3-Eleven..........

[Simon Mac]

Bringing things back to reality: 

 

£82k for something barely usable outside a track.

 

Please don't get me wrong, but the Exige is tough to justify (and beyond socially acceptable on public roads). So for me this is a super specialist car (and money no object would be parked on my full blooded racer trailer next to my P1), I just hope the trickle down to  the rest of the range happens soon

[chris_h]

Hope that dash makes it into the rest of the range.

 

I think they've done a great job, can't wait to see one in track.

[DeanB]

I think that is great. Everything J M Gales has done at Lotus so far is right, in my humble opinion.

Next he needs to bring out a revised v6 exige - it doesn't need to be a lot different, just a bit lighter, with the 400 bhp engine and some styling tweaks to make it look harder.

And after that a new else with a super lightweight engine and gearbox - maybe even a 3 cylinder, possibly turbo'd so it weighs 750 kg again (for a base model car). New styling again, a bigger door aperture a roof that doesn't leak and a huge options catalogue so you can spec it just how you want it - from hardcore for track day buyers to luxurious .

That would do it!

[kieranexige]

Something small with a huge spec list would be great Dean

 

Or Just offer them like the old days....My Dad loves the fact he got to finish his himself.

 

[cjwjames]

Something small with a huge spec list would be great Dean

Or Just offer them like the old days....My Dad loves the fact he got to finish his himself.

That is just brilliant . Ive never seen that advert before class .. there is a lot to be said

And they could open up the brand to a wider audience if they did

 

Just think if you could buy the new 3-11in kit form and stage payments

[kieranexige]

That is just brilliant . Ive never seen that advert before class .. there is a lot to be said

And they could open up the brand to a wider audience if they did

 

Just think if you could buy the new 3-11in kit form and stage payments

I can't think how much my dad saved in purchase tax back then but it was a sizeable amount of cash... Will try and dig out the invoice

[jonnyfox]

Sadly for me Simon has nailed it.

[Alex B]

So the 3-11 looks stunning but f**k me the guys on the lotus stand didn't really seem interested, went with my uncle he wanted sales info. Easier task to get blood out of a stone.

BAC MONO on the other hand couldn't do enough to gain a possible sale.

 

We did get some info on the 3-11 in the end,

£30k extra for the flappy paddle box, which turns out not to be suitable for road use.

£82k on the road for the road version, comes with adjustable ohlin dampers as standard.

Different gearing to the v6 Exige.

150 being produced each year until the 311 figure is met.

 

I have a press pack I will bring along to the next meet with me.

[Martin R]

My Elise must have been in Kit form. I keep having to add bits    

[KurtB]

Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose, and extremely subjective. I think it looks a bit weird, unbalanced. It looks heavy and high up at the back, and looks from the images it's teetering on tip toes. It doesn't look hunkered down enough to my eyes. Perhaps it'll look better in the flesh.

No doubt it's very capable and they should all sell. Lotus should be applauded for doing this in the first place, it must be a challenge keeping development costs down knowing you've got a very short production run. That said:

#its not for KurtB

[jody391]

I prefer the 211, more of a track focused approach rather than being all fancy dancy!

[Simon Mac]

I think that is great. Everything J M Gales has done at Lotus so far is right, in my humble opinion.

Next he needs to bring out a revised v6 exige - it doesn't need to be a lot different, just a bit lighter, with the 400 bhp engine and some styling tweaks to make it look harder.

And after that a new else with a super lightweight engine and gearbox - maybe even a 3 cylinder, possibly turbo'd so it weighs 750 kg again (for a base model car). New styling again, a bigger door aperture a roof that doesn't leak and a huge options catalogue so you can spec it just how you want it - from hardcore for track day buyers to luxurious .

That would do it!

 

Definitely 400+ in the Exige would be nice. Realistically though, it's going to be a bit wasted, I honestly can't say I wish it had just a bit more power. Unfortunately with the mainstream manufacturers all in an power arms race atm, it needs to happen.  

 

I too hope for a ground up Elise platform, it's done really well, but all the mandatory stuff (air bags, seatbelt sensors, abs, cats, ... ) are just pushing the weight forever in the wrong direction.  If they can truly get it below 800kg that would be great, but even with so much carbon the Alfa is 850kg, so it looks a hard task

 

Hopefully all the money they raise selling the 311s to rich Saudi princes can go toward developing the basis for the next 20 years of underlying chassis

[DeanB]

I get the impression they wont have the time or resources to do much radical re-engineering of sports cars for a while as the suv will take priority. If that goes to plan though it should generate the cash needed to develop a new elise/exige chassis.

Hopefully in the meantime they will continue to develop quality -fit and finish etc.

 

I agree with you Simon that sub 800 kilos is hard to achieve now but with a really light engine and box it might be do - able. I would personally like to see an option to buy a simple elise with no air bags, no brake servo or abs, no air con etc but with roll cage, harnesses, racing seats, cut out switch and extinguisher for the trackday crowd, maybe with a cheap one make race series too, similar to the Caterham academy.

[Alex B]

I get the impression they wont have the time or resources to do much radical re-engineering of sports cars for a while as the suv will take priority. If that goes to plan though it should generate the cash needed to develop a new elise/exige chassis.

Hopefully in the meantime they will continue to develop quality -fit and finish etc.

 

I agree with you Simon that sub 800 kilos is hard to achieve now but with a really light engine and box it might be do - able. I would personally like to see an option to buy a simple elise with no air bags, no brake servo or abs, no air con etc but with roll cage, harnesses, racing seats, cut out switch and extinguisher for the trackday crowd, maybe with a cheap one make race series too, similar to the Caterham academy.

Base model Elise with a ford Eco boost engine.

1.0 3pot turbo 125bhp

Or

1.6 out of the newer fiesta St

Should cover that dean

 

 

The 1.0 eco boost can be remapped by mountune to produce over 140bhp and still maintains a ford warranty.

[Simon Mac]

 

I get the impression they wont have the time or resources to do much radical re-engineering of sports cars for a while as the suv will take priority. If that goes to plan though it should generate the cash needed to develop a new elise/exige chassis.
Hopefully in the meantime they will continue to develop quality -fit and finish etc.

I agree with you Simon that sub 800 kilos is hard to achieve now but with a really light engine and box it might be do - able. I would personally like to see an option to buy a simple elise with no air bags, no brake servo or abs, no air con etc but with roll cage, harnesses, racing seats, cut out switch and extinguisher for the trackday crowd, maybe with a cheap one make race series too, similar to the Caterham academy.

 

100% agree. Fit and finish is much better, but still some way to go considering the pricing.

 

ESP is now mandatory for newly registered cars in the EU so by inference so is ABS, servos, throttle by wire, steering position sensors etc. etc. 

 

No idea how long before it also applies to stuff like Atoms etc. Someone in some government department is bound to get on a political high horse about 600bhp/ton road cars without ABS/ESP, and demand it extended to low volume stuff too