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Lotus reveals extreme new 3-Eleven at Goodwood

Lotus has taken the occasion of the Goodwood Festival of Speed to reveal the new 3-Eleven. Billed as the quickest, most expensive road-going series production Lotus ever, the new 3-Eleven picks up where the previous 2-Eleven left off. And that gave the British automaker quite a starting point. An extreme evolution of the Elise and Exige, the new 3-Eleven boils things down to the bare essentials and packs a mighty punch. It's built around an aluminum chassis with composite bodywork and a completely open cockpit. That gives it a curb weight of less than 2,000 pounds to embody Colin Chapman's ethos of "adding lightness" like no other modern Lotus we've seen yet. At its heart lies an upgraded version of the company's 3.5-liter supercharged V6, producing 450 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That makes it even more powerful than the new Evora 400, and channels through a six-speed manual transmission, limited slip differential, and traction control. Other features include double wishbone suspension front and rear, Eibach springs, adjustable Ohlins dampers, AP Racing brakes, a Lotus-tuned Bosch ABS, 18-inch alloys up front, 19 inches the rear, shod with Michelin rubber. All of those goodies translate to a 0-60 time of under 3.0 seconds and a top speed of up to 180 miles per hour. It's even quoted to lap the company's test track at Hethel in 1:22. That makes it an impressive ten seconds seconds faster than the aforementioned Evora 400 – which is already six seconds faster around the circuit than the preceding Evora S. Production will be limited to just 311 examples, and is slated to commence in February 2016, with the first deliveries to begin in April. Any potential for North American availability has yet to be announced, but in the UK pricing will start at GBP82,000 (equivalent to $129k at current exchange rates). A more extreme Race version will be offered alongside the Road model, priced at GBP96,000 ($150k) before taxes or GBP115,000 ($180k) with, upgrading with track-focused features like a more aggressive aero kit, six-point racing harness, and a six-speed sequential gearbox.

Lotus hits the track with new Elise S Cup R

If you want to take a Lotus to the track but the Exige V6 Cup is a bit too much to handle, the boys from Hethel have a new offering that may be of interest.
The new Elise S Cup R features all the track-tuned bells and whistles of its six-cylinder brethren, including a competition-spec aero kit, adjustable suspension, Yokohama racing slicks on 17-inch forged alloys, tow hooks, remapped ECU, cross-drilled and ventilated disc brakes and an interior with a HANS-compatible bucket seat, six-point racing harness and quick-release steering wheel. But instead of a heavier and more powerful V6, the Elise S Cup R "adds lightness" with the same 1.8-liter supercharged inline-four with 217 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque as the road-going Elise S. Yet with all that track-tuned gear, it's a good four seconds per three-mile lap faster than the showroom stock version in the automaker's testing.
Interested parties can pick one up in the UK for £39,125 (before taxes, equivalent to about $63k) and either lap it to their hearts' content at private track days or enter it in one of the dozen Lotus Cup series operating around the world. Lotus only released this one photo (click above to enlarge), but you can check out the full specs in the press release below.

Lotus unveils new racing bike for British Olympics team

Lotus Engineering, the automotive consultancy and industrial design arm of the British performance car brand, has marked its return to competitive cycling with a sleek and lightweight new track bike that features novel fork, seat stays and handlebars. Developed in concert with Hope Technology, a British bike-components manufacturer, the bike is aimed at helping the Great Britain Cycling Team notch medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. For Lotus, the bike represents a return to cycling after a 25-year absence. It’s also a nod to the Lotus Type 108 bike Chris Boardman rode to a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and in the 1994 Tour de France, where he won the prologue time trial to take the yellow jersey. Hope/Lotus British Cycling View 10 Photos WeÂ’re not given any details about the bikeÂ’s technology or specs, except that the Hope-designed frame is made of high-modulus composites with fabric woven in the U.K. Lotus was responsible for the unique fork and seat stays, with each characterized by slim polished metal tubing and a wide-flaring hooping design when viewed straight on. The handlebars similarly feature a flattened profile across the crossbar. Not surprisingly, the bike underwent lots of wind-tunnel testing, both with and without riders, plus testing to maximize strength with minimal weight. Lotus also said it worked to improve stiffness and front end feel. Much of the design and development was done after the 2016 Olympics, when the UCI governing body made changes to the rules governing bike development. Lotus and Hope were supported by British engineering firm Renishaw. The bikeÂ’s design must be approved by the UCI and be ridden by the Great Britain Cycling Team during the 2019–2020 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup series by the end of this year in order to qualify to be ridden in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. TheyÂ’ll start riding it this weekend at the Minsk-Arena velodrome in Belarus, and November 8–10 in Glasgow, Scotland. ItÂ’ll also be displayed at the Rouler Classic event in London starting Friday and running through Sunday. Lotus Bicycle lotus engineering