2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25

What do you call a special edition car that’s based on a special edition car? A special, special edition? Whatever it is, the Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 fits the bill. It’s a special edition version of the special edition Exige Cup 430. It’s limited to just 25 units, and its scarcity is attributed to the Lotus Type 25, the first F1 car that came with a stressed monocoque chassis that ultimately became the blueprint for all future F1 racers. The Type 25 also happens to be the same racer that gave Lotus its first driver’s and constructor’s championships. If these distinctions aren’t enough to make it worthy of receiving a special edition model, I don’t know what it's going to take to get one.

2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25

2018 Geely Wants Lotus To Start Playing With The Big Boys

Specifications

Make: Array
Model: 2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25
Engine/Motor: V6
Horsepower: 430
Torque: 324
[do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 special

Nobody does special edition models like Lotus. Sure, there are faster, more powerful, and more expensive SEs, but from the perspective of giving us pure joy, Lotus does it better than most.

Take the Exige Cup 430 Type 25, for example. It has all the elements of a bona fide special edition. It’s based on a car — in this case, a race car — that has a rich history of its own. It’s limited to just 25 units, magnifying its limited-run status. It’s even based on a car — the Exige Cup 430 — that has its own special edition lineage. If you want a textbook definition of a special edition car, it’s the Lotus Exige Cup Type 25.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s look at what gives this sprightly Exige Cup 430 that distinction.

On the outside, it’s available in two different body colors: Lotus Racing Green or Old English White. No matter your choice — we’d go with the Lotus Racing Green all day — the Exige Cup 430 Type 25 will also receive a smattering of yellow and black accents throughout its body. Customers can pick and choose which spots they want to get the accents, but renderings of the special edition Exige show that accents can be placed on the hood, roof, and fascia, among other places. Customers can also opt to get contrasting pinstripes on certain sections of the car, including the front splitter, front access panel, roof panel, rear wing, and the new and unique bargeboards that we see on the sides of the sports car.

The interior of the Exige Cup 430 Type 25 bears a striking resemblance to the interior of the model it’s based on, right down to the sick-to-look-at open-gate shifter. There’s not much to look at here because, in typical Lotus fashion, every component that’s deemed unnecessary in the pursuit of speed and performance is taken out. That leaves us with a simple dash layout, an uncluttered central console, and not much else.

The good news is that customers don’t have to leave the cabin looking as spartan as they come. For the sake of adding a more premium look to the interior, Lotus is offering a good amount of bespoke detailing using materials like leather and Alcantara. There’s an option to go overboard with the good stuff if there’s a need to overcompensate for the lack of modern styling, but there’s also an option to simply dress up the cabin with a range of color options. The ones you see in the rendering appear to be the same Lotus Racing Green color and the matching yellow stitching. It’s simple, but evocative, exactly what Lotus is supposed to be about.

Sitting underneath this tribute to the iconic Type 25 Formula One racer is a 3.5-liter supercharged V-6 that produces 430 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque. It’s the exact power numbers attached to the Exige Cup 430, which means that we’re looking at an extra 55 horses compared to the Exige Cup 380 and close to 100 ponies more than the Exige Sport 350. All that power helps the Exige Cup 430 Type 25 sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds before maxing out at a top speed of 180 mph. Gnarly stuff.

As incredible as the special edition Exige Cup 430 is, it has a downside. By virtue of the car paying tribute to a racer with “25” in its name, Lotus only plans to build 25 units of the Type 25. Each model will come with a numbered certificate of authenticity, signed by CEO signed by Jean-Marc Gales, a matching plaque in the cabin, and even a signed hardback copy of the book: Jim Clark: Tribute to a Champion by Eric Dymock signed by Clive Chapman, and Bob Dance.

If all of that is appealing, now’s the time to score one of the 25 units that Lotus is offering. Unfortunately, they’re only available in the U.K., Germany, France, and Italy. That means that those living in the U.S. are out of luck again. For those lucky enough to get one, the Exige Cup 430 Type 25 retails in the U.K. for £110,000, which converts to a little more than $150,000. If you live in either Germany, France, or Italy, the cost of one unit ranges from €140,000 to €146,000, or around $171,000 to almost $180,000.