Lotus Reintroduces The Type 72

If you’re a motorsports fan, the news that Lotus is returning to F1 is, in a word; amazing. Shaking the sport to its foundations the last time they entered competition, Chapman and friends bent, worked around, and otherwise ignored the rules and regulations set out to slow the cars down and increase competitiveness, and benefitted as a result.

But for all their success, Lotus’ Formula 1 successes were best associated with their most famous paint scheme: the familiar black and gold of the John Players Special cars. So, how better to rekindle that sporting flame than by bringing that famous paint scheme to the street on a new limited edition variant of the Exige S model. Known at the Type 72, this new Exige S is admittedly little more than a paint and decal job, but when the canvas is as good as the top-spec Exige, you don’t tend to worry too much. Trading the nouveau flamboyant paint schemes found on most Exiges for a coating of gloss black with gold accents, the Type 72 also features lightweight handpainted wheels, while the interior gets ProBax sports seats with gold stitching.