Lotus Celebrates 50 Years at Hethel Test Track With Special Exige 350

It's been fifty years since Lotus first settled in at its Helthel test track, and to celebrate, it's offering a spate of special anniversary editions. Following special variants of the Evora 400 and the Elise 250, the British sports car manufacturer pulled the covers off an anniversary edition of the viciously capable Exige 350.

Although the Exige is already a featherweight platform, the new special edition sheds further pounds with alloy wheels, carbon fiber sport seats, a revised "front access panel," and a lithium-ion battery. This sloughs off 57 pounds when compared to the regular Exige 350, tipping the scales at an impressive 2,422 pounds.

Regardless, it's not as though the Exige 350 would struggle to drag any extra weight around. Underneath the aggressive carbon-fiber bodywork, a supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine routs 345 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels through a standard six-speed manual transmission. This stellar power-to-weight ratio allows the Exige to scamper to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, and on to a top speed of 170 mph. This performance is good for a 1:29 spring around the Hethel test track, two seconds faster than the larger, more powerful Evora 400.

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Lotus didn't go into much detail on the interior, but did mention the interior is "special." We assume that means there is a smattering of badges, trim, and colors not available on the regular car.

If you're in the states, and in the process of dusting-off your tent to camp in front of your local Lotus dealer to be first in line, you might want to wait on that. We do get the fantastic Evora 400 on our shores, but both the Exige and the Elise are off-limits, thanks to the U.S. stringent safety and air-bag regulations.

If you are overseas, expect to shell-out around the equivalent of $79,000 for the privilege.

Source: Lotus