Lotus cars are well-known for their lightness rather than brute power. Surely, a little more power in a Lotus wouldn’t hurt, right? This happens on the latest iteration of the Exige, which now has reached into the supercar territory. Let’s welcome the Lotus Exige Sport 380.
An incremental upgrade from last year’s Sport 350, this model is more powerful, lighter, and more aerodynamic than the model it replaces. The same supercharged 3.5-litre V6 from the US-spec Toyota Camry has been tweaked further to develop 375 hp and 410Nm of torque. It hits 100 km/h from standstill in 3.7 seconds (0.2 seconds quicker than the 350) with a top speed of 285 km/h.
A six-speed manual gearbox is standard fitment together with an oil cooler to keep temperature at bay, and it’s represented in a sexy open-gate design. An automatic variant will be available by Spring 2017, but just like the Sport 350, why would you want that?
Ensuring the car sticks like it’s on rails are the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres fitted on this Exige. Also, the car’s claimed aerodynamic downforce of 140 kg at top speed is made possible via the application of twin pairs of front canard wings, a rear wing, and air blades behind the rear wheels.
The car weighs 1,066 kg, boasting an incredible power-to-weight ratio of 352 hp per tonne. An extensive usage of carbonfibre on the diffusers, access panel, and roof panel keeps the weight down, as well as the application of a polycarbonate rear window instead of glass, titanium exhaust, light alloy wheels, lithium ion battery, and carbonfibre sports seats.
The Lotus Exige Sport 380 is available in both coupe and roadster variants, and it’s retailed at £67,900 (approximately RM375k). That’s a lot of money, but mind you this Exige is the David against the supercar Goliaths. Now, the pertaining question is will Lotus Malaysia bring this car over to our shores?
IMAGE GALLERY
