Lotus Cars has celebrated the production of the 40,000th model based on the Small Car Platform, which debuted in 1995 with the Elise. The milestone model was the first Elise S 20th Anniversary edition.
At its launch, the Small Car Platform was one of the most advanced and flexible in the world, with Lotus building various models based on it, including the Elise, Exige, Europa, 2-Eleven, 340R and racing variants.
With this platform, Lotus was the first carmaker to use extruded and bonded aluminum, revolutionizing the industry.
Nowadays, many manufacturers have adopted this method. Lotus has been constantly improving the formula, with its current lightweight structure weighing just 68 kg (150 lbs). The small car platform currently underpins the Elise and Exige models, while the same aluminum extruded and bonded technology is used in the new Evora 400.
“While a correlation exists between today’s platform and the first of the lightweight, bonded and extruded aluminum structures, it has altered radically. It remains a benchmark in light weight and efficiency and is as advanced and market-leading today as it was 20 years ago,” says Lotus Group CEO Jean-Marc Gales.
“We are especially delighted that the 40,000th version of our small car platform will underpin, appropriately, an Elise 20th Anniversary model, the latest Elise model that celebrates our landmark achievements,” the executive added.
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