This year's Tokyo didn't have much in the way of luxurious items, but the three it did have -- the Lexus LF-A, Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo Long Wheelbase, and this, the Lotus Exige Stealth (Exige Scura in Europe) -- were all worthy of our attention. The limited-edition Lotus, of which just 35 will be made, even added to its luxe quotient with a feel-good factor: its paint isn't just matte black, it's got texture.

Matte cars are fabulous to behold until they leave the showroom, then it takes nothing more than an errant piece of lint to scratch the bejeezus out of them. To combat that, Lotus painted the Stealth in the shiny black stuff that comprises the stripes, then blocked those off and painted the car again in a proprietary, rubberized matte paint that spoils your fingers with a soft, fuzzy feel.

Lotus claims it is up to five times more resistant to marking and peeling than other finishes. But wait, there's more: Lotus is only making 35 Stealths, so if you've been looking for a kinder, gentler black on the outside to go with carbon fiber and 260 horsepower inside, then you'll want to place a call to Bruce Chapman's company.

Lotus is making a comeback. Following its early success in Formula One and the James Bond years with sports cars that put the company on the map, the British automaker changed management and ownership a few times, its once legendary product line dwindled down to one as the engineering powerhouse tried to carve out a niche for itself. But with the new Evora joining to Elise/Exige line on the market and a successor to the iconic Esprit on the way, Lotus is experiencing a renaissance. The company has been under reliable Malaysian ownership now for several years, is reportedly considering getting back into Formula One, and has just announced the hiring of a promising new chief executive.

After having engineered the success of beverage giant Red Bull, Dany Bahar moved to Ferrari just a couple of years ago, taking a new seat at the head of the company's newly created branding and marketing division. But following the resignation this past July of outgoing Lotus CEO Michael Kimberley, Bahar has been announced as the company's new chief. And as if to welcome their new director, Lotus has announced two new special editions of its core products.

Based on the new supercharged Exige S, the Exige Cup 260 takes advantage of weight-saving technologies to tip the scales at less than two thousand pounds. Following Lotus founder Colin Chapman's less-is-more mantra, the Exige Cup 260 needs only a tiny 1.8-liter 260hp supercharged Toyota inline-four engine to reach sixty in four seconds flat, and promises to lap the race track faster than machines with twice as much power. Following a similar ethos, the new Club Racer is based on the less extreme Elise model and goes back to the company's roots with throwback color options, special interior trimmings and new lightweight wheels with specially-made tires, selling in Europe for about €34k. But whether you can get your hands on one of these special editions or not, it's clear that Lotus is back to stay.

A Lotus Esprit Turbo (above) driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in 1981's For Your Eyes Only is being auctioned off in England this weekend. The copper metallic car with a ski rack fitted to the rear louvers is expected to fetch up to $200,000 at Coys' Blenheim Palace sale in Oxfordshire on Saturday the 18th. While not as iconic as the amphibious white Lotus Esprit driven by Bond in 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me - which as we reported previously went on the auction block last year - it's still an incredible piece of 007 memorabilia for any collector. The car on offer was previously sold in 2006 for $210,000, making it officially the world's most expensive Lotus Esprit Turbo.

There are plenty of great ways to see Italy, but few are as exciting as driving an exotic sportscar through the picturesque Mediterranean country. Fortunately the Italians have plenty of lust-worthy machinery on offer, but if you're looking for something a little different, a little lighter, a little more...British, then car rental company Hertz may be able to help you out. The agency's Italian locations just received a fleet of Lotus Elise SC sportscars as part of their Fun Collection, and they're ready for you to rent. The Elise SC packs a compact Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter four cylinder engine with a supercharger producing a modest 218 horsepower, but with a curb weight of less than 2000 lbs it can rocket to sixty in just 4.3 seconds and whisk you around the Italian countryside in pure octane-induced bliss.

At $7,000 per night, the Premier Suites at the beachside Halekulani resort in Hawaii are among the world's priciest. However, the posh getaway has just added a luxurious new amenity that gets you a lot more bang for the buck. Called "Art in Motion," the program consists of a fleet of custom designed exotic autos, included at no additional charge as part of the Premier Suite guest experience. These include the Royal Suite, the Vera Wang Suite and the Orchid Suite.

The fleet features a Bentley Continental GTC convertible (above), Maserati Gran Turismo, Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige S. With the Bentley and Maserati guests have the option of being chauffeured around the glorious landscape in Waikiki, while the Lotus collection features GPS-guided thematic tours of the island, such as Culture, Adventure and Romance. Each car also comes with personalized leisure itineraries prepared by a Halekulani concierge.

Earlier this month my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the rare $8 million Bugatti found in a barn, which is being auctioned off in Paris on Feb. 7. While that may be the highest priced lot in Bonhams' Retromobile sale, there are several other gorgeous classic cars on offer as well, including some beautiful rare Ferraris, at much better prices. For starters, there's a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB 'Alloy' Berlinetta (above), estimated at about $2 million - $2.5 million. Also included are a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder, est. about $400,000 - $550,000; an incredible 1964 Lotus 30 Mk1 Group 7 Sports-Racer, est. about $300,000 - $450,000; a 1962 Maserati 5000GT Coupé, est. about $460,000 - $600,000; the ex-New York Auto Show 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II Drophead Coupé, est. about $280,000 - $340,000; and more.

