Lotus Elise is arguably the most famous modern model the British firm has produced, which is why its 20th anniversary is something they need to mark. And they have done so by releasing, well, the Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary special edition.

One gets the feeling, though, they didn’t really put their hearts and souls in this, as Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary edition is only 10 kg lighter than the normal Elise, and that is about all the specialness, at least in terms of technicalities, you get. The car weighs in at 914 kg.

Powering the Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary Edition is the same 1.8 liter engine we are intimately familiar with, supercharged by Lotus to develop nearly 220 PS and 250 Nm of torque. That enables the car to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and reach a top speed of 145 mph, while averaging a very decent 47 mpg.

The £39,900 Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary comes with matte black rear diffuser, wing mirrors, roll hoop and rear transom, as well as black wheels. As for the amenities, air conditioning is a £1,250 optional extra, as is the stereo (£1,200) and the hardtop (£1,200). If you are planning to use this car on the race track though, which is what it’s built for, you won’t need any of that extra garnish.