Few companies with their names on a current F1 car have a history in the sport as storied as Lotus. And despite all of Colin Chapman’s innovations, perhaps his most important contribution to the sport—for better or worse—was inking a deal with Imperial Tobacco to run the red and gold John Player Gold Leaf livery on his previously green cars in 1968.
This, of course, opened a floodgate of corporate sponsorship that’s turned F1 from a million-dollar industry to a gajillion-dollar one. Lotus later celebrated its success in F1 with the John Player Special Europa road car, featuring the black and gold livery that followed the Gold Leaf colors.
The current Lotus F1 team runs a blend of the classic schemes—black with gold and red accents, but no longer carries the classic smokey-treat branding, for obvious reasons. And now you can purchase one of the Europa’s descendants, the Exige, in a livery that evokes the retro-modern scheme.
Well, you can in other parts of the world, anyway. Lotus hasn’t sold the Exige here in the United States since 2011, owing to homologation issues. But you’ll need to be somewhat quick about it, as the company’s only building 81 of the special-edition cars to commemorate the marque’s as-of-now-current number of victories on the circuit. Each example of the LF1 comes with a zazzy carbon-fiber build plate, and includes the Exige Race Pack, high-performance brake discs, and Pirelli P Zero Trofeo rubber. As a sop to daily drivers, heated seats and rear parking sensors are available.
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Act today and your LF1 purchase also makes you an Exige LF1 member, which allows you a tour of the Lotus Cars and Lotus F1 facilities, as well as Lotus F1 trinkets such as a mini Romain Grosjean helmet, a key fob, and a USB stick.
If you desire a more thorough gander, the car will be on display this week at London’s Canary Wharf and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as later this month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. U.S.-bound Lotus hounds, feel free light up a smoke, click through the gallery, and imagine yourself somewhere more exotic.
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