Lotus Exige 350 special edition commemorates 50 years at Hethel

Lotus is celebrating fifty years of taking grounds at the Hethel Test Facility in Norfolk, England with a special edition Exige 350.

The Exige is already a light car but the anniversary edition is even lighter thanks to a pair of carbon fibre sport seats, lightweight alloy wheels, a revised “front access panel” and weight-saving lithium-ion battery.

The lightweight program sheds 26kg off the standard car’s mass, tipping the scale at just 1,098kg.

Powered by the same turbocharged 258kW / 400Nm 3.5-litre V6 engine in the standard Exige, the special edition sprints from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.7 seconds, 0.2 second quicker than the regular version. Top speed remains the same at 274km/h.

This weight loss allows the lighter car to lap the Hethel test track in 1:29, two seconds faster than the larger, more powerful Evora 400.

Visually, the special edition Exige scores unique anniversary badges and a striking red on black paintwork.