2005 Lotus Sport Exige
Lotus Sport, the performance division of Lotus Cars, has developed the new Exige, a direct motorsport derivative of the successful roadcar. The car has been taken from concept to reality in only six months thanks to several engineering partners. It was designed by Barney Hatt (Principal Designer for Lotus Design), under the direction of Russell Carr (Chief of Design).
The Lotus designed and engineered racecar was partly manufactured by RTN, the team responsible for the Le Mans winning Bentley. They were specifically responsible for producing a new lightweight carbon-fibre bodywork structure around the standard Exige chassis. An aerodynamically developed front splitter, carbon fibre rear diffuser and an adjustable carbon rear wing provide increased levels of downforce.
The Lotus Sport designed fully adjustable suspension system with double wishbones all round was fabricated and manufactured by Pilbeam. Power is provided by a 400 hp Swindon Racing Engines tuned GM 3 litre V6 racing engine linked to a Hewland sequential six-speed gearbox, with AP-Racing providing the braking system.
Related: Lotus Race Car List / Lotus Current Lineup / All Lotus Models / Lotus News
This one-off racecar has been built for a South East Asian client and is expected to race in selected sportscar races in Asia. There are no plans as yet to build further examples of the Lotus Sport Exige but the base structure has been carefully designed to comply with key motorsport regulations around the world. Adhering to the key Lotus philosophy of performance through lightweight, the Lotus Sport Exige weighs in at just 850kg.
Pictures
Specs & Performance
| submitted by | Richard Owen |
| engine | Swindon Racing GM V6 w/Dry Sump Lubrication |
| position | Transverse, Mid Engine |
| aspiration | Natural |
| valvetrain | 4 Valves per Cyl |
| displacement | 2998 cc / 182.9 in³ |
| bore | 86 mm / 3.39 in |
| stroke | 86 mm / 3.39 in |
| power | 298.3 kw / 400 bhp @ 7750 rpm |
| specific output | 133.42 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 470.59 bhp per tonne |
| torque | 398.61 nm / 294 ft lbs @ 6500 rpm |
| redline | 8250 |
| body / frame | Carbon Fibre Body over Aluminium Extruded & Bonded Chassis w/Rear Subframe |
| driven wheels | RWD w/Limited Slip Differential |
| front tires | 250/610-17 |
| rear tires | 280/650-18 |
| front brakes | AP Racing Vented Discs w/6-Piston Calipers |
| f brake size | x 344 mm / x 13.5 in |
| rear brakes | AP Racing Vented Discs w/6-Piston Calipers |
| r brake size | x 330 mm / x 13.0 in |
| front wheels | F 452.1 x 22.4 cm / 17 x 8.8 in |
| rear wheels | R 45.7 x 28.6 cm / 18 x 11.25 in |
| steering | Rack & Pinion |
| f suspension | Unequal Wishbones w/Coil-Over Ohlins ST44 Dampers, Adj Anti-Roll Bar |
| r suspension | Unequal Wishbones w/Bilstein Gas Dampers, Eibach Coil Springs, Adj Anti-Roll Bar |
| curb weight | 850 kg / 1874 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2300 mm / 90.6 in |
| front track | 1457 mm / 57.4 in |
| rear track | 1507 mm / 59.3 in |
| length | 4147 mm / 163.3 in |
| width | 1827 mm / 71.9 in |
| height | 1159 mm / 45.6 in |
| transmission | Hewland Sequential 6-Speed w/AP Racing Twin-Disc Cerametallic Clutch |
| gear ratios | 3.00:1, 2.20:1, 1.66:1, 1.30:1, 1.08:1, 0.92:1, :1 |
