PIC: Here comes the LOTUS Exige S Type 72

[JLA]

After a 15-year hiatus, Lotus is coming back to Formula One, and to
commemorate its return to the top tier of motorsport, the Hethel crew
is creating yet another special Exige inspired by the Type 72 that
dominated F1 in the Seventies.

Like nearly every other limited edition Lotus released in the last few
years, the Exige S Type 72 is little more than a repainted, kitted-up
version of its midship masterpiece. The supercharged, 1.8-liter
inline four remains unchanged, putting out 220 horsepower and
allowing the two-tone coupe to sprint to 60 in 4.5 seconds and on to
a top speed of 145 mph.

A set of carbon fiber ProBax sport seats swathed in black microfiber
with contrast stitching ties in with the exterior's gold wheels and
emblems, while standard twin oil coolers and an adjustable front
anti-roll bar round out the mechanical upgrades.

Lotus has slated 20 Type 72s for sale in the UK, with another 20
destined for markets outside of the mainland (no word on U.S.
distribution), each carrying a price tag of ￜ35,995 or 40,332 euro.
Not cheap, but then again, how do you put a price on nostalgia?

PRESS RELEASE

Lotus Exige S Type 72

The Lotus Exige S Type 72 celebrates the most successful F1 car of all
time, the Lotus Type 72 Formula One car, which achieved 20 Grand Prix
victories between 1970 and 1975.

The Lotus Type 72 was driven by such Lotus greats as Jochen Rindt,
Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx and won three
Formula One Constructors' Championships (1970, 1972 and 1973) and two
Drivers' World Championships (the first being won by Jochen Rindt in
1970 and the second by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972).

The colour scheme of the Exige S Type 72 commemorates the famous and
easily recognisable black and gold Lotus Type 72 livery and is
finished by the same sign writer who painted racing cars for Team
Lotus.

Performance through light weight has long been a Lotus philosophy. The
935kg Exige S Type 72 sprints to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds and to 100
km/h in 4.7 seconds, before reaching a top speed of 145 mph, 233 km/h.
The Exige S Type 72 also offers class leading fuel economy and
emissions, with fuel economy of 6.5 litres/100 km (43.5 mpg) on the
Extra Urban Cycle and CO2 emissions of 199 g/km.

The Exige S Type 72 is a powerful supercharged mid-engined sportscar
that is equally at home on the racetrack or open road. The
intercooled engine has VVTL-i technology ensuring impressive
performance all the way to the rev limiter at 8500 rpm.
The Sport Pack comes as standard on the Exige S Type 72 which has a
bespoke high quality interior, including black micro fibre ProBax
sports seats with gold stitching. Each car comes with a special build
plate commemorating one of the F1 car's 20 Grand Prix victories. The
exterior of the Exige S Type 72 features unique black and gold light
weight wheels and is finished with hand-painted gold Type 72 and
Exige S logos, (the Sport Pack also includes a T45 steel main roll
hoop, Lotus Traction Control, twin oil coolers and an adjustable
front anti-roll bar).

All Lotus cars offer outstanding handling and performance, and the
Exige is no exception offering excellent dynamics and great driver
involvement. Lotus ride and handling gives an inspiring driving
experience and the mid-engined layout of the Lotus Exige S Type 72
offers fantastic balance and agility.

Luke Bennett, Operations Director for Lotus Cars Limited stated,
"The Lotus Exige S Type 72 is an evocative sportscar, combining
cutting edge handling and performance with the iconic Type 72 colour
scheme, one of the most famous racing liveries of all time. The Exige
provides an intense driving experience either on road or track and
this limited edition is a worthy car to celebrate such a legendary
racing car."

Clive Chapman, Director of Classic Team Lotus said, "The Type 72
was a very significant car for Team Lotus and indeed for the world of
F1. It was a revolutionary design that pioneered the use of side
mounted radiators to achieve its distinctive 'wedge' profile, which
delivered a significant aerodynamic advantage. Furthermore, by
minimising unsprung weight and using a torsion bar, rising rate
suspension, tyre performance was excellent. The Lotus Type 72 design
was so advanced that it was competitive for an extraordinary six
years."
The Exige S Type 72 options include: Air Conditioning, Limited Slip
Differential and the Performance Pack, which includes a power
increase to 240 PS, larger AP Racing brakes, enlarged roof scoop
(compared to the standard Exige S) and Lotus variable traction
control and Lotus launch control.

To commemorate the impressive number of Grand Prix wins the Type 72
achieved, Lotus will be producing 20 of this special edition for the
UK, a further 20 cars for mainland Europe and there will be a limited
run of cars in Japan and selected markets around the world.

Lotus Exige S Type 72 prices:
UK Price: ￜ35,995 MRSP, excluding on the road costs of ￜ950
Euro zone price: ￜ40,332, including delivery and other on the road
costs, excluding local country tax.

Exige S: 199 g/km CO2
8.5 l/100 km (33.2 mpg) Combined Cycle
11.9 l/100 km (23.7 mpg) Urban Cycle
6.5 litres/100 km (43.5 mpg) Extra Urban Cycle

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