Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, stated at the Good Wood Festival of speed: "We always say that to make a sports car better, you make it faster and lighter. The new Lotus 3-Eleven carries that philosophy to a new level, and is perfectly in keeping with our brand values.”

 

The Lotus 3-Eleven has been finally unveiled and it comes in two versions: The Road, which squeaks in as a road-legal ride, and the Race, which is based on the Road, but has an aerodynamic kit that ups the ante along with other options.

 

This car is the fastest and most expensive series production car ever with a lot of new features.

 

 

Using new resin infusion composite technology , forged Aluminium wheels, double-wishbones front and rear, adjustable front anti-roll bar and Eibach springs with Öhlins adjustable dampers, this Lotus an all-new lightweight body. With a dry weight of below 900 kg (Race version), the 3-Eleven offers an enviable power to weight ratio, in excess of 500 hp per tonne, and is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) for the Race version and 180 mph (290 km/h) for the Road version.

 

 

As for the power

The new Lotus 3-Eleven is powered by a revised version of the 3.5-litre V6 engine first shown in the Evora 400, which includes a supercharger with integrated water-to-air charge cooler. Maximum power output has increased to 450hp (456 PS / 336 kW) at 7000 rpm and torque has increased to 450 Nm / 332 lbs ft with maximum torque available from 3500 rpm through to 6500 rpm.

 

The interior is race focused with an instrument cluster based around a color TFT screen, which switches between road and track modes.

 

The Lotus 3-Eleven will be hand made by the highly skilled craftsmen and women at the Lotus Headquarters in Hethel, alongside the rest of the Lotus sports car range, supported by Lotus Motorsport technicians. It is limited to 311 units with production starting in February 2016 and first deliveries in April.