2010 Lotus Exige S Type 72

In celebration of the most successful Formula 1 car of all time, the memorable black and gold Lotus Type 72 race car, a championship winning innovative machine that was piloted by such notable drivers as Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx. In honor of the old John Players Special, the English automaker Lotus has released the special edition Exige S Type 72. Limited to only 20 units for U.K. consumption, another 20 for the rest of Europe and a limited run for destinations like Japan and other select markets around the world.

Just like the cigarette box on wheels from the 1970s, the Exige S Type 72 is painted the familiar JPS black livery with a few gold accents on the body and a set of light weight gold rims to compliment the hand painted Type 72 and Exige S logos. The special edition Type 72 comes from the factory with a performance minded Sport Pack that includes a set of black micro fiber ProBax racing buckets with gold stitching and options like air conditioning and a Limited Slip Differential while the optional Performance Pack boosts power all the way up to around 240 HP while stopping power comes from a set of AP Racing brakes while an enlarged roof scoop sits atop the Type 72.

One thing that the modern day JPS comes with that Colin Chapman would have killed for are items like Lotus variable traction control and Lotus launch control, a few trick features that certainly would have given Team Lotus even more of an edge over their rivals at Ferrari and McLaren. The Lotus Exige S Type 72 sprints from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 145 MPH, starting at €40,332 perhaps this is as close as you will ever want to get to sitting behind the wheel of a genuine John Players Special.