Our spy photographers recently caught the new Lotus Exige hidden under a very strange looking camouflage testing, and now Lotus->ke49 has announced that they will celebrate the end of production for the renowned North American bound Elise->ke1678 and Exige->ke525 models with three special editions: the Elise SC, Exige Matte Black, and Exige S260 Final Editions. The Lotus Elise SC Final Edition will be limited to only 15 units and will carry a price tag of $57,500.
For those of you outside North America, don't worry, both the Elise and Exige models will continue to be available in other markets around the world. The reason for the termination of production in North America is that there was a lack of continued availability for the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder Toyota 2ZZ engine that powers all North American Elise and Exige models. Therefore, the production of this model will cease for North America by the end of August 2011.
But hey, at least it can go out with a bang, so hit the jump to get full details on the 2011 Elise SC Final Edition.
2011 Lotus Elise SC Final Edition
- Make: Array
- Model: 2011 Lotus Elise SC Final Edition
- Engine/Motor: mid-mounted, 4-cylinder supercharged engine
- Horsepower: 220
- Transmission: Synchromes six-speed transaxle with lockout reverse gear
- [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Exterior and Interior
The special edition Elise Final Edition will come with a color scheme based on the “Club Racer” Elise that’s currently being sold in Europe right now. While the color scheme may be the same, the Elise Final Edition will have four color options to choose from, including Ardent Red, Aspen White, Chrome Orange, and Carbon Grey. On top of that, the Elise Final Edition will also have the following items as standard on the car: a Touring package with sport seats trimmed in black Alcantara, Bilstein sport pack dampers with Eibach springs, a torque-sensing limited slip differential, a black rear diffuser, a matte black painted hard top, roll bar cover, transom panel, and side mirrors, a specially-numbered plaque to commemorate the model number, and last but certainly not least, a set of black 5 Y-spoke forged wheels with A048 tires.
Performance
The Elise Final Edition will be powered by a 1.8-liter, mid-mounted, 4-cylinder supercharged engine that produces 220 horsepower. The car also comes with a Synchromes six-speed transaxle with lockout reverse gear.
2011 Lotus Elise
Pricing
Of the three final edition models Lotus will be releasing to the North American market, the most exclusive is the Elise Final Edition. Limited to only 15 models, a piece of this special edition bad boy will cost you $57,500 with an additional option of $995 to avail of StarShield.
Competition
We're tempted to put the Elise Special Edition to paces against a car like the Audi TTS->ke3007. Under normal circumstances, we would probably give the nod to the TTS because it's got a more powerful 2.0-liter TFSI engine that produces 272 horsepower, a far cry from the Elise Special Edition's 220 horsepower output. On top of that, when it comes to brand recall, an Audi TTS certainly resonates more than a Lotus Elise, especially in this part of the world.
Having said that, there's something about limited editions that grab our attention. Maybe it's the fact that you're going to be one of only a few people in the world with this specific model. In some cases, exclusivity is more than enough to compensate for the car's lack of power compared to a competitor's standard model.