LOTUS EXIGE 240R
Every now and then something hits the motoring world that is truly different to all that went before it. In the last decade much of it has come from the British sport car manufacturer Lotus. The Lotus Elise and then the Exige certainly sent shockwaves through the automotive trade. Their latest offering however may just be their finest achievement to date.
The Lotus Exige 240R is a master class in engineering brilliance. Lotus have always chosen not to rely on power, but instead focused on suspension, aerodynamics and of course weight. The 240R is no different. The rear spoiler has been dreamed up using Formula 1 technology. The car weighs just 930 kilograms (which is about half that of some Porsches). And the little Toyota engine pumps out 240 brake horsepower. That’s the same as a Boxter, but from a car weighing half as much.
Needless to say with such an astonishing power to weight ratio the acceleration is blistering. Standing to 60 takes less than 4 seconds, putting the 240R in supercar territory. And while it’s 155 MPH top speed is less than an Vectra VXR is will utterly cream almost anything on the track, can corner faster than almost any other road car, and feels positively warp speed all the way to 100.
There are drawbacks. The 240R does not have a soft top, instead it has a hard roof with a scoop to keep the supercharger cool. They are not the easiest car to work on (not that anyone with £45′000 to spare is likely to be worried about that). The also lack a lot of the comforts of other sports cars. The seats are thin, to save weight. The ride is harsh for day-to-day driving. Also it’s a full 16K more than the standard Exige. But for pure excitement and entertainment you’ll be very hard pushed to find anything that beats it.
Tags: Lotus