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A matte black 2011 Lotus Exige S 260 Final Edition has surfaced for sale on Cars & Bids, and it isn't just another track-focused Lotus looking for a new owner. Bearing chassis plate number seven of just 25 examples built for the North American market, this particular car pairs rare production status with a documented ownership history and a spec sheet that reads like a wish list for anyone chasing the purest version of Lotus's featherweight formula.
Finished in deep matte black over a gray interior, this Exige rides on a clean Nevada title and pairs its numbered-edition status with a 6-speed manual, the only gearbox Lotus offered on the car. Under the rear clamshell sits the familiar Toyota-sourced 2ZZ 1.8-liter inline-four, force-fed by a supercharger to produce 257 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels alone. At barely a ton in curb weight, that's enough to make the Exige S 260 one of the quickest-feeling cars of its era in a straight line, and one of the sharpest through a corner.
The Final Edition designation isn't just a badge, either. This example carries the Sport, Touring, and Track packs together, meaning the AP Racing front brakes and Ohlins dampers that made the S 260 famous on track days are joined by creature comforts many owners skipped, like power windows, air conditioning, and an Alpine head unit with Bluetooth. It's a rare combination of stripped-down driver's car and something that won't punish you on the drive home.
The odometer shows roughly 6,700 miles, though the story behind that number is worth knowing. According to the seller, the original instrument cluster began developing the solder-joint issues common to aging Lotus clusters, so it was swapped for an upgraded AiM MX2E digital unit, a fix the seller says Lotus now recommends since factory clusters are no longer available. The seller states Lotus and AiM coordinated the changeover so the new cluster would carry over an accurate mileage reading, and the original cluster is said to be included with the sale. A Carfax report attached to the listing shows a registration gap between 2012 and 2016 but no accidents, with the car registered to two owners across Arizona and Nevada since new.
Lotus introduced the Series 2 Exige in 2004, stretching a fixed roof and more aggressive aero over the Elise's ultra-light extruded aluminum chassis. The formula only grew more focused from there, culminating in the supercharged S 260 and, eventually, this Final Edition, one of the last expressions of Colin Chapman's simplify-then-add-lightness philosophy before Lotus moved on to the next generation of Evora-based cars.
As of this writing, bidding on Cars & Bids sits at $76,000 with several bids logged, a number that lines up closely with what Hagerty's valuation tools show for this exact configuration. Hagerty's Price Guide lists the 2011 Lotus Exige Matte Black Final Edition at $57,700 in number-3, or Good, condition, though its own past-sales data tells a wider story: recorded auction results for Exige variants over the last three years range from roughly $49,500 for an early base car up to $116,667 for a low-mileage 2011 S 260 Final Edition sold via Bring a Trailer in late 2025. A similar 2009 S 260 sold for $79,800 on Cars & Bids just last month, suggesting this Henderson car's current bid still has room to climb before the auction closes.
Enthusiast interest in analog, driver-focused cars like the Exige hasn't cooled, either. Motorious recently covered a similarly uncompromising 1984 Donkervoort S8 2.0 that spent decades with one owner, another example of lightweight, purpose-built sports cars holding their own in today's market. For readers tracking no-reserve auctions more broadly, our look at a restored 1976 Chevy K5 Blazer Cheyenne chasing bids on Cars & Bids and a 3,000-mile 2022 Shelby Super Snake Coupe closing in on six figures on Hagerty Marketplace both show how much provenance and documentation can move a final number.
With days left on the clock, it will be worth watching whether this numbered Exige climbs toward the top of its market range or settles closer to the middle. Either way, it's a rare chance to buy one of the last and most complete versions of Lotus's featherweight formula.
