New Lotus Exige Sport 350 – Light Is Right

[Mark H]

• 51 kg lighter than previous Exige S
• 345 hp and in excess of 300 hp/tonne
• 0-60 mph in 3.7 Seconds and top speed of 170 mph
• Heritage Tartan interior and new colour and trim options

 

As the ultimate incarnation of the world famous Exige, Lotus has revealed the Sport 350, the
latest version of the class-leading and award winning sports car, that’s lighter and faster than ever
before.
The new Exige Sport 350 is the next model in the range to mark the reintroduction of the
renowned ‘Sport’ naming designation. It joins the recently announced Lotus Elise Sport and Elise
Sport 220 – delivering a lighter and even more performance-focused driving experience.
Concentrating on what Lotus does best, and with a focus on pure performance, the two-seater
has been developed to deliver an unrivalled experience for the driver, being sharper and more
direct than previous models. Drawing on the core elements that have made the Exige a firm

favourite with driving enthusiasts, the Exige Sport 350 combines Lotus’ lightweight extruded
aluminium chassis structure with muscular and aerodynamically efficient composite bodywork.
A product of Lotus’ ‘Lightweight Laboratory’, the Exige Sport 350 weighs just 1125 kg and has
shed 51 kg compared to the previous model Exige S. This reduction in mass is the result of a
thorough re-evaluation designed to deliver a pure driving experience.
Lotus engineers weighed every component in the previous Lotus Exige S in order to save weight,
the result of which includes, amongst many other changes, the introduction of a louvered tailgate
panel, a lighter battery, lightweight engine mounts, a lightweight centre console featuring an
exposed gearshift mechanism, lighter HVAC pipework and the optimised use of sound insulation.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented: “The Lotus Exige is already regarded as
one of the world’s best sports cars and a benchmark for performance and handling both on road
and on track. With the Exige Sport 350 we took an already phenomenally quick car and made it
even faster, more dynamic and more pure, perfectly demonstrating our Lotus design philosophy of
‘lighter and faster’.”

 

The 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine generates 345 hp and 295lbft of torque at 4500rpm, offering
scintillating, progressive power to the road, while revised suspension tuning and wheel geometry
contribute to un-matched vehicle dynamics and steering precision. Coupled with the car’s lower
mass, this power and torque enables the Lotus Exige Sport 350 to accelerate to 60 mph in just
3.7 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.9 seconds) before reaching a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h).

The manual gearbox has been heavily revised, giving more precise and quicker shifting. The
gearshift mechanism uses light weight machined and cast aluminium components which are so
technically aesthetically appealing they are no longer hidden within the transmission tunnel but
exposed through an open-gate design, further reducing weight.

 

The Lotus Exige Sport 350 is also available with a 6-speed automatic option where drivers can
change gears manually via forged aluminium paddles located behind the steering wheel, or rely
on the gearbox’s fully automatic mode. The automatic gearbox control panel is integrated neatly
into the centre console of the cockpit, with buttons for Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive. Up-shifts
take just 240 milliseconds, with rapid downshifts accompanied by automatic throttle-blip (when in
Sport mode).
When fitted with the optional automatic gearbox, the new Exige Sport 350 is slightly quicker for 0-
62 mph (0-100km/h), clocking a time of 3.8 seconds against 3.9 seconds for the manual gearbox,
due to electronically optimised gearshifts.
Replacing the previous car’s glass tailgate, the newly designed lightweight, strong and stiff, rear
louvered tailgate not only helps lower the Exige’s centre of gravity, but also aids engine bay
cooling – a feature first introduced on the Lotus Esprit Turbo in 1980.
The Exige Sport 350’s aerodynamic styling produces 42 kg of down force at 100 mph (160 km/h)
with the rear wing and flat underside both contributing to its phenomenal aerodynamic
performance and finely balanced handling.
The Exige Sport 350’s suspension, with firmer dampers and revised geometry, delivers more
responsive handling and, combined with a lowered centre of gravity and four piston brake
calipers, help it lap Lotus’ test track 2.5 seconds faster than the previous Exige S model, in a time

of 1 minute 29.8 seconds. This makes it the first production Lotus ever to go sub 1 minute 30
seconds around the famed Hethel track.
Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) provides three discrete modes – ‘Drive’, ‘Sport’
and ‘Race’ – with the latter offering increased levels of traction slip threshold, allowing wider drift
angles before intervening. The system also opens the engine exhaust bypass valve at mid-to-high
engine speeds. Both ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings increase throttle responsiveness.
New larger switches with improved haptics have been introduced for the DPM system (Sport and
Race) with the headlights and rear fog lights mounted together with the vehicle’s new engine start
button.
New trim packs introduce a heritage theme to the cabin with lightweight sports seats and door
panels clad in red or yellow Tartan (leather or Alcantara interior trim options are also available).
The Tartan theme was first introduced in 1976 in the Lotus Esprit S1 and was a bold statement
originally in keeping with the fashion of the time and now fitting for the new Exige Sport 350.

 

Optional extras for the Exige Sport 350 include lightweight forged alloy wheels (reducing kerb
weight by a further 5 kg), cross drilled and vented two-piece brake discs (shaving yet another 5 kg
off the weight), black or yellow painted four-piston callipers, air conditioning, an in-car
entertainment system and full carpet and sound insulation pack. Interior packs cover Alcantara,

leather and Tartan options, for both seat and door trims. By selecting the lightweight options
available the total weight of the Exige Sport 350 becomes a featherweight 1115 kg.
As standard, the front splitter, rear wing, front access panel, roof panel, wing mirrors and rear
transom are finished in matt black to complement the car’s aggressive stance; with the option for
these components to be painted in body colour at no additional cost.
Jean-Marc Gales continued, “Light weight is the most important aspect of our heritage and future
Lotus cars will follow the direction of our most recently launched models, the Evora 400, Elise
Sport and of course our latest Exige Sport 350, all of which are both lighter and faster than their
predecessors. Over the last 15 years, successive versions of the Lotus Exige have beaten more
expensive sports car rivals in media comparison tests and I expect the Exige Sport 350 to
continue this. The best has just got better!”
The Lotus Exige Sport 350 goes on sale in Europe in February 2016 and will be available outside
Europe, excluding North America from March 2016.

 

The Lotus Exige Sport 350 will also be available as a Roadster from March 2016.
Those wishing to register their interest in the new Lotus Exige Sport 350 should visit:
http://www.lotuscars.com/lotus-exige-range.

 

 

 

 

This post has been promoted to an article

[Mark H]

More photos here:

 

http://www.midlandslotus.co.uk/forum/gallery/album/1332-exige-sport-350/

[DeanB]

Ooh I like that. I want some of those tartan chairs...

[Mark H]

I cant see many choosing those seats, they look ridiculous, history or not I hope they sell none of them!

[DeanB]

I like the tartan. I expect the red looks better than the yellow though, and if everyone else thinks I'm mad it won't be the first time!

[quantum2000]

Good review here:

http://www.thelotusforums.com/latest-news/lotus-cars-news/driven-exige-sport-350/

[DeanB]

That article is really good - biased perhaps given that it is for TLF but still good. I really like what Lotus have done with the weight reduction on this car. I think it was exactly the right thing to do. I think the gearshift mechanism looks fantastic too - I think little design & aesthetic details like these make a car much more desirable. The only thing I'm not that keen on is the matt block 'bonnet' and roof. If I had one I would have them body colour. Maybe a black one with gold wheels, a red splitter and LF1 stripes! Now where did I leave that fifty eight grand?