IAA 2011: Lotus Debuts New Exige S with 350HP V6 and Rally-Spec Exige R-GT

Among the many world premieres at the Lotus stand in Frankfurt is the new Exige series and more specifically, the street-legal Exige S, and the competition Exige GT with which the British company plans to make its comeback to the world of rallying.

The road-going Exige S somewhat deviates from Lotus' philosophy of making ultra-lightweight sports cars with small displacement engines as it brings in the Evora S' 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that produces 350-ponies.

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Posted on 17.04 / 0 comments / Read More

Scoop: New Lotus Exige Reveals itself in the Open

Last time we brought you spy photos of the 2013 Lotus Exige, it was a set of grainy pictures shot from a distance, which only revealed the profile of the British firm's mid-engine sports car. But our canny scoopsters are back with a new batch of photos, this time showing the prototype in detail.

The developed model pictured appears to have a longer wheelbase and rear overhang than the outgoing Exige while the design is entirely new featuring a lower nose that resembles the styling of the Evora. Our spies told us that the car also looked wider than the older model.

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Posted on 13.33 / 0 comments / Read More

New Lotus Evora GTE Concept and Exige Matte Black Final Edition to Debut at Pebble Beach

Lotus will hold the world premiere of the Evora GTE Road Car Concept at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival event tomorrow, August 17, at Pebble Beach.

The road-going concept is inspired by the Evora GTE racecar, which has been developed to participate in endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the newly formed GTE category.

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Posted on 12.10 / 0 comments / Read More

SCOOP: Is this the New Lotus Exige with a V6 Engine?

The Lotus Elise and Exige will soon be a thing of the past for North American fans of the brand (though both cars will continue to be offered in other markets), but if our spies prove to be right, the British firm is already cooking up a replacement, at least for the Exige coupe.

Our man with the long lens snagged these pictures of a mid-engined Lotus prototype during testing. But how can we be sure that this the Exige, we hear some of you ask?

Well, the test car does not bear any resemblance to the recent Lotus concept models shown in Paris last year so given the prototype's shape and size, the most plausible explanation is a replacement for the Exige.

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Posted on 13.25 / 0 comments / Read More

Lotus North America Bids Farewell to Elise and Exige with Limited Edition Models

It is known for some time now that Lotus is going to axe the Elise roadster and Exige coupe from its North American lineup by the end of August due to Toyota's decision to stop production of the 2ZZ 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine that powers the two models.

Fans of the Elise and Exige in other markets around the world including Europe need not to worry as the two cars will continue to be available as they are fitted with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit.

To mark the end of production for North America, the British firm has announced the release of three Final Edition [FE] models. Lotus said will build and import into the US and Canada 15 examples of the Elise SC FE, 25 of the Exige Matte Black FE and 30 units of the Exige S260 FE.

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Posted on 11.39 / 0 comments / Read More

Rumors: Lotus Exige to Spawn Rally Car?

Here’s something we weren’t expecting; according to a report from CAR Magazine, Lotus will launch a new rally car at the Frankfurt motor show in September. The rally car -not the one pictured here- will be based on the Exige, which is renowned for its road and track capabilities, but we’ve never imagined it near a rally stage. Read more »

Posted on 06.50 / 0 comments / Read More

Lotus to Kill Elise and Exige for North America in August

If you’re a fan of the lightweight sports cars from Lotus, namely the Elise and its closed-top sibling, the Exige, and live in North America, then you’d better hurry up before the well dries up. That’s because production of the North American spec model will end in August according to a report from Autoblog.

The reasons behind this decision lie in the lack of “smart” airbags, which are now mandatory in the US, along with Toyota’s decision to stop production of its 2ZZ 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder engine that powers US-spec models. The Elise and the Exige will continue to be sold in Europe, as they’re equipped with a new 1.6-liter four-cylinder unit.

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Posted on 07.44 / 0 comments / Read More

Lotus Cutting Prices from $10,000 to $18,500 in Australia

Following the Australian government's move to reduce import duties earlier this year, Lotus Cars of Australia has announced significant price reductions across the model range, with savings of up to $18,500.

Lotus Cars Australia Managing Director John Startari explains: "The government's import duty reduction at the start of 2010 has offered some assistance, whilst favorable foreign exchange rates have been a further catalyst to these announced price changes."

