firm's future. Image by Lotus.
Stunning new Lotus Emira
New Lotus sports car debuts with Toyota V6 or Mercedes-AMG power.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©