Lotus has revised its Exige with a Sport 350 treatment to make it lighter and faster. This is an attempt to provide an even more driver focused vehicle by using a lightweight extruded aluminium chassis and aerodynamically efficient composite bodywork.
To make the Sport 350 even faster, Lotus has removed 51 kg of excess weight bringing it to a total mass of 1 125 kg. The 3,5-litre supercharged V6 engine still delivers 258 kW 400 N.m of torque which, with the car’s lightened mass, will provide a 0-100 km/h time of 3,9 (0,1 seconds slower than the previous claimed figure) until it reaches a top speed of 274 km/h. The optional automatic transmission will allow the Sport 350 to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3,8 seconds.
Other upgrades to the Sport 350 consist of a revised suspension, a louvered tailgate panel, a lighter battery, lightweight engine mounts, a lightweight centre console featuring an exposed gearshift mechanism, lighter HVAC pipework and the optimised use of sound insulation. The revisions on the Sport 350 makes it 2,5 seconds faster than the Exige S around Lotus’s test track.
The Sport 350 is also made available with a Heritage Trim pack which draws inspiration from the Tartan trim design used in the 1976 Lotus Esprit S1.
If the standard features on the Sport 350 aren’t enough, Lotus will provide lightweight forged alloy wheels that are 5 kg lighter than the standard set, cross drilled and vented two-piece brake discs removing another 5 kg, black or yellow painted four-piston calipers, air conditioning, in-car entertainment system and a full carpet and sound insulation pack as optional extras.
Opting for the additional lightweight kit brings the Sport 350 to a total mass of 1115 kg.
