Autoblog

"What is it?" people will ask. They'll keep going. "It's fast, huh? How fast does it go?" The answer will disappoint them. Yes, it is fast, but when driving the Lotus Exige S240, its 150-mph top speed is not at the forefront of one's mind. Lotuses are more classically described as accurate weapons of destructed mass; light cars that handle as an extension of the driver's body. True to the roots laid down by the Europa, the Exige is a composite monocoque, carrying 1800cc of supercharged Toyota fury admidships.

Many have glommed on to the Elise and Exige as track-day toys, but we wanted to see how this most raucous of Lotuses would do as a desert island car. If all you could swing were the payments for a single car, and you got your kicks by surgically trimming apices, could the Lotus hack it? It's certainly one of the most accurate-handling street cars we've had the pleasure of driving, and it does come with such comforts as power windows, air conditioning, and an Alpine audio system with iPod interface. Sounds like the perfect everyday car for a hardcore enthusiast, doesn't it?


Photos copyright ©2008 Dan Roth/Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a high-res gallery from the Lotus Challenge Series.

Jack Fried is barely audible under the stentorian sound of the supercharged four behind our heads. With two helmets worth of plastic and padding between his strained, soft-spoken voice and my assaulted ears, I'm only able to make out a few words of every other sentence. When we finally line up in the starting grid, Jack shuts off the engine on his Lotus Cup 255 and turns in my direction. "I've sold most of my track cars," he says, "This is all I need."

I hear that.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Brad Wood / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image to enlarge

No, it's not the official ride of Captain Britain, but it would probably fit the bill nicely. The Lotus Exige S shown was the subject of an episode of Discovery Channel's How Do They Do It? series. The topic was vehicle wraps, and Lotus Design came up with the flag motif to be applied to one of its dynamic sports cars. Four techs took ten hours to complete the job (this was a little more complicated than wrapping a city bus with a pizzeria ad) and the results look pretty stunning. If you're in the UK, you might be able to catch it as it tours Lotus dealers throughout the country. This makes the MINI roof flags look as subtle as lapel pins.

[Source: Lotus via Zer Customs]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lotus Exige GT3.

Aussie racing fans are in for a treat during the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend, where the updated Lotus Exige GT3 will make its official debut. The revised racer is still packing the same supercharged 1.8-liter mill from the road-going Exige S, but it's been tweaked to created almost 350 hp and 224 lb.-ft. of torque (we're guessing through the use of a liquid-to-air intercooler and around 16 pounds of boost heaved into the built motor). Additionally, Lotus has revised the aero bits to increase downforce and reduce drag through the use of a lengthened nose (3 cm), a widened track (10 cm) and a rear section stretched by some 8 cm. Angelo Lazaris will be piloting the GT3 this weekend during the third round of the GT Championship.

Lotus' full press release is posted after the jump and you can check out the gallery of the Lotus Exige GT3 concept below.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

While assorted activists, politicians and random individuals carry on about the spectres of global warming, imported oil, CO₂ emissions and other issues that combine to create timetable-free doomsday scenarios, there are people working on potential solutions that do not involve us driving around four-wheeled Segway scooters. That's right: the "dreaded" internal combustion engine might yet provide the answer -- or at least an answer. And because Lotus is the entity searching for the answer in this particular case, the end result might not only be green -- it looks ridiculously fun, too.

The car you see here is the Geneva-bound Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept, the successor to 2006's Exige 265E, which made 265 horses running on E85. The 270E goes a step further. Not only can it run on gasoline or ethanol, it achieves its peak output -- 270 horsepower and 184 lb-ft -- on methanol, hence the Tri-Fuel label. Incidentally, that power figure is the highest yet for an Exige coming out of Hethel. Even more interesting, however, is Lotus' research into producing carbon-neutral synthetic methanol. You can read about it in detail after the jump, but in summary, the process involves using atmospheric CO₂ and reacting it with hydrogen created via renewable electrical power to create methanol. Liquid methanol could be transported and distributed much in the same way gasoline is now, making for a feasible infrastructure if the idea were to take hold somewhere down the line.

Lotus is also hunting for solutions involving EVs, as well as optimizing the traditional gasoline-powered ICE through its Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Group. One must admit, however, that the idea of a sustainable, synthetic, carbon-neutral fuel driving internal combustion engines with the same levels of power we currently enjoy is the equivalent of having your cake and eating it. Press on, Lotus.


