LOTUS has referred to as time on its Elise, Exige and Evora sports activities automobiles, with the final examples of the trio photographed on web site with lots of the workforce who contributed to the design, engineering, meeting and gross sales of the automobiles.
Between these three mannequin strains and over the course of 26 years, a complete of 51,738 automobiles can have come off the manufacturing line. Mixed, they characterize virtually half of the full manufacturing of Lotus in its 73-year historical past.
As well as, 9,715 sports activities automobiles had been constructed for Lotus’ third-party purchasers, together with GM and Tesla. From 1996 to 2000, the first-generation Elise and Exige sports activities automobiles had been in-built a small meeting corridor at Hethel alongside the Lotus Esprit.
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The present meeting strains, which had been put in in 2000, will likely be dismantled and changed with state-of-the-art services in assist of the Emira manufacturing unit. Full manufacturing of that automobile begins subsequent yr, after the prototype and check phases presently underway are accomplished.
The final examples of the three core fashions are reserved for Lotus’ rising heritage assortment, with the ultimate Elise, a Sport 240 Closing Version, completed in Yellow and the final of 35,124 automobiles.
The final Exige, a Cup 430 Closing Version in Heritage Racing Inexperienced – quantity 10,497; and the final Evora – a GT430 Sport completed in Darkish Metallic Gray – the final of a manufacturing run of 6,117 – full the gathering.
“To start with, I want to thank the Lotus workforce who’ve labored on the Elise, Exige and Evora through the years and who at the moment are transferring to Emira and Evija manufacturing,” Lotus Vehicles managing director Matt Windle stated.
“I might additionally wish to convey monumental gratitude to all the purchasers of the Elise, Exige and Evora during the last 26 years for his or her ardour, enthusiasm and assist,” he added.
“These prospects have given our ‘three Es’ true cult standing – normally reserved for long-out-of-production classics.”
Design director Russell Carr echoed the sentiment, saying he and the workforce would miss the enduring trio.
“We are going to miss them, however a bit like Christmas, as soon as it’s over, the thrill for the following one begins to construct – and that’s what’s taking place now at Lotus with the Evija, Emira and forthcoming Sort 132,” he stated.
Subsequent out of the Lotus secure is the Emira, the critically acclaimed new mid-engineered sports activities automobile from Lotus. Launched final July at Hethel and on a world tour ever since, it’s the final petrol-powered automobile from Lotus.
Becoming a member of the primary electrical Lotus – the Evija hypercar and probably the most highly effective manufacturing automobile on the earth – would be the all-electric Sort 132, Lotus’ first SUV, which will likely be revealed to the world in quarter two subsequent yr.
