Lotus Exige 1.8S... 220 Supercharged horses!

[YSSMAN]

A lot of very quick kit has come out our way from Hethel, but this, according to the boys behind it, is the fastest-accelerating production car Lotus has ever built.

Despite launching the new Exige S on the Silverstone national circuit, this is actually Lotus's road-going answer to its more extreme 240bhp Cup track car.

That means that for £33,395, a staggering £12,000 less than the Cup, you still get a supercharged version of the Toyota-sourced 1.8-litre engine from both Elise and standard Exige, but this time with 220bhp.

This modest drop off in power is accompanied by one rather than two-way adjustable dampers and the absence of a fire extinguisher, roll cage or kill switches.

So why launch the Exige S on a track at all? Because, like every other car from that stable, the S is still as at home there as on the road. A point Lotus is clearly keen to stress.

The handling is sensational, with confidence-inspiring grip and a traction control system that gently lends a hand when your talent runs out. You can turn the helper off, too, if you want to explore the charms of the Lotus chassis undiluted.

With it being a Lotus, none of this should come as a surprise, of course. A decent percentage of Lotus owners find themselves on a track at some point - and many of them get so addicted they fork out thousands with Lotus Engineering to wring more power from their motor. And that's pretty much how the Exige S came about.

You could already spec a standard car up to beyond the S spec, so now Lotus will offer the extra power off-the-shelf.

However, this Exige's slightly lower state of tune means power delivery is smoother, making it a more tempting day-today proposition. Performance is still awesome too - 60mph comes up in just 4.1 seconds and 100mph in a fraction under 10 seconds.

And it's not just the engine that's more usable. Drive through the circuit gates and out onto the public road and the Exige makes a decent job of the rougher tarmac.

The adjustable suspension means you can dial out some of the stiffness you'd want on the track in favour of a more compliant on-road ride.

The result is quite remarkable - you would still have to be a pretty committed enthusiast to drive one of these every day, but a few miles on a twisty A-road will have you thinking very hard about it.

Paul Regan

 

[GT4_Rule]

Sounds like some serious speed...

 

[BMWteamPTG]

mmmmm.....i love the exige. its such an amazing car. lotus knew what it was doing when it built that car. id love to drive it...

 

[exigeracer]

Definitely a nice car.

The Lotus Press Release and details on this car were released a couple of months ago, I didn't think it was worth an entire thread though.

Exige S not coming to the US, mind you there is the Cup 240 (mentioned in text) coming for track-only use. I'd be surprised if there are any any left though. There are still some aftermarket superchargers that provide better cooling than the Lotus unit (which is already fairly decent), and not to mention a bunch of turbocharger kits as well, the Ohlins suspension can be put on in your garage. None of this has factory warranty though.


Go Go Team Lotus!!!!

 

[YSSMAN]

...I was just going to ask if it was comming to the US, but thats a no.

I wouldnt mind dropping in GM's new diret-injection 2.0T engine from the Pontiac Solstice GXP. Although power output is about the same, but the extra torque and direct injection would be great in a track car.

 

[exigeracer]

Lotus cannot afford the legalization costs of the supercharger in the US right now. They've got other important projects running that need the funding and attention.

 

[fangorn_forest]

I want a 4G63, damnit!!

 

[Wolfe]

I want a 4G63, damnit!!

I wouldn't. Toyota reliability > Mitsubishi reliability....

 

[JCE]

The Exige looks best in black. I'd love to have a black Exige--even with the uncomfortable ride and lack of luxury amenities. = )

 

[exigeracer]

Black is nice, 'specially with powdered black wheels.

I'd take red, because it's cheaper, but also I think Elises in red are "look I'm a Ferrari! Just kidding, I'm a badass Lotus" but Somehow Exiges in red are just "look I'm a badass Lotus" :

 

[Tourettes Guy]

The Exige looks best in black. I'd love to have a black Exige--even with the uncomfortable ride and lack of luxury amenities. = )

Here Here! 👍

 

[YSSMAN]

Exige for me, is a tie between the Jet Black (or better yet, Flat Black) and British Racing Green.

 

[Jay]

Oh yeah flat black for me . (maybe gloss black for cleaning reasons)

 

[JCE]

British Racing Green.

Which variation? There's several BRG colors...the one that you can currently get Aston Martin's in is the one I'd choose. 👍

 

[TheCracker]

The Exige looks best in black. I'd love to have a black Exige--even with the uncomfortable ride and lack of luxury amenities. = )

My step-bros Exige is in an almost metallic black, it has a slight goldiness to it that reminds me of polished/laquered carbonfibre - a really nice 'deep' black 👍

As for luxury, it's got leather, A/C, electric windows, a decent stereo and with the adjustable Ohlins it rides really well, certainly as well as my 'average family saloon'

 

[Wolfe]

I hope to never, ever own a red car. It's just way, way too common, and screams for attention from authorities.

I'd love to go for a nice silver Elise/Exige, or black, or a sweet midnight blue...

 

[YSSMAN]

Which variation? There's several BRG colors...the one that you can currently get Aston Martin's in is the one I'd choose. 👍

I didnt really think there were that many variations. I suppose the BRG from the Jaguar line matches my tastes, but then again so does it's variant Jaguar Racing Green.

