Express & Star

The cars that ended their production runs with some real sparkle

As we approach Bonfire Night, we check out the cars that signalled their end with a special final model.

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Lotus Elise Sport Final Edition

Bonfire Night is a big occasion in the UK. It’s a day embedded with history and one in which people up and down the country either watch or set off fireworks, lighting up the skies and kicking off November with a bang.

But a number of cars were also celebrated with a firecracker of a final edition. Here, we’re going to take a look at some of the most famous models to go out with a bang.

Bugatti Veyron La Finale

Veyron La Finale
The Veyron La Finale brought a very successful production run to a close

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The Veyron was one of the all-time greats of the motoring world. Establishing a whole new level of performance, Bugatti’s famous hypercar brought record-smashing capability as well as the kind of technology that the four-wheeled world hadn’t seen before.

Fittingly, it needed a very special send-off, which came in the form of the Veyron La Finale. Ending the total production run of 450 models, the La Finale was finished in an eye-catching red colour with matching alloys.

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae

Lamborghini Aventador Ultimae
(Lamborghini)

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Lamborghini’s Aventador showcased a brand new age for the Italian supercar maker. It arrived with a hugely powerful V12 engine when first displayed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and would go on to become even more powerful as its lifetime went on.

The final chapter in the Aventador story was the Ultimae. As you might have guessed, it’s the ultimate evolution of the Aventador, bringing 769bhp and a range of exterior tweaks.

Audi R8 RWD GT

(Audi)

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The R8 has been a core part of the supercar segment for some time. Combining surprising everyday usability with huge V10-powered performance, the R8 proved to be a real hit for Audi. Needless to say, it needed a significant farewell when it was announced that production would be ending recently.

Limited to 333 cars worldwide, the Audi R8 RWD GT gets more power than the standard R8 as well as a series of new driving modes. It’s slightly lighter than the regular car, too.

Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta

Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta
The Aperta was a true celebration of the 458

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Ferrari’s 458 will go down in history as one of the firm’s greats. It encompassed everything people expected from the Italian company, with razor-sharp handling combined with one of the best engines ever made. In fact, the 458 would use the last naturally-aspirated V8 engine to come from Ferrari.

A final edition – called Speciale Aperta – would celebrate the 458’s life, bringing a wide variety of tweaks and changes to take the 458 experience up a notch.

Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

Lotus Elise Sport Final Edition
The Final Edition marks the end of the Elise

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The Lotus Elise is one of those cars that is synonymous with enthusiast driving. It’s a car that has been around for a long time, too, which is why it was quite a sad point when Lotus announced that it would be ending its production run.

The Sport 240 Final Edition celebrated the Elise, bringing slightly more power and an even more lightweight design than the standard car.

Mercedes SLS AMG GT Final Edition

SLS AMG GT FInal Editio
The Mercedes SLS Final Edition had a striking exterior look

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The SLS had been a true poster star for Mercedes. Utilising an iconic ‘Gullwing’ design, this V8-powered muscle car was the perfect celebration of the partnership between Mercedes and famed performance arm AMG.

To celebrate, the Final Edition was created. Limited to just 350 units, it got an eye-catching design with a particularly noticeable carbon fibre bonnet.

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