Lotus boldly claims that the new exige is an attainable supercar. Whatever opinion one may have of that statement Lotus has gone further by backing that claim with the numbers the Exige serves up: 0-60 mph in 3.5s(0-100kph in 3.7s), a top speed of 178 mph and real downforce of 140kg at the car’s maximum speed.
With the introduction of the Lotus Evora in 2009 Lotus seemed to be taking a departure from its core philosophy of building light weight cars. The Evora had an emphasis on luxury and every day usability giving it a bit more heft than any of lotus’ previous offerings. Not so with the Exige Sport 380. It has been on a strict regimen and boasts a kerb weight of just 1100kg. Quite light by most standards but the Alfa Romeo 4c still undercuts it at 895Kg dry(1066kg dry for the Exige Sport 380).
The Exige Sport 380 is endowed with the same engine powering the rest of the Exige and Evora range. It produces more power than the same power plant in the Exige 350 before it. This is courtesy of revised internals which include an uprated fuel pump, a revised supercharger pulley, a revised exhaust system and an ECU remap. This has resulted in a power output of 280kw at 67000rpm and 410 Nm at 5000rpm. The car comes standard with Lotus’ six speed manual which has an integrated oil cooler which ensures consistency in gear changes regardless of whether the car is on track or in an urban environment.
Lotus’ Dynamic Perfromance Management also features in the Exige 380 which allows the driver to tailor the car’s responses(throttle, traction control)to suit the need. The car does not feature power assisted steering which Lotus says gives the driver intuitive control of the vehicle.
To aid in weight loss the front splitter, the front access panel and the rear diffuser surround are made from carbon fibre. The rear glass window has been replace with a polycarbonate window. In addition there are carbon race seats, a light weight lithium ion battery and Lotus’ bonded aluminium chassis.
The Lotus Exige 380 is currently on sale.
