It seems like every month one automaker or another has a reason to celebrate and create some limited-run, special-edition model. Today, Lotus has announced its latest special edition that was designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company’s Hethel site. The car is called the Elise 350 Special Edition, and it is based on the Elise Cup 250 that launched just a few months ago. Powered by a supercharged four-cylinder, this thing delivers more than 240 horsepower and comes complete with lots of carbon fiber on the outside and a hand-finished interior. As Lotus put it, “It perfectly defines the quintessential British sports car in the celebration year.”

Outside of being quick thanks to that supercharged four-banger, this baby is also pretty aesthetically pleasing and can be had in a number of colors. On top of that, the car can also be personalized through the Lotus Exclusive Program, which means that each of the 50 units slated for production could turn out to be completely unique. For the record, Lotus claims this special-edition model can lap its Hethel test circuit in just 1 minute and 34 seconds – the fastest so far of any road-going Elise.

Jean-Marc Gales, the CEO of Group Lotus plc, said, “When we first introduced the Elise, it redefined how involving and exciting, yet civilized, a sports car could be. As the Elise was conceived, designed, engineered and is built at Hethel, we wanted a 50th tribute that’s even lighter than the fastest road-going Elise we’ve ever produced. The new Elise 250 Special Edition achieves that, so it’s supremely quick and agile, but it’s also wonderfully finished and stunning to look at.”

So, with that said, let’s take a good look at this special-edition Elise and see what all the hype is about.

Continue reading to learn more about the Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition.

2016 Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition

Specifications
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  • Model: 2016 Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition
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What makes the Lotus Elise 250 Special Edition special

To start off, the Elise 250 is available in classic blue, red, yellow, or white. The ultralight forged wheels come standard in silver, but can be optioned in black for those who like a slightly darker appearance. To help give this special edition a new look, it comes with a carbon fiber spoiler up front, carbon fiber front access panel, carbon fiber tailgate, and a carbon fiber rear wing. There is also a carbon fiber hardtop available as an option. While these external elements don’t dramatically change the 250’s overall appearance, they are a nice addition and give the car that extra bit of visual appear that it really needs.

Moving over to the somewhat small interior, you’ll find a nice set of carbon fiber seats that can be finished in dark blue or dark gray leather as standard equipment. The same material is also used on the door trim panels. All that leather is held together with the consumer’s choice of contrast stitching. Lotus didn’t elaborate on whether or not the special edition is equipped with an infotainment system as standard equipment, but an “integrated in-car entertainment system” can be specific. Lotus claims it supports iPod and Bluetooth connectivity. Other options include full carpets, floor mats, enhanced sound insulation, cruise control, air conditioning, and auxiliary driving lights.

Under the body, you’ll find that this special edition comes will all of the goodies found on the Elise Cup 250 that it's based on. This includes double wishbone suspension with Bilstein sports dampers all the way around to go with Eibach coaxial coil springs. Braking duties are handled by AP Racing two-piston calipers up front and Brembo single-piston calipers in the rear. The ABS system has been track-tuned and is included as standard equipment. Along with ABS, you the car also features and driver-selectable ESP mode that provides “sport” and “race” settings for more spirited driving. These models alter the car’s throttle response, traction slip thresholds and understeer recognition.

The real motivation comes from the 1.8-liter, four-cylinder that provides supercharged power to the tune of 243 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. In a world full of cars like the Ferrari LaFerrari, Koenigsegg One:1 and the like, that really doesn’t seem like much to write home about, but thanks to the car's incredibly light weight of 1,982 pounds, that translates to 270 horsepower per ton and a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. Not bad!

Lotus has yet to release pricing for this special-edition, but you can bet that it doesn’t come cheap. For the record, the standard Lotus Elise Cup 250 starts out at £45,600 in the U.K. and €61,100 in Germany. That translates to $60,141 and $68,948, respectively. That tells me you can probably expect this special edition to command somewhere around $75,000 to $80,000, depending on the market. Only 50 examples are being produced and will be sold on a first-come basis. So, if you’re hoping to see one in your garage anytime in the foreseeable future, you better start calling your local Lotus dealer now to place your order.

2016 Lotus Elise Cup 250

Read our full review on the 2016 Lotus Elise Cup 250 here.