2017 Lotus Exige 350 anniversary edition celebrates 50 years in Hethel

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Special-edition Exige won’t come stateside

To celebrate its 50th year in Hethel, England, Lotus is building a special edition of its po[CENSORED]r Exige 350. The anniversary edition will have unique finishes and enough special lightweight pieces to shave 60 pounds off the standard Exige’s curb weight -- taking the special edition down to a scant 2,423 pounds.

Powering the welterweight British sports car is a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that produces 345 hp. For those who don’t want to break out a calculator, that means the Exige 350 has about 7 pounds per horsepower. Lightweight engine mounts, two-piece brake rotors and carbon-fiber seats are only a few of the creative ways to shave weight off an already-light car.

Lotus assumes folks will want to track their new special-edition Exige and preps the car accordingly. Clamping the two piece front and rear rotors are AP Racing four-piston calipers. The Lotus Dynamic Performance Management system helps increase throttle response in the upper rev range and helps control wheel slip.

The bad news? It’s not coming stateside. If you want to fly across the pond to snag one, plan on spending at least $78,858, or 61,900 pounds if you use one of the currency converters at the airport. After all, it'll complete your garage trinity of special-edition Lotus cars that celebrate its 50th anniversary in Norfolk and Hethel.