New Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition
You think the Lotus Elise is a lightweight,
driver-focused package? you should see what the Exige Sport 350 has to
offer, the 350 Special Edition.
Based on the most extreme Exige ever made, the Special
Edition celebrates the British car maker’s 50th anniversary, completing the
trilogy of Lotus 50th celebration editions. It offers numerous lightweight,
performance-enhancing features over the Sport 350 as well as unique visual
improvements.
What’s more impressive is that Lotus managed to
shave even more weight off the standard model – which is already lighter than
the Exige S, as well as the Elise. Packing a supercharged 345 hp, V6 3.5 liter
engine, and weighing in at only 1,099 kg (or 26 kg less than
the Exige Sport 350), the new Special Edition accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, and it keeps on accelerating all the way to its 274
km/h top speed. It's also capable of lapping the famous Hethel track in
1 minute 29.8 seconds.
“The Lotus Exige is the quickest point-to-point
sports car on the road; nothing can match its levels of accessible performance
and grip. It’s lightweight, responsive and exceedingly fast, with the purity
expected of a Lotus. It is a real beast that needs taming but it won’t bite
back”, said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc.
Lotus fitted the special edition with lightweight
carbon fibre sports seats, lightweight forged alloy wheels, lightweight engine
mounts, a lightweight centre console featuring an exposed gear shift mechanism,
lighter HVAC pipework, and a Lithium-ion battery as standard to keep kerb
weight at a minimum.
Only 50 units of the Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition
will be manufactured, with an MSRP of € 81,900 (US$ 91,459), and Lotus say it will
be available on a “first-come, first served” scheme.
