Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition Is Lightest Exige Ever
As cars by and large — pun intended — become more laden with creature comforts, we oftentimes are taken aback by some of the eyebrow raising curb weight figures that line their spec sheets — a Lotus Exige is not one of these. So when we learned that Lotus were putting their Exige Sport 350 on a diet — to the tune of 57 pounds shed — in the creation of their Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition, we put down our fast food lunches, reached instead for a banana, and peered deeply into our Macbook screens to see just how they did it.
Taking 50 plus pounds off of an Exige sound like black magic, but it’s small weight savings made in various components throughout the limited edition Exige 350 that in total amount to a decent chunk of mass discarded. Forged wheels save 11 pounds, as do the vented, two-piece rotors. A lithium-ion battery saves a massive 22 pounds and carbon seats save 13 pounds. They even went as far as to fabricate lighter engine mounts and HVAC piping to keep the Exige 350 Special Edition at a lean 2,422 pounds, making it the lightest Exige ever.
Even though I failed physics, I know that you don’t need that much power to accelerate the relatively little mass the Exige 350 SE carries. The 345hp, 3.5-liter supercharged, mid-mounted V6 I’m sure feels more stout than its actual displacement might portray, as surely does the nearly 300ft-lb. it produces. That’s good enough for 0-60mph in 3.7s, and a top speed of 170mph.
A six-speed manual with sports ratios and a BOSCH Electronic Differential Lock is the only transmission option available. Lotus have chosen to keep the shifter assembly exposed, a la Pagani and Spyker. It doesn’t look quite as opulent as it does in the aforementioned manufacturer’s models, but then again, we aren’t even in the same zip code as far as price is concerned. Nice touch, Lotus.
And I think they’ve done the best in terms of the four colors offered to appease most of their target buyers. Essex Blue, Old English White, Dark Metallic Grey or Motorsport Black all come with a contrasting off-center racing stripe, with some additional pop coming from the red brake calipers. AP-Racing four-piston calipers are an option, with either black or yellow calipers, which would look pretty menacing behind the optional satin black wheels which measure 17” front and 18” rear.
Unfortunately, we won’t be getting this Exige in the US. If you live in the UK maybe you can snag one of the 50 examples that Lotus plan to produce at an asking price of £61,900 (~$75,568 at today’s exchange rates), a £6,000 (~$7,321) premium over the Sport 350.
The launch of the Lotus Exige 350 Special Edition is the third and final of the celebratory models which commemorate Lotus’s 50th year at their base in Hethel, a small village in Norfolk, England. It follows the Elise 250 Special Edition and the Evora 400 Hethel Edition.
Lotus Exige For Sale
