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.

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