Car manufacturer Lotus launched its quickest production road car ever in Lotus 3-Eleven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Heralded as the most expensive high-performance sports car, the Lotus 3-Eleven focuses on providing a pure driving experience with blazing speed.
Keeping close to the Lotus series style, the 3-Eleven boasts an all-new lightweight body with an open cockpit design and an improved V6 3.5-liter supercharged engine that is capable of delivering 450 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 332 lbs per foot of torque between 3500 rpm and 6500 rpm.
The Lotus 3-Eleven comes in two-variations: Road and Race. With an exceptional engine running on both models, these cars are capable of racing from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds before achieving the maximum speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) for the Race version and 180 mph (290 km/h) for the Road version.
Featuring a dry weight of less than 900 kg (1,984.16 lbs), which is only half that of a modern family car, the race version features a sequential gearbox and a more aggressive aero kit compared with the Road version and its close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox through a Torsen-type limited slip differential.
The Lotus 3-Eleven cars are equipped with a set of AP Racing four-piston brake calipers collaborated with a two-part vented and grooved brake discs (332 mm rear and front) for a fast and secure driving experience.
With an International Automobile Federation (FIA) approved driver's seat with a six-point harness, the Race is fitted lightweight forged Aluminium wheels with Michelin Cup 2 tires, while the Road has Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on its wheels to cope with 3-Eleven's potential.
"To make a sports car better, you make it faster and lighter. The new Lotus 3-Eleven carries that philosophy to a new level," stated Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Scheduled for production in February 2016, the Lotus 3-Eleven's first deliveries will arrive in April and Lotus will only assemble 311 vehicles at a very exclusive price of £82,000 ($129,125) for the Road version and £115,200 ($181,405) for the Race version.
Visit the Lotus brand webpage to learn more about the Lotus 3-Eleven cars and stay tuned for more automobile updates and up-close images.
