HETHEL, England — Lotus will honor Jim Clark, the Scottish F1 driver and winner of the Indianapolis 500, on June 8 with the formal debut of the Clark Type 25 Elise SC at the Scottish Classic SpeedFair. The special-edition model is priced at the equivalent of $70,580 and is only available in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, says Lotus.
The special-edition Elise will be limited to just 25 units and coincides with the 40th anniversary of Clark's death in a Lotus 48 at Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968. According to Lotus, the car uses historic styling cues drawn from the Type 25 Formula 1 car that Clark raced to win the F1 world championship in 1963.
The special-edition Elise gets a British racing green exterior with a yellow stripe in the center, along with Lotus Sport wheels in "a historic black and silver design," the company said in a statement. The cabin is inspired "by the Team Lotus Formula 1 cars of the era," with black leather sport seats trimmed in red leather. A retro wooden shift-lever knob rounds out the package. Lotus notes that the number 25 refers both to the type number of Clark's 1963 Lotus F1 car and his number of F1 victories.
Clark was the dominant driver of his time, the Michael Schumacher the 1960s, and is also known for furthering the introduction of midengine cars to the Indianapolis 500, a race he won in 1965. Clark died on April 7, 1968, in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany when his Lotus 48 veered off the track, crashing into trees.
What this means to you: You probably won't get a crack at this collector's item, given that it's only rolling out across the pond. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
The special-edition Elise will be limited to just 25 units and coincides with the 40th anniversary of Clark's death in a Lotus 48 at Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968. According to Lotus, the car uses historic styling cues drawn from the Type 25 Formula 1 car that Clark raced to win the F1 world championship in 1963.
The special-edition Elise gets a British racing green exterior with a yellow stripe in the center, along with Lotus Sport wheels in "a historic black and silver design," the company said in a statement. The cabin is inspired "by the Team Lotus Formula 1 cars of the era," with black leather sport seats trimmed in red leather. A retro wooden shift-lever knob rounds out the package. Lotus notes that the number 25 refers both to the type number of Clark's 1963 Lotus F1 car and his number of F1 victories.
Clark was the dominant driver of his time, the Michael Schumacher the 1960s, and is also known for furthering the introduction of midengine cars to the Indianapolis 500, a race he won in 1965. Clark died on April 7, 1968, in a Formula 2 race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany when his Lotus 48 veered off the track, crashing into trees.
What this means to you: You probably won't get a crack at this collector's item, given that it's only rolling out across the pond. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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