There's Another Lightweight Lotus Not Coming to the US
Lotus continues to expand its lineup with the new Exige Sport 350.
As a product of the British automaker’s “Lightweight Laboratory,” the Lotus Exige Sport 350 weighs just 2,480 pounds, making it 112 lbs lighter than the previous model Exige S. In developing the Lotus Exige Sport 350, the company’s engineers painstakingly weighed every component on the previous Lotus Exige S to find where it could shed weight. That resulted in a louvered trunk panel, a lighter battery, lightweight engine mounts, a lightweight center console with an exposed gearshift mechanism, lighter HVAC pipework and the optimized use of sound insulation.
Powering the Lotus Exige Sport 350 remains a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Thanks to its weight, the sports car can go 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds and has a top speed of 170 mph. That time improves slightly when equipped with an automatic transmission.
SEE ALSO: Lotus Exige 360 Cup Sheds Pounds, Adds Power
To improve handling, Lotus also equipped the model with firmer dampers and revise suspension geometry to help deliver more responsive handling. Along with a lowered center of gravity and four-piston brake calipers, the Lotus Exige Sport 350 lapped the company’s test track 2.5 seconds faster than the Exige S. With a lap time of 1 minute 29.8 seconds, it is also the first production Lotus model to run the famous Hethel track in under 1 minute 30 seconds.
The Lotus Exige Sport 350 will only be available in Europe. It will cost £55,900 ($84,769) in the UK.
“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.'”
Discuss this story on our Lotus Forum
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
More by Jason Siu
Comments
Join the conversation
The twin turbo Ford 3.5L like the one used in the upcoming GT would be nice. It has been very durable on the endurance racing circuit tuned to about 700hp. Turning it down to about 450hp would give this car a nice shot in the performance pants.
0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and the only other two responses here manage to deride the engine performance. Amazing.....