It is known for some time now that Lotus is going to axe the Elise roadster and Exige coupe from its North American lineup by the end of August due to Toyota's decision to stop production of the 2ZZ 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine that powers the two models.

Fans of the Elise and Exige in other markets around the world including Europe need not to worry as the two cars will continue to be available as they are fitted with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit.

To mark the end of production for North America, the British firm has announced the release of three Final Edition [FE] models. Lotus said will build and import into the US and Canada 15 examples of the Elise SC FE, 25 of the Exige Matte Black FE and 30 units of the Exige S260 FE.

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is investigating oil-cooler leaks on 4,400 Lotus Elise sports cars from the 2005-2006 model years. The safety agency instigated the search after 33 owners complained that their cars’ oil-cooler ruptured, spraying oil on the wheels and /or the engine bay. Read more »