[Source: Lotus via AutoblogGreen]

Lotus just keeps churning out more variants of the Elise and Exige, but the major difference between those other limited-edition models and the Exige Sport Cup 260, is this is the automaker's ultimate track-day version to date.

Powered by the 257 hp, Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter mill and a Roots-type Eaton M62 supercharger, the 2,046-pound coupe rockets to sixty in four seconds, passes 100 mph in 9.9 seconds an on to a top speed of 147 mph. A heavy-duty clutch sends power to the standard six-speed manual and on down to an LSD, with a plate-type limited slip available as an option. A new instrument pack with a revised graphic design keeps tabs on the blown four, while new aerodynamic bits (producing 40 kgs of downforce at 100 mph) and variable traction and launch control keep things planted at speed.

Standard equipment includes cast 16-inch wheels wrapped in Yokohama A048R tires, four-piston AP Racing calipers up front clamping 282 mm cross-drilled rotors, an adjustable anti-roll bar and dampers, along with FIA-approved Recaro seats, six-point roll-cage and a 70-liter fuel cell.

The price of the Exige Sport Cup 260 is set at £56,034 and it's available now in Europe.

[Source: Lotus]

Lotus may already have one of the greenest line of vehicles, with both the Elise and Exige easily reaching into the 30-mpg range when driven with restraint, but Mike Kimberley wants Lotus to be pioneers of green engineering.

Lotus' CEO made comments alluding to the automaker's goal of providing environmentally friendly automotive technology after signing a deal to produce a research and testing facility in Saudi Arabia that would focus on green motoring. The center is part of Lotus' strategy to branch out both technologically and production-wise, with a manufacturing center based in the Middle East. Much of this shift will come with the advancement of hybrid development, although Kimberley didn't go into detail about how the hybrid drivetrains would be implemented in this new venture.

The CEO also went on to report that development of Project Eagle is well underway, saying that the Eagle team is doing a great job and that after driving a prototype late last year he was "very impressed".

[Source: BIZOnline]

Click the image above for a high-res version.

We're going to have to wait until July for something new from Lotus when it drops the Eagle 2+2 at the London Motor Show. But until then, Lotus seems content to keep us satiated with yet another limited edition Exige. The Exige Sprint draws its inspiration from the Elan Sprint that was built between '71 and '73 and comes covered in a tri-tone paint scheme with a white bottom half, blue or yellow top and a gold line bisecting the two. The Sprint will come standard with A/C, Lotus' Sport Pack and model-specific lightweight alloys to compliment the 243 hp road rocket. Only 40 will be built to commemorate when Lotus began building vehicles in Hethel back in 1967, with each donning a chassis number covering each year of production, except for 1982, when Lotus founder Colin Chapman departed for the big race track in the sky. A book covering the history of Lotus' models from Hethel will be included with the car, along with a signed certificate from the automaker's boss, Mike Kimberley. The Sprint is on sale now in the UK for £42,550.

We were as taken-aback as the blokes over at Autocar when they discovered that the new, Performance Pack-equipped, Lotus Exige S came with an optional cup-holder. "It can't be true!" we screamed to the God of Oversteer, but it is, and although it's as minimal as it can get, it still seems like a dilution of a car (and a brand) that's made a name for itself producing focused, lightweight weapons for the track. Mr. Chapman is doing donuts in his grave and we're left shaking our heads.

[Source: Autocar]

Large high-res gallery of all of the Lotus models available by clicking above

This week in LA, veteran Lotus development engineer Roger Becker told the assembled press about the changes we'll see in the Elise and Exige for 2008. He also talked a bit about some of the changes happening at the factory and even gave us some info about new models in the company's future.

The biggest recent news for Lotus was that the Elise SC and Exige S were given an optional power boost via a Magnuson-developed supercharger that raises horsepower from 190 to 218 or 240 depending on the application. Other changes were made to all 2008 model year cars in the lineup.

Aside from upgraded brakes and a few other tweaks, the biggest changes came inside, where a new security system has been installed that for the first time ever allows a single key for Lotus owners. As a nod to American driving habits, TPMS and a new information display were also added, because as Becker put it, we aren't too aware of when a tire is going down and need to have it pointed out. That line was delivered without missing a beat and expertly showed a typically dry British sense of humor. Funny guy. Follow the jump for individual model news and to hear more about the upcoming Eagle and Esprit replacement too!

[Source: Lotus]