To celebrate the start of car production at Hethel in 1967, Lotus has announced a run of just 40 cars available in the Elan Sprint colours of Aspen White topped with a choice of either Solar Yellow or Persian Blue.

Lotus aficionados will know that production of the Elan Sprints didn’t actually start until 1971. However, the iconic white/gold stripe/colour livery has always been a popular one, created as it was to tie in with Gold Leaf sponsorship of the Lotus racing team in 1968.

Colour scheme apart, the latest car includes as standard, ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels, air conditioning, the Sport Pack, the Touring Pack and the newly available Performance Pack. The latter endows the Exige Sprint with the wherewithal to reach 60mph from zero in 4.0 seconds, reaching 100mph in just another 6 seconds (estimated) before topping out at 146mph.

The Sprint also features a unique interior trim with distinctive embroidery and exterior decals. Just 40 cars will be built for the UK market and each one will have an individually numbered chassis year build plate covering 1967 to 2007, except for 1982, the year of Colin Chapman’s death.

Each car will also come together with a heritage pack containing a certificate signed by Lotus’ Chief Executive Mike Kimberley and 'The Lotus Book' written by William Taylor, featuring in-depth reviews of the models produced at Hethel.

The new car will retail at £42,550 in the UK, some £1500 less than a standard car specified to the same level.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Lotus