The 3-Eleven’s numbers add up
- The quickest production Lotus road car ever;
- Dramatic, all-new lightweight composite body;
- Super-charged V6 produces 450hp;
- 180mph top speed and less than 3secs to 62mph;
- Two versions, Road and Race, both developed through Lotus Motorsport;
- Priced from £82,000.
IF YOU need to get to business meetings real quick, only carry speed-freak passengers and don’t mind wearing waterproofs when it rains, the new open-top Lotus 3-Eleven is the perfect company car!
For while the new car has no roof or even a ‘proper’ windscreen, it’s the fastest Lotus model ever produced and, suitably, was unveiled this week at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed. It will come as little surprise that the new car is focused on providing an undiluted, apart from the rain, driving experience.
In line with Lotus’s track heritage, this dramatic vehicle features an all-new lightweight body, with an open cockpit design and a revised V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp.
On top of a Road version, there is also a Race model for those who think the road-going one too ‘soft’, a more aggressive aero kit, a sequential gearbox and an FIA approved driver’s seat with a six-point harness.
With a dry weight of below 900kg, the Race 3-Eleven offers a power to weight ratio, in excess of 500hp per tonne, and is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 174mph for the Race version while the Road version enjoys a slightly higher 180mph top speed.
It’s powered by a revised version of the 3.5-litre V6 engine first shown in the Evora 400, which includes a supercharger with integrated water-to-air charge cooler.
Maximum power output has increased to 450hp at 7,000 rpm and torque has increased to 450Nm from 3,500 rpm through to 6,500 rpm. A close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox with a Torsen-type limited slip differential, featuring a performance clutch assembly and oil cooler, comes as standard on the Road version.
The Race model has a 6-speed sequential transmission with a semi-dry sump, oil cooler, limited slip differential and paddle shift.
The new Lotus 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016 and deliveries will begin in April 2016. Production will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total. Prices start at £82,000 for the Road version on-the-road and £115,200 for the Race version.
