Lotus is on a roll at the moment. Having announced the new Evora 400 and the Elise 20th Anniversary Special Edition within the last month, the British carmaker has now unveiled a new Lotus Exige S Club Racer. In short, it has refined the already-remarkable Exige S Coupé even further.
The Exige S Coupé is no slouch to begin with. It accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h). To achieve this, it is powered by a 3.5-L 345 hp (350 PS) supercharged V6 engine and weighs in at just 1,176 kg (2,593 lb).
The Exige S Club Racer shaves a further 15 kg (33 lb) off that weight, which has been saved by using a new lightweight battery, a lightweight center console, lighter doors and lightweight sports seats. Although this doesn't increase the cited acceleration or top speed figures, Lotus tells Gizmag it results in the car being more nimble and quicker through corners.
As is the Lotus way, the Exige S Club Racer has an aluminum chassis-tub, again designed to keep weight to a minimum. The car's handling and balance are aided by a front splitter, rear wing and flat underside, all of which contribute to 42 kg (93 lb) of aerodynamic downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h).
There are three drive modes available as standard in the car: Drive, Sport and Race. The settings offer different traction slip thresholds, with the Sport and Race settings providing increased throttle responsiveness.
Amongst the other standard features are leather or Alcantara seat trim options, color-coded stitching on the seats and door cards, color-coded seat hoops, a sports steering wheel and a matte black distinguishing exterior trim pack. The body color is available in metallic white, orange, metallic yellow or, for an additional cost, matte black.
The Lotus Exige S Club Racer is available in the UK now from £56,900 (US$85,300) and will be available globally.
Source: Lotus