 

[JCE]

My step-bros Exige is in an almost metallic black, it has a slight goldiness to it that reminds me of polished/laquered carbonfibre - a really nice 'deep' black 👍

As for luxury, it's got leather, A/C, electric windows, a decent stereo and with the adjustable Ohlins it rides really well, certainly as well as my 'average family saloon'

Can you tell him to ship me that car please? No? Oh well, I tried. I thought that the Exige was a rough stiff ride..? Hmmm, damn I wish they would ship them here to the states. The Exige is the only similarly priced performance car that can keep up with the C6 in almost every catagory. I'd take the Lotus thank you.

I didnt really think there were that many variations. I suppose the BRG from the Jaguar line matches my tastes, but then again so does it's variant Jaguar Racing Green.

The older Bentley's had more of a lighter BRG than what they put on them now. The Jaguar's BRG seems to be the same brightness/contrast as the Aston's--so I'll agree with you. 👍

 

[exigeracer]

Can you tell him to ship me that car please? No? Oh well, I tried. I thought that the Exige was a rough stiff ride..? Hmmm, damn I wish they would ship them here to the states. The Exige is the only similarly priced performance car that can keep up with the C6 in almost every catagory. I'd take the Lotus thank you.

They ship 350 street legal Exiges to the states for '06. Go down to your local dealer and get a test drive, I'm sure they have one. They are offered in British Racing Green (a metalic) and also just straight Racing Green, which is flat and somewhat ugly:

(metallic)

(flat)

I hope to never, ever own a red car. It's just way, way too common, and screams for attention from authorities

Come on man, the Elise in any colour gets unlimited attention, the colour doesn't matter at that point. Plus, that's why they offer Krypton Green and the staple Chrome Orange.

This Krypton Green car runs 265hp with a supercharger.

a decent stereo

errr... not what I've heard. It's usually the first thing to go when a knowledgable Lotus guy gets his/her Elise, eithe rfor weight reductions or for replacement with better speakers.

Here's some black Exiges:

The owner of that car has been waiting longer than I have. Exige freak...

 

[ND4SPD]

Man, that black on black on black exige is pure awesomeness. At the canadian autoshow I went to in Toronto They had a Krypton Green Elise, and a Blue Elise, but what stood out was a Flat British Racing green (which in my opinion looks delightfully un ugly) Elise on black rims, that thing was just so damn sexy. Now I wanna see a a Flat BRG Exige on powdercoated black rims.

 

[Tourettes Guy]

👍

 

[JCE]

Seriously, the Exige is the ONLY car I've EVER seen that can pull off using black rims. GOD those BRG Exiges are so ****ing beautiful. Wonder what the MSRP is on those things in the US--probably around $toomuchformetoaffod.00 👎

 

[YSSMAN]

Black rims only look good with certain cars in certain colors. Renault pulled that off pretty good with their special-eddition Clio (or was it a Mengane?) to commorate their win last year in F1.

I've nice VW's in silver with black rims that looked pretty good as well... But it all depends...

 

[exigeracer]

Seriously, the Exige is the ONLY car I've EVER seen that can pull off using black rims. GOD those BRG Exiges are so ****ing beautiful. Wonder what the MSRP is on those things in the US--probably around $toomuchformetoaffod.00 👎

I'm not 100% crystal on this one, but I think you'd be looking at a rough 50 grand for an Exige off the lot.

The flat green Elise at the TO show has one of the first Canadian Elises, but she's gone through a bit of a change.

First, she got stri- HOLY HELL that's a nice car. **** explinations, enjoy:

 

[Tourettes Guy]

Exigeracer just hand over all your Lotus pics damn it.

 

[Poverty]

I wouldn't. Toyota reliability > Mitsubishi reliability....

Not when its the same engine out of the celica. Those 1.8 vvti's are known to go pop. Toyota had to reign in the rev limiter with later versions.

The evo engines solid.

 

[exigeracer]

Exigeracer just hand over all your Lotus pics damn it.

Eek. I've got a bunch, maybe I'll do a "My Favorites" compilation if you people want.

You want a nice Exige? S1 all the way, silver is no plain colour on this car...

 

[Wolfe]

Come on man, the Elise in any colour gets unlimited attention, the colour doesn't matter at that point. Plus, that's why they offer Krypton Green and the staple Chrome Orange.

True, the Elise will get attention no matter what, but I still don't like red cars. Only a few marques/models work for me, including Alfas, Fiats, and of course, Ferraris...but I still think they look cooler with a different color (for example, a metallic-green F40 would be kick-*** ).

Not when its the same engine out of the celica. Those 1.8 vvti's are known to go pop. Toyota had to reign in the rev limiter with later versions.

The evo engines solid.

Actually, it's the VVTLi, and the problem with the VVTLi was that the lift bolts were prone to break. I thought they had fixed that...

 

[exigeracer]

I want a 4G63, damnit!!

The transmission setup doesn't work in an MR car.

More black pictures, but with no roof. Any takers?

 

[YSSMAN]

Shes right purdy allright... Kinda funny seeing the Exige without a roof!