THE LOTUS ELISE 340R - THE DEFINITIVE ELISE.

The production version of the outrageous and stunningly fast Lotus Elise 340R made its' Motorshow debut at the 1999 Frankfurt Show. Customer deliveries start in December 1999, a mere nine months after Lotus management gave the project the green light, making the 340R's development cycle one of the quickest in the world. Ever. Just 340 examples will be built.

The Elise-based 340R was first shown as a concept car at the 1998 Birmingham International Motor Show at the NEC. This concept put a new spin on the multi-award winning Elise, taking it down an even more extreme path, making it the purest Lotus ever: a no-compromise super-lightweight sports car. It had no doors; no side windows, no roof, and only minimal composite bodywork covering its extruded aluminium chassis. With a powerful version of the Elise's 1.8-litre K Series engine, the 340R concept is aimed at hardcore drivers who wanted a small, responsive, fun machine with supercar performance (0-60mph in 4.3 sec, 0-100mph in 10.9 sec) for weekend blasts in the countryside or track day outings.

The production 340R - same spirit, different details
The press and public response to the concept was overwhelmingly positive a niche truly existed for this purist driver's car. The 340R was approved by Lotus management to become a showroom model. A few short months later, the concept is now a reality.

Modifying a concept car to pass the rigours of the European type approval process (a necessity for all series production cars) often results in a dilution of the original concept. Not so with the 340R. The production version remains true to the concept car - it offers raw, untainted fun and exhilaration, not to mention that 177bhp engine. It's a pure driver's car, plain and simple. Some changes have been made to comply with the type approval regulations and as a consequence of development work on the 340R. Rather than dilute the essence of the car, these changes have made it look even wilder.

340R - the Extreme Elise
The philosophy behind the 340R is explained by Lotus Design Manager, Russell Carr: 'We decided to develop a road-going racing car which would be even more essential than the Elise, solely directioned and focused for pure driving pleasure. We wanted a car that would embody the Lotus characteristics of innovation, light weight, elegance and fun to drive - the 340R is all of these.'

What has made the 340R's striking looks and minimalist bodywork possible, is its light and exceptionally stiff chassis. Made from extruded and bonded aluminium, and pioneered on the Elise, the chassis is the central feature of the 340R concept and is the load-bearing structure of the car.

This means that unlike conventional cars, the body panels aren't an essential part of the 340R's structural integrity, and can therefore be used only where driver comfort and protection, and aerodynamic considerations make them essential. Motorbikes and single-seater racing cars, two of the inspirations for the 340R, are designed the same way. The 340R has a dynamic, feline stance on the road or track, in keeping with the Lotus philosophy of combining elegance of style and design with basic scientific principles, and it shows, in dramatic fashion, the inherent flexibility of the Elise chassis.

Made for the road, so you can drive to the track
It's no coincidence that the Lotus Elise 340R looks so much like a race car dressed up for the road; that was always the intention of Russell Carr, Head of Design at Lotus, and his team. Many Elise owners use their cars for track days and the Lotus Elise 340R is designed to be the ultimate track-day machine.

The Lotus Elise 340R uses adjustable platform suspension so that corner weights can be tuned to the individual driver's requirements.

With track work very much in mind, the 340R is provided with some very serious brakes. At the front and rear, cross-drilled and vented discs are 282mm in diameter, and are gripped by AP Racing opposed piston callipers.

Again, as befits its racing aspirations, the 340R is fitted with super-sticky road/race rubber compound Yokohama AO38R Tyres, with a highly distinctive tread pattern.

For track use it's possible to remove the engine's sound-insulated casing and (depending on the track's noise regulations) take off the exhaust's catalytic converter. In standard road tune the 340R's 1.8-litre K series produces 177bhp, but with the catalyst and other engine restrictors removed, that output rockets to 190bhp.

Race-spec quick-release steering wheel and five point harness adapter kit are available as part of a 'track pack' for the 340R, as is a Stack race rev-counter with shift lamps and lap timing facilities.

Production of the �35,000 (on the road) 340R began at Lotus Cars' Hethel factory in November, and first customer deliveries will take place in December.

Technical specifications for the Lotus Elise 340R

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