It's hard to imagine an even more hardcore driving
machine than the regular Lotus Exige, though every time we think that, Lotus
goes and releases something like this. Enter the new Exige Cup 430, which
supplants the existing Cup 380 at the top of the range.
Lotus has fitted the engine
from the Evora GT430, a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 rated at 430
horsepower, backed by 440 Nm of torque, all channeled to the rear
wheels through an open-gate, six-speed manual transmission.
The new Cup 430 is more than just an engine-shoehorn
job, though. Lotus has tuned the powertrain specifically for the lighter Exige,
fitted more aggressive aero, and (true to founder Colin Chapman's ethos) made
it lighter, too.
In fact, properly specified (without the airbag),
the Exige Cup 430 can weigh as little as 1,055 kg. With such a
power-to-weight ratio, Lotus says its latest model will hit 96 km/h in
3.2 seconds and top out at 289 km/h. This despite the 220 kg of downforce the 430's new aero package is capable of
generating, shifted more towards the front for sharper turn-in – all of which
helps in the corners, but creates more drag in a straight line.
The best indicator of the new Cup 430's
capabilities, in the end, may very well be its lap time. Lotus says the
ultimate Exige will round its legendary Hethel test track in just 1 minute and
24.8 seconds, making it the fastest production car ever to lap the circuit.
That's 1.2 seconds faster than the hardcore 3-Eleven.
Unfortunately, with federal regulations having long
since outpaced the Exige's development, US customers won't be able to drive the
Cup 430 on American roads (though they may be able to buy it for track duty).
The order books are open now in Europe, though, with a £99,800 sticker price in
the UK, € 127,500 in Germany, and € 128,600 in France.