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Posted on 16.57 / 0 comments / Read More

Live Photos of Bad Boy Lotus Exige Scura 260HP, But Beware; Lotus Says Color May Fade...

The star attraction over at the British firm's Tokyo Motor Show booth is the special edition Exige Scura or as it will be sold in Japan, the Exige Stealth. Lighter and more powerful than the standard Exige, the Scura is distinguished by the matte-black paint finish accented by high-gloss "Phantom Black" stripes and carbon fiber aero parts such as the front splitter, oil cooler inlet vanes, side air-scoops and rear spoiler.

Lurking beneath the bonnet is the 1.8-liter supercharged inline-four from the Exige Cup that makes 260 horsepower, enough for a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 4.1 seconds (0-60mph in 4.0 sec) and a top speed of around 245 km/h or 152mph.

You can read more details about the Exige Scura that will be produced in a limited run of 35 units in our previous post on the car here.

On a side note, Lotus caught our attention with a special disclaimer in the press release about the Scura's matte-black finish. According to the British automaker, while the water borne matte black paint finish is resistant to most normal forms of atmospheric attack, the color may fade over time.

Here's the part about the paint warranty:

"...due to the textured matt finish, fading or discoloration of all or part of the matt paint finish may occur during the early life of the vehicle and this is considered normal and is specifically excluded from any warranty given by Lotus. The special matt paint finish utilized on the Lotus Scura is provided with a limited warranty of the earlier of 12 months or 12,000 miles/20,000 km from the date of first registration of the vehicle."

Image Credits go to our Tokyo Motor Show reporter, Phil Alex

Posted on 18.27 / 0 comments / Read More

Tokyo '09: Lotus to Unveil Limited Production Exige Scura with 260HP

*UPDATED GALLERY WITH 24 HIGH-RES PHOTOS*

Another show, another special edition model for Lotus that has announced the world premiere of the Exige Scura at the Tokyo International Motorshow on 21st of October 2009. Translated as "dark" from Italian, the name "Scura" is supposed to reflect the stealth character of the special Exige that boasts a menacing matt black paint finish with contrasting 'Phantom Black' triple stripes that run the length of the car.

The sports car also features carbon fiber front splitter, oil cooler inlet vanes, side air-scoops and rear spoiler plus unique matt black lightweight forged wheels shod in high-performance Yokohama A048 LTS tires.

Continuing the dark theme into the interior, the Scura's seats and centre console are crafted from carbon fibre and the handbrake and gear knob have a special anodized treatment which leaves the metal with an anthracite color finish. All carbon fibre components inside are finished in high-gloss clear lacquer.

The Exige Scura makes use of the Toyota-sourced 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder engine from the range topping Exige Cup 260. It produces a maximum power output of 260 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and a peak torque figure of 236 Nm (174 lb-ft) at 6,000 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a lightweight C64 six-speed gearbox.

Lotus said that the extensive use of lightweight carbon fibre components, including sports seats, interior centre console and the exterior bodykit help to keep the weight to 10kg or 22 pounds less than the 220HP Exige S at just 925 kg or 2,039 lbs.

The company claims a 0 to 100km/h sprint time of 4.1 seconds (0-60mph in 4.0 sec), a zero to 160 km/h (100 mph) in circa 9.9 seconds a top speed of around 245 km/h (152mph). Combined cycle fuel consumption is said to be 8.5 lt/100km (27.6 mpg US or 33.2mpg UK) with CO2 emissions of 199 g/km.

Other features include a launch control system, a variable slip traction control that enables drivers to tune the car to track surface conditions and their own driving style, two-way adjustable dampers from Ohlins that have 60 compression and 22 rebound settings and ride height adjustment to reduce the ride height from 130 mm to 120 mm.

Production of the Exige Scura that will be offered in Japan as the 'Exige Stealth' will be limited to 35 units globally.

Lotus said that orders will be accepted from 21 October 2009 in Europe, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia with prices set at £45,950 in the UK, €61,820 in Belgium, €61,200 in France, €61,885 in Italy, €60,000 in Germany and CHF90,225 in Switzerland.

Posted on 10.52 / 0 comments / Read More