Lotus 3-Eleven reveals its last secrets
Lotus revealed the Lotus 3-Eleven during the festival of speed last year and has now presented the last of its secrets, being the specs.
Brushing of its shoulders after mismanagement by their former CEO, Lotus is presenting one new or updated model after another. The philosophy has also been reinvented, or actually saying it has been reimplemented would be more appropriate. A philosophy that is simple but brutally effective; "add lightness". But with the Lotus 3-Eleven the brand might have gone a little further than most of us would consider comfortable. A car that is basically an Exige with no roof, but with extensively reworked internals.
Lotus 3-Eleven
Being outside of the comfort-zone of many buyers or just a businesses-case choice, the Lotus 3-Eleven has been limited to just 311 production models. Production models that can proudly wear the label of most extreme Lotus to date. Sure the chassis configruation is nothing we haven't seen from the brand before, the specs are what make this the most extreme lotus ever to roll out of the factory yet. Let's get the mandatory figures out of the way first, starting with the road version version. The road version of the Lotus 3-Eleven is a 410 PS strong, 925 kilogram weighing, supercharged V6 carrying car with a wing that can produce 150 kilograms of downforce at 240 kilometers an hour and has a six-speed manual. It can hit a hundred in 3.3 seconds and has a Vmax of 280 kilometers an hour.The none road legal version, read race spec, is unsurprisingly quicker/better on all fronts. The Lotus 3-Eleven Race version weighs in at just 890 kilograms, has a zero to a hundred time of 2.9 seconds and the rear wing now produces 65 kilograms more downforce in compassion to the road version. Also equipped with a FIA approved roll cage, removable steering wheel, a fire extinguisher, adjustable Ohlins dampers and a carbon fiber drivers seat, the Lotus 3-Eleven is genuinely track ready.
Road to track
Chassis-wise the Lotus 3-Eleven has been equipped with a few trinkets to cope with the increased stresses it will have to deal with. The brakes have been upgraded to AP Racing brakes, know for the motorsport expertise. Shocks and chassis reactions are now absorbed by the earlier mentioned Ohlins dampers, a brand also know for their experience in motorsports. Inside the limited car has been equipped with a new TFT screen that can be linked with a data-logger for analyzing data fetched during racing.The package isn't cheap as it set for £82,500 for the Road version and the 3-Eleven Race version will set you back £116,500 in England. The Road version can however opt for all the options the Race version has been adorned with, like the roll cage, upping the price in the process. Delivery will start in 2 months, no word on if they are sold out yet.
