The Lotus Exige is one of those cars that you’d simply want to take out on the race track and play—hard. While it may be street legal, variants like the Exige Sport 380 are so sharp that you could practically cut yourself while driving. Kidding aside, Lotus now gives us another reason to hit the track: the Lotus Exige Race 380.
The name alone implies that this car is meant for racing—and it is. The track-only offering takes its cue from the Exige Sport 380 and adds a few goodies while subtracting stuff like weight to achieve a true driver’s car. Utilizing carbon fiber and other weight-saving techniques, the Exige Race 380 tips the scales at a feather-light 998kg dry weight. That’s practically lighter than a supermini.
Aside from shedding pounds, Lotus retained the potent 375hp and 410Nm 3.5-liter V6 motor. This allows the Exige Race 380 to, err, race to 100kph from rest in a quick 3.2 seconds. All that quickness is helped even further by goodies like Xtrac 6-speed sequential transmission, carbon paddles behind the steering wheel, cassette-type plate limited slip differential, and oil cooler.
More than just being fast in a straight line, the Lotus Exige Race 380 is also quite sticky on pavement—literally. Thanks to aero mods like front and rear vents on the bumpers and diffusers, a new front splitter, and motorsport-derived rear wing, the car generates downforce of about 240kg at a speed of 273kph. Add grippy Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, sized 215/45R17 up front and even larger 265/35R18s at the rear, and you’ve got one tenacious handler.
Lotus has also seen fit to tweak suspension components, throwing in stuff like two-way adjustable Ohlins dampers and anti-roll bars fore and aft. Then there are four-piston brake calipers and grooved brake discs that help wash off all that speed just as quickly. And then there is the driver-controllable Lotus Traction Control to complete the package. Al these make for one serious track machine.
Speaking of track ready, an integrated roll cage, polycarbonate side windows, six-point racing harness, and a carbon driver’s seat all make life on the track safe and enjoyable. Since it is isn’t road legal, things like the headlamps, airbag, and the like have been omitted from the package—all in the name of weight savings. Still, the use of carbon fiber and numerous vents in all the right places make this one mean-looking race car.
And of course, a digital touchscreen allows drivers to keep track of all vitals while dicing on the race track. It’s all meant to help one focused on the business of driving. All this will surely pay off, especially when trying to beat the record lap time it did at Hethel—with a 1:23.5-second run. That’s 1.5 ticks quicker than the already lightning-like reflexes of the Lotus Exige Cup R.
Lotus is now accepting orders for the Exige Race 380.
