This completely topless Lotus 3-Eleven is road legal and costs just RM640k!



Is the Lotus 3-Eleven even worth the money, you ask? Well, only 311 units will make it out the production line, so yes, get it while you still can. Pricing starts from RM640,855 for the road-going version, but the tricked out race version costs RM868,214!

Now, Lotus Cars Malaysia brought in two units of the 3-Eleven with the chassis number 001 and 007. Both units have been spoken for. It is to date the quickest production Lotus ever, succeeding the iconic 2-Eleven of yesteryear. What’s unique to the 3-Eleven is its bespoke bonded aluminium chassis, though largely reworked from the Lotus Exige of which it’s based on. The bodywork is also completely new and features no doors!

QUICK FACTS

Name Lotus 3-Eleven (Road Version) Lotus 3-Eleven (Race Version)
Engine 3.5-litre supercharged V6, DOHC, 24V, water-cooled
Transmission 6-speed sports ratio manual 6-speed sequential automatic
Max Power 410 hp @ 7,000 rpm 460 hp @ 7,000 rpm
Max Torque 410 Nm from 3,000 to 7,000 rpm 525 Nm @ 3,500 rpm
0-100 km/h; Top Speed 3.4 seconds 3.0 seconds
Price from RM640,855 from RM868,214

You’ve got to wear a helmet to drive this two-seater tyre shredder around. Besides the helmet to keep you safe, the carbon fibre seats come with a 4-point harness. Behind your head is the roll-cage (atop it is a roll bar cover finished in gloss black) with twin side bars for additional protection.

The mid-mounted supercharged (Edelbrock) 3.5-litre V6 engine is shared with the Lotus Evora Sport 410, producing 410 hp 7,000 rpm and 410 Nm of torque from 3,000 to 7,000 rpm. Brain this: it tips the scales at 925 kg dry, and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. Top speed is rated at 280 km/h and is available with a six-speed open-gated manual transmission and Torsen-type limited slip differential.

Power is sent to the rear wheels, and speaking of which, the fronts are 18-inch (225/40) and the rears measure 19-inch (275/35). The road version gets Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres as standard, whereas the race version gets Michelin Cup 2 tyres. Keeping the 3-Eleven in check is a large GT wing that gives 65 kg of downforce at 160 km/h and 150 kg at 240 km/h. In typical Lotus fashion, all four corners get independent double wishbone suspension with fixed anti-roll bars, Eibach springs and Ohlins single adjustable dampers.

The cabin is as bare as it gets, but the driver now gets a brand new full-colour TFT multi-info display. Of course, Lotus Cars Malaysia would be more than happy to assist those with a penchant for personalisation, but the options list does command a pretty penny, right down to the paint colour.

Then there’s the race version, one that’s heavily modified and purposely conceived for track use only. By Lotus’ estimates, the fully-specced 3-Eleven Race version would lap the Sepang circuit with a time of 2 minutes 20 seconds. To give you some perspective, that’s almost as quick as a full-blown MotoGP superbike! If you’re mad enough to spend close to RM900k for an open-cockpit track toy, I need you as a friend.


IMAGE GALLERY