Lotus Exige S Roadster coming this summer

British carmaker Lotus has officially confirmed the Exige S Roadster will enter production this summer, following its debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Power comes from a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with 350 hp at 7,000 rpm and 400 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm. It can be mated either to a six-speed manual or Lotus’ Serial Precision Shift (SPS) gearbox. When equipped with the manual gearbox, the 1,100 kg roadster will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.0 seconds and hit a top speed of 233 km/h. In terms of efficiency, it returns  a combined fuel consumption of 10.1-liter per 100 km (28.0 mpg) with CO2 emissions of 236 g/km.

Although there are no plans for the United States, but we think that the Exige S Roadster should go on sale in this market later this year.

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Lotus recalls 451 2007-2008 Elise and Exige sports cars

Lotus is recalling 451 units of the 2007-2008 Elise and Exige in the United States due to an oil leak problem. The affected vehicles were manufactured from December 1, 2006 through October 31, 2007.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the oil cooler line on these models may become detached from its fitting. A detached oil line could spray oil on a tire, increasing the risk of a crash, or it could spray oil throughout the engine compartment increasing the risk of a fire.

The safety recall is expected to begin on March 4 and dealers will replace the oil cooler hose fittings and the entire lateral oil cooler hose, free of charge. For further information, owners can call Lotus at 1-800-245-6887 or NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236.

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Video: Hennessey Venom GT sets 0-300 km/h world record

Hennessey has recently announced that their street-legal Venom GT accelerated from 0-300 km/h in just 13.63 seconds at Ellington Airport in Texas, United States, thus establishing the supercar as a new record holder according to Guinness World Records.

"The acceleration time was an average of two runs made in opposite directions within one hour and validated by a VBox 3i GPS-based data logging system," Hennessey said in a statement. "VBox officials were on hand to certify the numbers as required by Guinness rules. The first run was completed in 13.18 seconds with a 4 mph tailwind. The second run was made in 14.08 seconds while encountering a 6 mph headwind. The resulting two-way 0-300 km/h average was 13.63 seconds."

"We are exceptionally proud of our team at HPE who helped to make this new Guinness World Record possible," said company founder and president, John Hennessey. "This is just the first of several validation tests designed to show the world what our special car is all about - being the fastest. Period."

As previously reported, the Hennessey Venom GT is powered by a twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 engine that produces 1,244 hp and 1,155 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a new 7-speed paddle-shift transmission or a 6-speed Ricardo manual gearbox.

 

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Lotus Evora Sports Racer price starts at £57,900

British carmaker Lotus has recently unveiled a special edition of the Evora, called the Sports Racer.

Described as a premium alternative to the regular Evora, the special version is available in a choice of four exterior colors: Aspen White, Carbon Grey, Nightfall Blue and Ardent Red. All of which come with contrasting gloss black roof, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser, along with black mirror caps, gloss black forged wheels and black rear badging.

Inside, the cabin receives the 2+2 seating configuration and black leather Premium Sports seats with red contrasting stitching. Slate Grey Suede trim fitted to the dash, doors and center console.

The Sports Racer also gets the "Tech Pack" as standard, adding an upgraded audio system, a seven-inch touchscreen display with DVD player, Bluetooth, USB and iPod connection, cruise control, power folding mirrors, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Under the hood, the Sports Racer is offered with both engine options from the regular variant, including a 280 hp 3.5-liter V6 and a 350 hp 3.5-liter supercharged V6.

In Europe right now, the Evora Sports Racer has a starting price of £57,900, which saves customers £6,450 compared to adding all those features separately on a regular Evora.
 

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Lotus Exige V6 Cup announced

Lotus has recently introduced a hardcore version of the Exige V6 at the Lotus Festival in Brands Hatch, called the 'Cup'.

According to the British carmaker, the race car features a raft of upgrades, including an aerodynamic body with optimised front splitter, rear wing and rear diffuser, a multi-adjustable suspension and Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo tires. Meanwhile, the cabin is fitted with a removable steering wheel, a roll cage, HANS-compatible seats with multipoint safety harnesses, isolator switch and a FIA-compliant fire extinguisher.

The 1,080 kg model takes just 3.8 seconds to accelerate from 0-100 km/h and hits a top speed of 274 km/h, thanks to a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with 346 hp and the Lotus Dynamic Performance Managemen system, which gives the driver the possibility of switching between Race, Sport and Touring modes.

The sport car is available in two trim levels: Track Day (£62,995) and full-on Competition-Spec (£74,995). Only 20 units will be built and released beginning in December of this year. The Exige V6 Cup can be purchased through Lotus Cars' dealer network and direct from Lotus Racing.

