First look: Lotus gets excessive with Exige

LOTUS used last week’s Geneva motor show to debut its latest track car – the stripped-out, super-light Lotus 2-Eleven.

Weighing in at just 670kg, it takes Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s theory of performance through light weight to extremes.

Designed with serious track day drivers in mind, the Exige-based 2-Eleven has a power-to-weight ratio similar to that of a Formula One car in the 1960s.

The supercharged and intercooled Toyota-based 1.8-litre engine produces 188kW at the redline of 8000rpm and 242Nm at 7000rpm, driving through a six-speed gearbox to the rear wheels.

It accelerates from 0-100km/h in an estimated 3.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 250km/h.

Production will begin at Hethel in the UK in April and Lotus Australia expects it to arrive here in the third quarter. It will be road-registerable in the UK, where it will be priced from £39,995 ($A98,940).