Lotus Exige S on the way!
On Tuesday, Lotus made the official announcement that the supercharged Exige S is headed stateside with 220 horses under its highly-ventilated engine cover. That's 30 horsepower more than the standard Exige, and is enough to propel the blown version to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, 100 mph in 11 seconds, and a top end of 148 mph. Since it's a Lotus, it works real nice when you actually turn the steering wheel, too.
The asking price is reportedly $56,990, a number that Autoblog reader Dave E. confirmed in an email to us after he eyeballed a dealer order sheet. If you'd like to be jealous, head on over to this thread at EliseTalk.com, where you'll find customers talking about the cars they've already got on order. Based on the chatter there, it sounds like dealers will have some cars in showrooms next month, and that customer orders will start arriving in December.
As for the car's official US debut, we'll go out on a limb and guess that it'll happen at Lotus Ltd's 26th Annual Lotus Owners Gathering, which will take place in Fort Worth on October 13-17. The club's website says that the Texas event will provide the backdrop for the unveiling of Lotus' newest US model.
[Sources: Jalopnik, EliseTalk, Lotus Ltd.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
KT 8:22AM (9/27/2006)
Kickass, the uncivilized car for the civilized North American.
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biturbo 6:42PM (9/27/2006)
Finally a Lotus with adequate power. But for that kind of money push a bit more and get a Z06 that will serve you better on the road. Or if you really want a track only car, get a Radical: same money, better performance.
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eddie 9:08AM (9/27/2006)
re #1.
yea 25+ mpg is pretty uncivilized for a car that can do 0-60 in 4.1 seconds, right?
the elise is a crazy cool car.
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menice 9:10AM (9/27/2006)
always and forever one of my favorites.
can't wait to see one of these on the road... and to think they could be obtainable......... if I sold everything i have.
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Green Lotus Elise 9:31AM (9/27/2006)
Fabulous news! I got to see a standard laser blue Exige (back when they were first coming in) at the Atlanta dealer earlier this year, very cool looking car. I prefer the lines (and weight) of the Elise so I won't be trading mine in any time soon but the S does look VERY tempting. For the price difference I'll probably just stick with my car and toss a supercharger on it.
#3, isn't that the truth! My Elise gets way better mileage than my 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT, although I guess that is kinda a bad example ;)
Feel free to check out some photos of the laser blue Exige I saw at my blog, http://www.fleur-design.net/lotus/
http://www.fleur-design.net/lotus/2006/02/fun-dealer-experience.html
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T_biz 11:01AM (9/27/2006)
Does Lotus provide some sort of warranty with this car? What about a service contract? That is a HECK of a value for $50K.
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DPC car videos 3:16PM (9/27/2006)
I love this car but I wish it was a little bigger.
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KT 3:47PM (9/27/2006)
#3
I meant the car itself is uncivilized, this is one the closest production cars, apart from any kit car, to a racecar you can find that has been legalized. You don't get much in terms of "luxuries" with this car.
And for that, I love it!
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V4 4:43PM (9/27/2006)
nice... but the coolness drops a bit when you realize its just a supercharged toyota engine in a tiny car...
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Stumpy 5:26PM (9/27/2006)
If I won the Lotto. This would be the first car I would buy. Hands down.
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Grajeda 2:08AM (9/28/2006)
at least you can´t complaint... the price for the exige s in Mexico is around 71,000 dls just the elise is in 51,000 and the exige in 56,000.
#9:
me too!!!
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drago 2:20AM (9/28/2006)
Biturbo, you just don't get it. You need to drive an Elise or Exige to understand. Weight is the enemy.
Sure a Z06 may be faster, but the thing is a bloated high-power pig compared to a light car when it comes to handling and the overall fun-to-drive aspect. The speed limit in the States is only 75 after all, you can't really drive a 200 mph car anywhere near the limit on the street without getting into serious trouble.
Cornering speeds are where it's at!!
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biturbo 2:56PM (9/28/2006)
Drago, I am trying to learn :-) For most people having 2 cars (one for track and one for street) is beyond their financials. Then it must be a compromise. So the question is: should we compromise on the 99% of our driving (street) or on the remaining 1% (track)? I love lightweight and especially this Exige S. But I just can't justify it. Street and track? C6 Z06. Track? Exige, but better Radical or Atom.
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