Last month we mentioned the upcoming auction for the 1976 Lotus Esprit from one of the best 007 movies over the years. Recently, a private collector in the U.S. purchased the iconic car from the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Sir Roger Moore and Barbara Bach. Bond's car was expected to fetch up to £120,000. The bid for the 1976 Lotus Esprit was made over the phone during the Bonhams sale by a self-proclaimed Lotus and Bond aficionado in Atlanta, Georgia. If you never saw 1977 film it was the third of seven Bond films Moore starred in and his action-packed scene from land to sea in his amphibious Lotus Esprit is pretty impressive. Too bad Mr. Atlanta won't be able to use his new purchase underwater like Bond did.

[via Luxury Launches]

On December 1, Bonhams in London will auction off the famous white 1976 Lotus Esprit driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (one of two made). Next to the classic Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, the Lotus, which was amphibious in the movie, stands out as the iconic Bond vehicle. Estimated at about $160,000 to $190,000, it does not unfortunately come equipped with the gadgetry deployed by Moore in the film during his eventful ride with the beautiful Barbara Bach, including a cement sprayer, sea-to-air missiles, front-mounted torpedoes, ink-cloud dispenser and mine launcher. However it does afford the purchaser a chance to join the Ian Fleming Foundation, which my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the other day.

[via Men.Style]

For the price of a $160,000 membership plus a $6,500 annual fee, you can get 50 days of high-speed driving in a fleet of supercars at Spain's lavish Ascari Race Resort. Situated in the dramatic southern Andalusian mountains, the Ascari consists of a luxury resort complex adjacent to a 3.4 mile racetrack designed to replicate famous Formula 1 courses. The resort features of a ten-villa luxury hotel, spa, salon, clay shooting range, pools, bars and a helicopter pad to take guests to a beautiful beach 15 minutes away. The fleet of cars ranges from several race-prepped Lotus Elises and BMWs to ex-Formula 1 machines and Ascari's own brand of supercar. However, they can procure Ferraris, Lamborghinis or "just about anything you could wish to drive on the circuit, given time and sufficient credit card headroom," BusinessWeek notes. See the gallery for more.

Our sister site (brother site?), autoblog, a few days ago posted the news that British sports car manufacturer Lotus celebrated its 60th birthday on September 14 at its Hethel headquarters in England with a special edition of the Europa. Specially configured for the diamond anniversary to appeal to the socialite-type set, the special custom gear shift lever and other switches are in-set with diamonds in black metal. The high-gloss black paint has tiny bits of glass in it, boasting more sparkle than an average metallic finish. The Europa also gets some unspecified performance upgrades that give it a sub-five-second 0-60 dash and 146 mph at the top end. We don't know, though, if this £150,000 Europa is a one-of-a-kind or if Lotus is planning to build more. Autoblog has the full press release.

On July 26, London auction house Bonhams is staging a sale of Porsche and Lotus motorcars at the Silverstone Classic, one of the UK's premiere motor sport events. Unlike some auctions, the Silverstone sale skews to the more affordable side, without any million-dollar motorcars. In fact, most lots are priced below $100,000, yet there are several beautiful examples of highly collectible classics and contemporaries from the two famous marques.

For instance, the gorgeous 1959 Porsche 356B coupe pictured here, which is estimated at only $36,000 - $40,000 and is in impeccable condition. Also on offer: a legendary 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS touring coupé, est. $220,000 - $260,000; a 1972 Porsche 911 3.0-litre rally car, est. $80,000 - $100,000; a 2007 Lotus Exige Cup 255 coupé, est. $90,000 - $110,000; a 1967 Porsche 911 2-litre coupe, est. $64,000 - $72,000; and a 1973/2006 Lotus Elan +2 Spyder Zetec coupe, est. $40,000 - $50,000. See the gallery for pix.

Lotus Flower Chandeliers are created by artisans combining hundreds of hand-cut capiz shells edged in metal together into large pearl and smoke colored spheres. When lit from within the pendants shimmer and shine like stained glass and look equally impressive hanging alone or in a grouping. Two sizes (13" and 21" diameters) are available from Viva Terra for $329 and $629, and in keeping with their eco-friendly and sustainable stance as many supplies as possible are recycled and reclaimed in the manufacturing of the product -- plus the company recommends using an energy saving light bulb to illuminate your new purchase.

Another story from my current home away from home Boca Raton, Florida. The Boca News reports the latest car club, Collexium, based in Fort Lauderdale has been created by Boca Raton resident Blas Moros. Mora, a former Microsoft exec, founded the club after he was in the market for a luxury car and found himself besieged with options. Collexium, opened in December 2006, has ten cars including an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, Bentley Continental Flying Spur, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo and Lotus Elise available at the Fort Lauderdale clubhouse. The clubhouse includes a lounge and a business center and serves as a showroom and setting for events.

This ostentatious little beauty is a new 35th anniversary edition of the commemorative edition type 72D from Lotus. The edition is a tribute to the Lotus 72D's Formula 1 championship race car. The limited edition Lotus Elise will have gold wheels and gold pinstriping as well as a decorative helmet with a display case. There will be 50 of these cars worldwide with just 20 set to end up in the U.S. and they are expected to sell for under $60,000.

We already learned that you can smell like the Daytona 500 and there are also fragrances from Hummer and Ferrari among others so a Lotus fragrance is no big surprise. The scent for the fans of the car has notes of Calabrian lemon and elemi with a heart of violet, lilac, geranium and lavender, and base notes of papyrus and moss and is meant to evoke the feeling of driving the car along the Mediterranean coastline. WWD reports that the scent was launched at the U.K.-based Perfume Shop in March. Playboy model Joanna Krupa is the spokeswoman for the fragrance which coasts around $50 and should launch officially in the U.S. sometime this fall.