If a Koenigsegg Agera, Porsche 918 or McLaren P1 are a bit too “soft” for your tastes then this is just the car for you… the Lotus 3-Eleven. This lightweight sportster may not be as well-known as those other hypercars, but it has the performance to rival them all.
Giant-killing performance
In keeping with the ethos of Lotus founder, Colin Chapman, the 3-Eleven does not trouble the scales too much, weighing in at well under a tonne. Two versions of the 3-Eleven are available: Race and Road.
The Race version can sprint to 100 km/h in 3,0 seconds and will top out at 290 km/h. Those figures are impressive for a car that has “only” 343 kW at its disposal from a 3,5-litre V6 motor.
More interesting is that test drivers claim that the Race Lotus 3-Eleven will complete a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschleife in under seven minutes, placing it right up there with the best of what the hypercar brigade can do.
Road going
For those who would prefer to experience their thrills on road as opposed to the racetrack, the Lotus 3-Eleven Road makes a more sensible 306 kW. Coupled with a kerb mass of 925 kg this model can sprint to 100 km/h in 3,4 seconds, and its top speed is a fractional 10 km/h less than that of its track sibling.
Incredibly these models are capable of developing a neck-straining 1,5 G of lateral force, in part thanks to the sticky Michelin rubber, the bespoke Ohlins suspension and, at higher speeds, downforce produced by the rear wing and underfloor aerodynamics.
Exclusivity ensured
To ensure that you won’t see one of these special Lotuses (Lotii?) at every track day you attend, the British firm will be producing just 311 examples of this focussed sports car.
With a starting price of £82 500 for the Road version and £116 500 for the Race model, and considering the current rand/Pound exchange rate (+- 24) we don’t foresee too many of these cars to land on local shores any time soon.