Photo: Lotus
Lotus was born with performance in its blood, and even today, the Hethel-based automaker stands true to its calling. Lotus’ objective, of course, is to create the most fun-to-drive sports cars for the street. And this leads us to the limited-run Exige Cup 380.
Only 60 units will be produced for all markets, thus confirming collector status from the get-go. Dubbed as being the fastest Lotus to, from, and around the race track, the Exige Cup 380 can now be ordered in Europe and the United Kingdom, with retail prices kicking off from €109,900 and £83k, respectively.
Make no mistake about it, this is the most extreme Lotus to wear number plates. A dry weight of 1,057 kilograms (2,330 pounds) ensures impressive get-up-and-go credentials. The diet is made possible by a comprehensive adoption of carbon fiber bits inside and out. And that’s just the start.
We should also talk downforce considering the motorsport-derived rear wing. The little revisions done to the bodywork amount to 200 kilograms or 441 pounds of downforce. It’s pretty much the weight of an adult bottlenose dolphin, but more importantly, it’s 43 percent more than the Exige Sport 380.
This car really sticks to the ground, alright, but the exciting stuff doesn’t end here. The rotary switch located on the left side of the steering column is arguably the most interesting attribute of the Exige Cup 380. When ESP is off, the driver can set the percentage of target wheel slip from 1% to 12%.
Last, but certainly not least, the awe-inspiring machine also happens to be pretty potent. 375 horsepower (380 PS) and 410 Nm (302 lb-ft) are extremely decent figures considering how light this car is. Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) is doable in only 3.6 seconds, and as an added bonus, the close-ratio manual transmission features an open-gate design. How full-on racecar is that?
“Developing the Cup 380 has allowed us to indulge our motorsport ambitions on a car that can be used and enjoyed every single day,” declared Jean-Marc Gales, the chief executive officer of Group Lotus plc.
Make no mistake about it, this is the most extreme Lotus to wear number plates. A dry weight of 1,057 kilograms (2,330 pounds) ensures impressive get-up-and-go credentials. The diet is made possible by a comprehensive adoption of carbon fiber bits inside and out. And that’s just the start.
We should also talk downforce considering the motorsport-derived rear wing. The little revisions done to the bodywork amount to 200 kilograms or 441 pounds of downforce. It’s pretty much the weight of an adult bottlenose dolphin, but more importantly, it’s 43 percent more than the Exige Sport 380.
This car really sticks to the ground, alright, but the exciting stuff doesn’t end here. The rotary switch located on the left side of the steering column is arguably the most interesting attribute of the Exige Cup 380. When ESP is off, the driver can set the percentage of target wheel slip from 1% to 12%.
Last, but certainly not least, the awe-inspiring machine also happens to be pretty potent. 375 horsepower (380 PS) and 410 Nm (302 lb-ft) are extremely decent figures considering how light this car is. Zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) is doable in only 3.6 seconds, and as an added bonus, the close-ratio manual transmission features an open-gate design. How full-on racecar is that?
“Developing the Cup 380 has allowed us to indulge our motorsport ambitions on a car that can be used and enjoyed every single day,” declared Jean-Marc Gales, the chief executive officer of Group Lotus plc.
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