What's all this about?
It's about the fastest, most expensive Lotus ever to issue forth from the depths of Hethel. This track-focused machine is the 3-Eleven, a follow-up to the sublime and already pretty intense 2-Eleven of 2007-2011.
Wow, it looks great! Is it a circuit car only?
No, there are two versions. The first, costing from £82,000, is the Road. Powered by a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine, modified from the one seen in the Evora 400 (previously the fastest ever Lotus), the 3-Eleven develops 456hp at 7,000rpm and 450Nm from 3,500- to 6,500rpm. A six-speed manual gearbox with a performance clutch sends drive to the rear wheels via a Torsen limited-slip differential. It has an oil cooler, small aeroscreen, the option of a passenger seat, lightweight forged aluminium wheels with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres (225/40 ZR18 front and 275/35 ZR19 rear), Eibach springs and Öhlins adjustable dampers, a bespoke front splitter and fixed rear spoiler, AP Racing four-pot calipers with 332mm vented brakes discs all round and an interior that features a TFT instrument cluster with road and track displays, Lotus sports seat(s) with a four-point harness(es) and a quick-release steering wheel.
That sounds extreme enough as it is - so what's the Race like?
Costing either £96,000 or £115,200 (depending on whether VAT is included), the Race is based on the 3-Eleven Road, but gets a more aggressive aero kit with its own front splitter and fixed rear spoiler arrangements, an FIA-approved driver's seat with a six-point harness, Michelin Cup 2 tyres, a beefier roll cage to meet motorsport homologation rules, no windscreen, no doors, a six-speed sequential manual gearbox with paddle shifts, a semi-dry oil sump and uprated brake pads for the AP stoppers. A fire extinguisher and battery kill switch can also be found within, while an optional data logger is on offer. The Race version weighs less than 900kg, meaning it has in excess of 500hp-per-tonne, and it can generate 215kg of downforce at 150mph.
You said it was quick, so what's the performance like?
Either model does 0-60mph in 'less than' three seconds, the Race hitting a 174mph maximum and the Road theoretically capable of 180mph, depending on the local laws. But, the key figure is that it goes round Lotus' Hethel test track in just 1m 22s.
When will it be on sale?
Production starts in February 2016 and deliveries commence two months later. But you'll need to move almost as fast as the car - only 311 of them will be built.
Excellent. And what are its economy/CO2 figures?
Get out. Seriously.
Matt Robinson - 27 Jun 2015