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Lotus Evora GX racer revealed

Lotus has officially unveiled a new track-focused version of the Evora, called the GX.

Designed to compete in the American Grand-Am Rolex Sport Car Series, the car features an aerodynamic body kit which includes a new front splitter and bumper, a huge rear wing and wider wheel arches. There's also a rear wing, yellow headlights, Plexiglass windows with flaps on the side, a Grand-Am approved roll cage, a new fuel filler system and Continental tires. To take weight off, the doors, roof and engine cover are all made from carbon fiber.

In addition, to meet other series requirements, ABS and traction control have been removed, putting more emphasis on driver skill.

Motivation is provided by a 4.0-liter V6 engine with 440 hp (328 kW / 446 PS) and 440 Nm (324 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to a six-speed sequential transmission which allows the 1,150 kg race car is fast enough to tackle the competition.

The Evora GX will be built to order with prices from $335,000 (€276,335 / £216,200).

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Volkswagen interested in Lotus

Volkswagen is reporting interested in buying Lotus to tap growing southeast Asian markets in its quest for global dominance.

The information is sketchy and hasn't been confirmed by Volkswagen, but Reuters is quoting two unidentified sources as saying that the German carmaker might seek either a minority holding in the owner of Lotus or a controlling stake. There is even speculation that the stake could eventually lead to a full takeover.

Although parent company DRB-Hicom has confirmed they were still committed to the UK sports-car manufacturer as the boss of both DRB and Proton Dato' Sri Haji Mohd Khamil Jamil said "We reaffirm our full and long-term commitment to raise Lotus to the next level of success", but the recent firing of CEO Dany Bahar has left a lot of questions. Rumors have been swirling about Lotus going up for sale.

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Lotus Evora GTC unveiled

Lotus Racing has just unveiled a new track version of the Evora, called the GTC.

Essentially an evolution of the GT4 Enduro, the Evora GTC comes with carbon fiber roof, carbon fiber doors and a carbon fiber engine cover as well as plexiglass windows in order to save some additional weight. According to Lotus’ Motorsport Division, thanks to these changes, the model is 30 kg lighter than the GT4 Enduro, at 1,130-1,140 kg (2491-2513 lb).

In addition, it has also been equipped with wider tires and wheels, BOSCH racing-sourced ABS and a traction control system.

“The GTC is faster than the GT4 Enduro even though the powertrain remains the same. We’ve managed to reduce the weight, and added ABS and traction control,” said Louis Kerr, Group Lotus’s senior motor sports engineer. “Wider wheels mean customers now have a much greater level of traction and selection of tyres they can use, the flared wheel arches accommodate this, which gives the car its visual definition and makes it look more muscular without hampering the aero.”

Under the hood, the race car is powered by a 4.0-liter V6 engine with 450 horsepower and 460 Nm of torque, mated to an XTRAC six-speed sequential transmission with paddle shifters.

The first GTC was bought by McMahon Raceworks and will compete in America’s Grand-Am road races, the Rolex Sports Car Series.

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Lotus Evora GTE China Limited Edition unveiled

Lotus has recently revealed a special edition of the Evora GTE for the Chinese market.

Called the Evora GTE China Limited Edition, the model is distinguished by a revised suspension to suit Chinese roads and an upgraded interior with additional leather upholstery and plenty of carbon fiber trim.

Under the hood, just like the standard model, power comes from a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with 438 hp. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via sequential Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).

Only 118 units will be produced with each car features a numbered plaque inside, marked with the 'China Limited Edition' insignia.

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Lotus teams up with Mansory

Mansory has recently teamed up with Lotus to become the sport car brands official bespoke partner.

Addition infomation is limited, but the German tuner will become Lotus' "official customization studio." As such, Mansory will provide "their knowhow with respect to bodywork, trim and special finishes" for the Elise, Exige and the Evora.

At the 2012 Paris Motor Show in September this year, the two companies will introduce a new concept to celebrate the partnership. However, Lotus doesn't reveal any details on it, they just say it’s very exciting.

In a statement, Lotus Chief Technical Officer Wolf Zimmerman said "Mansory are leaders in their field, and having worked closely with them on the Evora GTE and the special editions we've unveiled recently, we now wish to take the partnership to an official level. Together, I am confident we will continue to produce outstanding sports cars, with the bespoke qualities that many of our discerning customers look for."

For his part, Kourosh Mansory commented: “At Mansory, we have always been passionate about British cars and the cooperation with Lotus is the perfect partnership as it meets our quality standard of production on the highest technical level combined with masterly craftsmanship and the most precious materials.”

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