Lotus Cars Malaysia has introduced Hethel’s fastest, most extreme production car ever, the Lotus 3-Eleven. Building on the recipe of the previous 2-Eleven, it has one seat, no roof and no doors.

Buyers can choose from two variants – Road and the track-only Race. The former retails at RM 640,855 without registration, road tax or insurance, while the latter costs a whopping RM 868,214.


Built on a bespoke chassis, the 3-Eleven utilises Lotus’ extruded and bonded aluminium construction. The body panels, made from lightweight resin infusion composite, are 40% lighter than the fibreglass equivalent. The design features a minimal cross sectional area to reduce drag while optimising cooling.

At the front, a new clamshell features larger air inlets to cool the powertrain and transmission, and the wheel arches have been made to cover the wide track and 225/40 ZR18 front and 275/35 ZR19 rear tyres (Michelin Pilot Super Sport on the Road model, Pilot Sport Cup 2 on the Race). Large fender vents aft of the front wheels enable the air in the arches to make a clean exit.


Inside, it’s as minimalist as it gets, adorned only with a sports seat with a four-point harness, an optional quick-release steering wheel and a colour TFT instrument display. A small front screen is fitted as standard, and an optional passenger seat can also be added to create a two-seat cabin.

These can be removed, replaced by an optional tonneau panel to envelope the driver and improve overall aerodynamics. The Race model is further specified with an optional data logger system, an FIA-approved driver’s race seat, a six-point harness, a fire extinguisher and a battery kill switch.


All 3-Eleven models feature all-round double wishbone suspension, Eibach springs and Öhlins adjustable dampers, with the Race gaining an adjustable front roll bar and two-way dampers to allow owners to fine-tune their car’s handling characteristics. Braking duties are handled by AP Racing four-piston callipers and two-part 332 mm grooved and vented brake discs at all four corners; the Race model gets uprated pads.

Behind the seats, there’s a Toyota-sourced 3.5 litre supercharged V6 from the Evora 410, developing 410 hp at 7,000 rpm and 410 Nm from 3,000 to 7,000 rpm in Road trim. The Race model bumps that up to 460 hp at 7,000 rpm and 525 Nm at 3,500 rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox is fitted to the Road variant, while the Race gains a six-speed sequential transmission with dog engagement and paddle shifters.

With a dry weight of 890 kg for the Race model and 925 kg for the Road variant, the 3-Eleven has a power-to-weight ratio of over 500 hp per tonne, and is capable of flinging itself from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.0 seconds before hitting a top speed of 290 km/h. That’s in Race trim – the Road version is a tad slower to the 100 km/h mark, doing the deed in 3.4 seconds; it also has a lower top speed of 280 km/h.