Lotus released its Exige Cup 260 for the 2008 model year to terrorize much larger and pricier cars on race tracks ’round the world. For 2009, the British automaker has spiced things up by ‘adding lightness’ in the marque’s grand tradition. Weight drops by over 80 pounds this year to just under a ton thanks to copious use of carbon fiber. Coupled with a 257-horsepower 1.8-liter Toyota-sourced mill force fed through an intercooler by an Eaton M62 supercharger, the ‘09 Exige Cup 260 should hit 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. Electronic goodies such as launch control combined with variable traction control, plus 40 kilograms of downforce at 100 mph, do their best to keep the car planted on the track.

Race-ready bits like forged wheels wearing Yokohama A048 LTS tires, Eibach springs over one-way adjustable Bilstein dampers and cross-drilled and ventilated discs at all four corners highlight the serious intent of this car. Plus, a standard roll over hoop, dealer-installed full front roll cage and FIA compliant electronics are there to keep your track days safe.

Those masochists wishing to drive the Exige Cup 260 on the streets can do so anywhere in the European Union where it’s road-legal, but that would be missing the point entirely. Get yours in the U.K for £45,995. Full press release after the jump.

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Lotus is celebrating its 60th birthday this Sunday at its Hethel headquarters in England, and the British sportscar maker has put together a special edition of the Europa to celebrate. This one is specially configured for the diamond anniversary just to appeal to the likes of Paris Hilton. The special custom gear shift lever and other switches are in-set with diamonds in black metal so they will be all sparkly! On the outside, the high-gloss black paint has tiny bits of glass in it similar to the tuxedo black finish on the Lincoln MKS. The glass adds even more sparkle to the paint in sunlight than a conventional metallic finish. All kidding aside, if the paint is anything like the Lincoln finish it will look great. The Europa also gets some unspecified performance upgrades to give it a sub 5-second 0-60 dash and 146 mph top end. It’s not clear, however, if this £150,000 Europa is a one-off or if Lotus is planning to build more.

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Special edition Elises are becoming a dime-a-dozen, but Lotus decided Kahn Design should be tasked with creating its own bespoke version of the Elise to celebrate the automaker’s 60th anniversary.

Kahn, primarily known for its body-kit-equipped Astons, Benzes, Landies and Rollers, has taken the standard Elise and given it an aesthetic once-over in an attempt to justify it’s yet-to-be-disclosed price tag. The enhancements include a new front splitter, side skirts and rear wing, along with silver mesh fitted to the side air intakes and rear clam. The seats have replaced with thicker, leather thones and the Kahn logo has been embossed on the headrests, center console and steering wheel. In keeping with Kahn tradition, performance modifications are limited to 19-inch wheels, a new suspension and a sports exhaust.

The Kahn Elise will officially debut next month, with sales beginning later this year through the UK’s Dream Machines Lotus dealership

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Lotus Engineering has been hard at work developing new engine technologies that allow the use of sustainable alcohol fuels. It’s recent Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept showed that the British firm knows how to make an engine run on various fuels, including gasoline, ethanol and methanol. In fact, the 270E Tri-Fuel concept was the most powerful Exige ever conceived by the Hethel-based company and made its highest power output using synthetic methanol fuel. Lotus has started a new research project called the OMNIVORE engine — cleverly indicating that it will run on anything — that uses a single cylinder with direct injection and a variable compression ratio in order to maximize power and efficiency while running on various alcohol fuels. The higher octane rating of alcohol fuels will allow the engine to run with higher compression, thereby offering more power, while also toning itself down to run on lower-grade fuels as well. Read the press release after the break for more details.

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Hybrid vehicles have the potential to save a few bucks at the pump, but advocates for the blind have continued to warn about their potential to harm to the seeing impaired. Lotus’ automotive consultancy arm is trying to avert the risk of hybrids quietly running in electric mode with its “Safe and Sound” demo car.

This specially equipped Toyota Prius has been fitted a waterproof speaker mounted above the radiator that can emit a sound similar to a flat-six or V8, based off the vehicle’s speed and throttle position. Once the internal combustion engine kicks in, the system is muted, allowing the 1.5-liter inline four to sing its siren song.

Hit the jump to read the press release and see a video of the “Safe and Sound” demo car in action. Also keep in mind that we’ve yet to run across a report of a blind person being hit by a hybrid car, though there was that one kid who got knocked off his bike.

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Lotus has confirmed that it’s planning a convertible version of the new Evora just weeks after the sports car made its debut at the London motor show.

Marketing men at the British brand foresee an eight-year lifespan for the Evora, which is built alongside the Elise at Hethel in Norfolk.

A convertible version will be launched late in 2011 to boost the Evora’s appeal after three years on the market, and it’s hoped this open-top model will help Lotus maintain its sales target of 2000 units per year.

Like the Elise, the Evora’s body structure is versatile enough for other variants and even other models to be based around it. In fact, the suspension and chassis centre section will be used in the forthcoming V8-engined Esprit replacement, also scheduled for 2011.

In the shorter term, it seems likely that a more powerful version of the naturally aspirated Evora could arrive within two years, developing around 320bhp rather than the standard car’s 280bhp.

A hardcore S version also seems very likely, because the Evora’s 3.5-litre V6 engine has been cleverly packaged to leave room for a supercharger. This would be the range-topping model producing in excess of 400bhp and likely to offer Porsche 911 Turbo-rivalling levels of performance, with an estimated 0-60mph time under four seconds.

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The Lotus Evora, which you can’t drive on real streets yet, has already been driven in GT5. Attendees at the British Motor Show got a chance to put Lotus’ latest over the kerbs, thanks to a tie-in between the folks at Hethel and those at game developer Polyphony. If you didn’t attend the show, fear not: you can be pretty sure there’ll be a version of it in an upcoming batch of downloadable content for GT5 Prologue.

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Lotus won’t replace the Esprit until early 2011, company boss Mike Kimberley has said. The British supercar is being totally redesigned after Lotus put it on the back burner to fast-track the new Lotus Evora.

Now there are hints that the range-topping Esprit could be offered as a hybrid, possibly using a mix of Lotus and Toyota technology.

Kimberley has said he wants to offer “guilt-free, high performance motoring” and admits the company is “working on something”.

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The L.O.S.T. monthly meeting will be held Saturday, August 9th at Star Motors.  Everyone should meet up around 10:00a.m.

Lotus has officially revealed the Lotus Evora.  More information can be found at Http://www.LotusEvora.com.

Lotus Evora Spec Sheet