Lotus releases special edition Clark Type 25 Elise SC

Posted Thu Jun 5 2008 11:29 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Lotus is celebrating the achievements of one of the world’s greatest racing drivers with the release of the special edition Clark Type 25 Elise SC roadster. The car is named after Jim Clark, the man who won the F1 World Championship twice for Team Lotus in 1963 and in 1965 and has 25 GP race wins under his belt as well as an Indianapolis 500 title.

In tribute to Clark’s achievements, Lotus will produce just 25 examples of the special edition Elise SC and will donate a portion of the proceeds from each car sold to the Jim Clark memorial fund. The launch of the car also coincides with the 40th anniversary of Jim Clark’s death at Hockenheim in 1968.

The Clark Type 25 Elise SC draws several styling cues from the Type 25 F1 car that Clark raced to win the World Championship in 1963, and includes a removable hard top as standard and is finished in British Racing Green with a yellow stripe. The interior is also inspired by the Team Lotus F1 cars of the era, with black leather sports seats, trimmed with red leather and all finished off with a wooden gear knob.

Power comes from a 1.8L supercharged engine and uses intelligent cam switching technology, enabling the engine to switch to a high performance cam anywhere between 4,000 and 6,200rpm. Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes just 4.3 seconds and top speed is in excess of 238km/h.

The Clark Type 25 Elise SC is already on sale in the UK and is priced from £35,995 ($72,000).

Reader Comments

Thu Jun 5 2008 12:49 PM
Gunnar says

I'm glad to see that Lotus is really cranking out those Elise variants - but - I really looking forward to another Esprit. It's been far too long since an updated variant of Colin Chapman's own has taken on Ferrari.
Thu Jun 5 2008 2:11 PM
Gus says

That Elise is a tiny car. Finally sat in one the other day on one of my sports car club drives:

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/chybagus/IMG_4179copy.jpg

The Mustangs in the club looked like they were going to eat it:

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/chybagus/IMG_4185copy.jpg

But I agree, bring back the Esprit! Bond needs another car... :)
Thu Jun 5 2008 2:14 PM
admin says

You really have to respect the people that use Lotus' as daily drivers. I'm 6" and it takes me at least 5 mins to contort myself to fit inside these tiny things.
Thu Jun 5 2008 2:40 PM
Gus says

It was a contortion act to get into, that's for sure.
I'm sure it will be fun to sit in a Tesla someday as well... :)
But I gained a whole new level of respect for that car. On the straight sections we easily pulled away in the Mustangs, but in any turns he was on us like fleas on a dog. He was just able to take turns without slowing down at all. Mass is king in an accident, but being a flea helps when your turning...

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