Lotus is taking the idea of its diamond (or 60th) anniversary a little too seriously, releasing a diamond-encrusted version of its Europa sports car. Now, if you're imagining the Europa with a body comprised of the hardest substance known to man, the car doesn't go that far. It merely has diamonds set in the shifter (ouch!), the switchgear, the instruments, and the hood badge.
The car also gets a special paint job which, according to Lotus, gives "the appearance the car has been showered with diamonds." But Lotus actually mixed glass flakes into the paint to achieve this look.
This special-edition Europa is going for £150,000, or about $268,815 at today's exchange rates. The 164 diamonds used in the car make up the bulk of this cost, coming in at £111,000, or close to $200,000.
The diamond Europa sounds like the perfect addition to that diamond iPod. But given that the car goes from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds, we would be happy with the cubic zirconium edition Europa.