Lotus Sport Exige 240R
Taken in isolation, the Lotus Exige is an utterly fantastic sports car. Awards and acclaim have poured onto it, but sales have been slower than Lotus would have liked. The reason is straightforward. Its powered by exactly the same engine found in the Elise 111R a car which offers the attractions of open top motoring to boot yet costs £2,000 less.
| Build |  |
| Comfort |  |
| Depreciation | |
| Economy |  |
| Equipment |  |
| Handling |  |
| Insurance | |
| Performance | |
| Styling |  |
| Value |  |
Just about the only complaint that could rightly be levelled at the driving characteristics of the Exige is that theres something of a binary nature to the power delivery. The 189bhp Toyota VVTL-i engine is civilised at normal revs, feeling tractable and docile but the magic number to keep in mind is 6,200, that being the rpm where the cams change profile and all hell lets loose. The ability to have a fuel-efficient and refined engine when youre just pottering about and a hard-edged powerhouse when youre really on a mission sounds like the best of both worlds, but in practice it can be a little less than ideal. Constantly judging whether your next upshift will drop the revs below 6,200rpm, taking into account hills that defeat the cars modest torque and so on are not considerations keen track drivers should have to make in the cause of having a good time and extracting a fast lap.
More power and torque spread across a wider Range would hugely increase the driveability of the Exige - and thats exactly what the Sport Exige 240R serves up. Rather than opt for the non-linear power delivery of a turbocharger, the answer lay in supercharging. Lotus aim was to extract the sort of power delivered by a decent 3.0-litre engine but without the bulk and weight of a big powerplant.
An initial feasibility study was undertaken in Autumn of 2004 tasked with the job of supercharging what was already an engine in a very high state of tune.
"The steering is a delight, Lotus knowing not to mess with a winning formula"
Jamie Turner, Chief Engineer of Powertrain Research for Lotus Engineering explains the rationale. "The basic architecture of the Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine is perfect for Lotus Engineering to put its research in engine downsizing into practice as it is a very high revving engine with a high compression ratio. With a 1.8-litre engine, we have produced the horsepower and the effective torque of a standard 3.0-litre unit which gives us the benefits of light weight and reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.
The automotive industry is having to downsize its engines and I think that it would be fair to say that Lotus is one of the first high performance vehicle manufacturers to successfully act upon these strategic demands." The results look sensational. Lotus claims a sprint to 60mph time of 3.9 seconds and a 0-100 figure of 9.9 seconds, putting the 240R into the top bracket of performance sports cars.
A top speed of 155mph means that on faster racing circuits, the Exige no longer runs out of wind on long straights. The net effect of the supercharger, reprogrammed engine management system and the addition of a fifth fuel injector is to plump up power by 22 per cent to 243bhp and peak torque by 23 per cent to 263Nm. Even more impressive than the peak power and torque figures are the way they are developed. The dip in torque suffered by the normally aspirated Exige just before the magic 6,200rpm figure has been obliterated and the power curve is just one straight line marching up to the 243bhp maximum, reached at an eardrum-threatening 8,000rpm.
The exterior of the car looks a little more aggressive than the standard Exige, and is finished in either Sport Yellow or Sport Black, unique and exclusive hues blended to denote the brand colours of Lotus Sport. Lightweight five-spoke forged alloy wheels are fitted with Yokohama A048 rubber. The yellow cars wheels are finished in Satin Black while the black car gets a High Power Silver finish for its alloys. The braking system has also been upgraded to cope with the additional power, with sport brake pads, higher grade silicon brake fluid and Sport Yellow-painted AP Racing callipers at the front and Brembo clamps at the rear.
Drivers will even be able to tune the Ohlins two way adjustable dampers, ride height adjustment and adjustable front anti roll bar. An oil Accusump is included as an oil reservoir backup, guaranteeing engine oil pressure even during the extreme cornering manoeuvres generated by hard track use. The 240R also features a Stage One sports exhaust, front driving lamps, twin oil coolers, central locking, alarm and immobiliser and air conditioning. The interior features a plaque numbered from 1 to 50 According to build number and the cabin theme is yellow and black.
The padded leather door inserts, the handbrake gaiter, the gearstick gaiter and the head restraints are all trimmed in yellow. Lightweight composite sports seats are fitted with four-point harnesses. Naturally there is a price to pay for all of these upgrades and the £43,995 asked for the Lotus Sport Exige 240R will be enough to deter the dilettantes. Those willing to fork out this sort of money will find themselves with a very modern, extremely focused and hugely enjoyable sports car.
As a road and trackday package, its tough to imagine anything coming close.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lotus Sport Exige 240R
PRICE: £43,995 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: tba g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 155mph / 0-60mph 3.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: tba mpg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3797/1850/1149mm
