Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


Lotus Exige Sport 350 Roadster is super-light. Image by Lotus.

Lotus Exige Sport 350 Roadster is super-light
Lotus trims another 40kg out of the Exige Sport 350 for new open-top Roadster
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

What's all this about?

Lotus took a quartet of its sports cars to the Geneva Motor Show and proudly announced that they represented the company's 'quickest ever' line-up of models. We already knew about the 3-Eleven, the Evora Sport 410 and the Elise Sport 250, but sitting among them was a newcomer - the Exige Sport 350 Roadster.

Hold on, you told us about this car late last year, didn't you?

Ah, the key thing here is the 'Roadster' bit of its name. We did indeed tell you of the Exige Sport 350 at the tail-end of 2015, but that was the hard-top model; this is the convertible sibling getting the same treatment. Aside from wind in the hair motoring and the chance to better hear that Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 singing away, there's one good reason you should choose the Roadster over the Coupe.

And what reason would that be?

The fact it is actually lighter than the tin-top, by 40kg. With a lithium-ion battery, featherweight forged alloy wheels, cross-drilled and vented two-piece brake discs, less weighty engine mounts and a generous helping of carbon fibre (for the louvered tailgate, side air intakes, seats and the composite front access panel), the Exige Sport 350 Roadster clocks in at 1,085kg, making it the lightest configuration of Exige of the lot.

Is there anything else about its weight-loss you can add?

Well, the car shown in Geneva featured a full Carbon Aero Pack, comprising a front splitter, rear wing and rear diffuser. And Jean-Marc Gales, the CEO of Lotus, added: "We achieved so much when developing the Exige Sport 350, reducing weight and making it even sharper and tightly focused; and the Exige Sport 350 Roadster takes this yet further. Yet again we've been able to slash weight to produce something that should be on every sports car fan's wish list."

So does all this translate into the quickest Lotus yet?

Yes, and no. It's more accelerative than the tin-top, clocking a 3.8-second 0-62mph time, but it loses quite a lot of top speed; Lotus quotes 'only' 150mph, whereas the manual Exige Sport 350 Coupe does 170mph and the auto equivalent 162mph. Lotus also won't expand on the Roadster's time around its test track in Hethel. Power goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, but a paddleshift-equipped six-speed auto will be an option.

Can I opt for tartan inside?

You can, if you must. Red or yellow checked trim is available as a heritage touch, although the optional leather or Alcantara upholstery for the slim carbon sports seats inside might be the more tasteful choice.



Matt Robinson - 4 Mar 2016

Earlier articles featuring 2016 Lotus Exige

2015-12-09: Lotus launches £55,900 Exige Sport 350


Lotus Exige 350 Roadster. Image by Lotus.Lotus Exige 350 Roadster. Image by Lotus.   








www.grouplotus.com    - Lotus road tests
- Lotus news
- Exige images






MINI revives petrol JCW models for hatch and Convertible. Image by MINI.
More JCW models announced for MINI portfolio
New models have 231hp, lots of red and black detailing, and a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
 
Porsche 911 GT3 returns in 992.2 format. Image by Porsche.
Porsche revives 911 GT3 and Touring as 992.2
Both winged and Touring models available from the off, with even lighter weight and shorter gearing.
F80 is Ferrari’s new 1,200hp hypercar flagship. Image by Ferrari.
Ferrari reveals stunning F80 hypercar
New F80 gets three electric motors to go with its V6 engine.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 TWR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©