The Exige continues to get more extreme! Not necessarily quicker, but certainly more eye-catching.

This latest one packs a now-familiar 430-ish bhp from its 3.5 V6, but it’s the green and yellow colour scheme which really catches the attention. It also comes in old English white, with subtle nods to the British Racing Green of early Lotus race cars.

There’s also a tailored interior, so it’s not just onlookers who get to enjoy the special edition.

Called the Type 25, this £110k track-blitzer hits 60 in 3.2 secs – keeping up with pretty much every car you can think of. Even the iconic McLaren F1 was quoted as 3.2 seconds, and try finding one of those on the market nowadays for less than an eight-figure sum…

Back to the Exige Type 25, and with 430hp at 7000 rpm to shift a car weighing under 1100kg it’s a Lotus through and through, no doubt, even though – as standard – the new Type 25 includes air conditioning and an in-car entertainment system, including iPod® connectivity and Bluetooth® functionality.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus plc was bullish about the new car’s potential: “Although the Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 is street legal, it blurs the line between road and race car to provide owners with an unbeatable blend of power, road holding, intuitive handling at any speed. On everyday open roads it rewards its driver with a pure analogue experience, like only a Lotus can, yet venture onto the track and you’ll find a depth in performance that only the very best driver can truly exploit.”

‘Only the very best driver?’ Eek – sounds like a fun challenge…

With Nitron three-way adjustable dampers (tuning rebound, as well as low-speed and high-speed compression) and Eibach adjustable front and rear anti-roll bars, plus Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres (215/45 ZR17 front and 285/30 ZR18 rear), fitted to ultra-lightweight, fully machined, forged aluminium wheels it’s sure to be a swift way to get from driveway to pitlane.

But it’s not all about lap times (although it can lap Hethel in 1:24.8) – the real reason this car is so appealing, let’s be honest, is that choice between two heart-stopping colour schemes. The original Lotus Type 25 was a Formula 1 car which competed against the best on the grid from 1962 to 1967 and changed the evolution of racing cars forever. Abandoning existing conventions, it was the first F1 car to use a revolutionary fully stressed ‘monocoque’ chassis design, reinforcing Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s reputation as a ground-breaking engineer.

Is this the car to live up to that reputation? Only 25 lucky owners will be able to tell us – but they’ll probably be too busy driving to let us know.

Let’s hope at least one of them is one of the ‘very best’, and can truly reach the car’s full potential.