Heralding the new gen of Lotus’ high performance sportscars, today saw the introduction of one of the most expensive and quickest series production model ever, the Lotus 3-Eleven at 2015 Goodwood Festival Of Speed. The all-new sportscar is focused on offering undiluted driving experience, underlining Lotus’ ability to offer blistering speed and legendary handling. Keeping close to company’s track roots and working on ‘less is more’ concept, the 3-Eleven gets a lightweight body, redesigned supercharged V6 engine that produces 450 horsepower and open cockpit design.
The Lotus 3-Eleven will be available in two different versions – Race and Road, both offering an impressive blend of precision, agility and high performance. Based on Road variant, Race gets FIA approved driver seat with 6-point harness, sequential gearbox and more aggressive aero kit. It can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds. Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer at Group Lotus PLC said: “We always say that to make a sportscar better, you make it lighter and faster. The new Lotus 3-Eleven carries that philosophy to a new level, and is perfectly in keeping with our brand values.”
The suspension of Lotus 3-Eleven gets double, lightweight wishbones – rear and front, Eibach springs with Ohlins adjustable dampers and adjustable front antiroll bar. Power for the 3-Eleven comes from a V6 3.5 liter powerplant that’s good for 450 horsepower with 332 pound feet of torque. The engine is mated to six-speed manual transmission with Torsen-type limited slip differential. On the other hand, the Race trim gets a six-speed sequential gearbox with shift paddles, limited slip differential, oil cooler and semi-dry sump.
The aggressive stance of Lotus 3-Eleven leaves no doubt of its intentions. Form follows function with minimized cross sectional area, while optimizing cooling. The focused interior gets optional passenger seat and standard aeroscreen, in addition to new instrument cluster. The track car will enter production in February next year and production will be limited to only 311 vehicles. Pricing for 3-Eleven starts at £82,000 for Road and £96,000 for Race versions.