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Lotus gets horsepower crazy with Exige FA

Lotus has created this special 400 hp racecar version of the Exige. With an extremely lightweight design coming in at only 1874 lbs, this allows an incredible power-to-weight ratio of under 4.7 lbs per hp.

American car companies aren’t the only ones going horsepower crazy these days. Lotus Sport has created the Lotus Sport Exige, a motorsport version of the cool coupe we don’t get here in the U.S. This little sucker has 400 horsepower and 295 ft. lb of torque under that rear hood. Don’t get too excited this is a racer, the interior is sparse with nothing but right hand steering wheel, one Sparco seat and some switches. But man it looks badass.

2005 Lotus Elise

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Dan Jedlicka's Rating:
8 out of 10.

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British sports car builder and Grand Prix racing champion Lotus has come up with the small, wild-looking Elise sports car, which is a blast to drive with its race-car performance.

As with a good sports-racing car, the Elise almost seems to know what a driver wants to do before he makes a move. There is no hesitation when the mid-engine two-seat convertible is given steering, braking and throttle commands, making it fun to drive even to the local 7-Eleven.

The Elise is perhaps the closest thing to a modern sports-racing car that can be legally driven on roads. But it has standard air conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel, anti-lock brakes, dual front airbags and an anti-theft system.

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Update: 2007 Lotus Elise to satisy US regulations

Update: After this story was widely reported in major car magazines it turns out the Lotus is not to be   replaced in 2006/2007 and that this image isn’t actually that of a replacement. A source from Lotus says this is just   one design they’re exploring for a future vehicle to be slotted a step above the Elise. There are very few details at   this point.

 

Original Post: The snub-nosed second-generation Lotus Elise that is finally hitting U.S. shores doesn’t meet   American safety guidelines for a mass produced vehicle. But for some reason the Elise is getting a three-year   exemption according to Car & Driver’s latest issue (the one with the ugly green Charger on the cover). This new   generation (spy pictured here) will meet all U.S. guidelines and looks very Esprit to me. Price is expected to hover   around $40,000.

Lotus Elise 111R

The Lotus Elise 111R is the latest addition to the Lotus stable and introduces to the market the most powerful and highest performing production Elise.

With a VVTL-i engine (Variable Valve Timing and Lift-Intelligent) producing a maximum power output of192 PS (141kW) and 181Nm of torque, the Elise 111R sprints to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds and 160km/h in 13.0 seconds before reaching a certified top speed of 241km/h.

This performance is achieved through a balance of environmental considerations with the fully Euro IV Emissions Compliant engine helping the Elise to return 8.8 litres/100km on the combined cycle, as well as the very low figure of 208g/km of CO2 emissions.

For the first time, track tuned, high specification ABS with servo assisted brakes is offered as standardon the Elise 111R.

Through careful management of weight and clever design the Elise 111R weighs in at 860kg - unladen with no options - giving a power to weight ratio of 223PS/tonne (164kW/tonne).

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