Lotus revealed today the Exige Sport 350, which promises to be the ultimate incarnation of the model. The Lotus Exige Sport 350 is 51 kg lighter than the previous Exige S and more powerful. It hides under its British skin a supercharged 3.5-litre DOHC V6 engine with VVT-I that puts out 345 hp (350 PS) (258 kW) at 7000 rpm and 295 lb.-ft. (400 Nm) of torque at 4500 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or an optional automatic transmission. With this powertrain, the Lotus Exige Sport 350 is able to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and from zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. Its top speed is rated at 170 mph (274 km/h). The Lotus Exige Sport 350 is built on an aluminum chassis and it features a composite body.
In comparison to its predecessor, the Lotus Exige Sport 350 comes with a louvered tailgate panel, a lighter battery, lightweight engine mounts, and a lightweight centre console. The Lotus Exige Sport 350 is also fitted with an exposed gearshift mechanism, lighter HVAC pipework and optimized sound insulation. Thanks to the new bodywork, the Exige Sport 350 generates 42 kg of down force at 100 mph (160 km/h).
The Lotus Exige Sport 350's price starts at £55,900 in the UK, and at €74,000 in the rest of Europe. The new model goes on sale in February 2016.
Lotus Exige Sport 350 in detail:
As the ultimate incarnation of the world famous Exige, Lotus has revealed the Sport 350, the latest version of the class-leading and award winning sports car, that’s lighter and faster than ever before.
The new Exige Sport 350 is the next model in the range to mark the reintroduction of the renowned ‘Sport’ naming designation. It joins the recently announced Lotus Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 – delivering a lighter and even more performance-focused driving experience.
Concentrating on what Lotus does best, and with a focus on pure performance, the two-seater has been developed to deliver an unrivalled experience for the driver, being sharper and more direct than previous models. Drawing on the core elements that have made the Exige a firm favorite with driving enthusiasts, the Exige Sport 350 combines Lotus’ lightweight extruded aluminum chassis structure with muscular and aerodynamically efficient composite bodywork.
A product of Lotus’ ‘Lightweight Laboratory’, the Exige Sport 350 weighs just 1125 kg and has shed 51 kg compared to the previous model Exige S. This reduction in mass is the result of a thorough re-evaluation designed to deliver a pure driving experience.
Lotus engineers weighed every component in the previous Lotus Exige S in order to save weight, the result of which includes, amongst many other changes, the introduction of a louvered tailgate panel, a lighter battery, lightweight engine mounts, a lightweight centre console featuring an exposed gearshift mechanism, lighter HVAC pipework and the optimized use of sound insulation.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented: “The Lotus Exige is already regarded as one of the world’s best sports cars and a benchmark for performance and handling both on road and on track. With the Exige Sport 350 we took an already phenomenally quick car and made it even faster, more dynamic and more pure, perfectly demonstrating our Lotus design philosophy of ‘lighter and faster’.”
The 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine generates 345 hp and 295lbft of torque at 4500rpm, offering scintillating, progressive power to the road, while revised suspension tuning and wheel geometry contribute to un-matched vehicle dynamics and steering precision. Coupled with the car’s lower mass, this power and torque enables the Lotus Exige Sport 350 to accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds) before reaching a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h).
The manual gearbox has been heavily revised, giving more precise and quicker shifting. The gearshift mechanism uses light weight machined and cast aluminum components which are so technically aesthetically appealing they are no longer hidden within the transmission tunnel but exposed through an open-gate design, further reducing weight.
The Lotus Exige Sport 350 is also available with a 6-speed automatic option where drivers can change gears manually via forged aluminum paddles located behind the steering wheel, or rely on the gearbox’s fully automatic mode. The automatic gearbox control panel is integrated neatly into the centre console of the cockpit, with buttons for Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. Up-shifts take just 240 milliseconds, with rapid downshifts accompanied by automatic throttle-blip (when in Sport mode).
When fitted with the optional automatic gearbox, the new Exige Sport 350 is slightly quicker for 0-62 mph (0-100km/h), clocking a time of 3.8 seconds against 3.9 seconds for the manual gearbox, due to electronically optimized gearshifts.
Replacing the previous car’s glass tailgate, the newly designed lightweight, strong and stiff, rear louvered tailgate not only helps lower the Exige’s centre of gravity, but also aids engine bay cooling – a feature first introduced on the Lotus Esprit Turbo in 1980.
The Exige Sport 350’s aerodynamic styling produces 42 kg of down force at 100 mph (160 km/h) with the rear wing and flat underside both contributing to its phenomenal aerodynamic performance and finely balanced handling.
The Exige Sport 350’s suspension, with firmer dampers and revised geometry, delivers more responsive handling and, combined with a lowered centre of gravity and four piston brake calipers, help it lap Lotus’ test track 2.5 seconds faster than the previous Exige S model, in a time of 1 minute 29.8 seconds. This makes it the first production Lotus ever to go sub 1 minute 30 seconds around the famed Hethel track.
Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) provides three discrete modes – ‘Drive’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ – with the latter offering increased levels of traction slip threshold, allowing wider drift angles before intervening. The system also opens the engine exhaust bypass valve at mid-to-high engine speeds. Both ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings increase throttle responsiveness.
New larger switches with improved haptics have been introduced for the DPM system (Sport and Race) with the headlights and rear fog lights mounted together with the vehicle’s new engine start button.
New trim packs introduce a heritage theme to the cabin with lightweight sports seats and door panels clad in red or yellow Tartan (leather or Alcantara interior trim options are also available). The Tartan theme was first introduced in 1976 in the Lotus Esprit S1 and was a bold statement originally in keeping with the fashion of the time and now fitting for the new Exige Sport 350.
Optional extras for the Exige Sport 350 include lightweight forged alloy wheels (reducing kerb weight by a further 5 kg), cross drilled and vented two-piece brake discs (shaving yet another 5 kg off the weight), black or yellow painted four-piston calipers, air conditioning, an in-car entertainment system and full carpet and sound insulation pack. Interior packs cover Alcantara, leather and Tartan options, for both seat and door trims. By selecting the lightweight options available the total weight of the Exige Sport 350 becomes a featherweight 1115 kg.
As standard, the front splitter, rear wing, front access panel, roof panel, wing mirrors and rear transom are finished in matt black to complement the car’s aggressive stance; with the option for these components to be painted in body color at no additional cost.
Jean-Marc Gales continued, “Light weight is the most important aspect of our heritage and future Lotus cars will follow the direction of our most recently launched models, the Evora 400, Elise Sport and of course our latest Exige Sport 350, all of which are both lighter and faster than their predecessors. Over the last 15 years, successive versions of the Lotus Exige have beaten more expensive sports car rivals in media comparison tests and I expect the Exige Sport 350 to continue this. The best has just got better!”
The Lotus Exige Sport 350 goes on sale in Europe in February 2016 and will be available outside Europe, excluding North America from March 2016.
Lotus Exige Sport 350 Specifications:
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price
UK (Pound Sterling) £55,900
Germany (Euros) 74000
France (Euros) 74630
Italy (Euros) 78230
Japan (¥ Yen) ¥10,560,000
Technical Specification:
PERFORMANCE MANUAL AUTOMATIC
Max power 345 hp at 7000 rpm (350 PS) (258 kW)
Max torque 295 lbft at 4500 rpm (400 Nm)
0-60 mph 3.7 seconds 3.7 seconds
0-100 km/h 3.9 seconds 3.8 seconds
Max speed 170 mph (274 km/h) 162 mph (261 km/h)
Fuel Consumption mpg (l/100 km)
Urban 19.5 (14.5) 21.1 (13.4)
Extra Urban 37.2 (7.6) 39.8 (7.1)
Combined 28.0 (10.1) 30.1 (9.4)
CO2 emissions 235 g/km 219 g/km
Unladen weight 1125 kg 1130 kg
ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION
All alloy, 3.5 liter DOHC V6 VVT-i, 24-valve, equipped with Harrop HTV 1320 Supercharger utilizing Eaton TVS™ Technology
Mid mounted, transverse, rear wheel drive
Multi-point sequential fuel injection and direct ignition system
Lotus Electronic Throttle Control system
6 speed manual gearbox with sports ratios
BOSCH Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
CHASSIS AND BODY
Lightweight, extruded aluminum bonded chassis
Fully independent double wishbone suspension with front and rear anti-roll bar
Aerodynamically optimized front splitter, rear diffuser and wing
Bilstein high performance gas dampers, front and rear
Eibach coaxial coil springs, front and rear
Red AP-Racing four-piston caliper high performance disc brakes
Lotus / BOSCH tuned ABS system
Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (Lotus DPM)
Lightweight battery
EXTERIOR SPECIFICATION
LED front day time running lights with integrated direction indicators
LED rear lamps with integrated direction indicators
Gloss black, cast alloy wheels (17” front and 18” rear)
Front Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires 205/45 R17
Rear Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires 265/35 R18
Lightweight black louvered tailgate panel
Rear parking sensors
Matt black front splitter, rear wing, front access panel, wing mirrors, rear transom, hard top and rear diffuser (no cost deletion)
INTERIOR SPECIFICATION
Driver and passenger airbags
Black leather, thick-rimmed sports steering wheel
Centre console with exposed lightweight gearshift mechanism
Polished aluminum gear knob
Black technical fabric sports seats with Lotus roundel
Leatherette trimmed sills
OPTIONS
Alcantara® trim pack
Leather trim pack
Tartan trim pack
Automatic transmission
Air conditioning
AP-Racing four-piston black or yellow calipers
Two-piece high performance brake discs with yellow calipers
Silver, cast alloy wheels (17” front and 18” rear)
Lightweight satin black forged alloy wheels (17” front and 18” rear)
Clarion CD/MP3/WMA receiver with integrated iPod® connectivity with Bluetooth® plus full carpet and sound insulation
PAINT OPTIONS
Signature paint
Metallic paint
