High powered, highly evolved and blazingly fast, the Lotus Exige Sport 380 is the most aggressive iteration yet to ever come out from the long list of Lotus Exige car models over the years. Dubbed as the supercar killer, the new Exige Sport 380 is based on last year's Lotus Exige Sport 350, but with significant upgrades such as a decrease on body weight, boosting power and enhancing aerodynamics.
Being the first of its kind, the Lotus Exige Sport 380 is definitely not for the timid. With a body weight of just 1,066 and a power to weight ratio of 352 horse power (HP) per tonne, the new "Exige Sport 380" has definitely been built to leave those so called supercars in the dust. The new Exige can run from 0- 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds with its top speed clocking in at 178 mph.
The Daily Record reported that the Lotus Exige Sport 380 is also built with carbon fiber components with a Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2tyres as a standard. It is a car that can be seen as an expression of intense engineering, challenging even the most seasoned drivers to bring out its true potential. In essence, it is just like the Exige Sport 350 but jacked up with a lot of power and features to boot.
As far as driving mechanics are concerned, the Exige Sport 380's six-speed manual gearbox uses Lotus' acclaimed open-gate design. Eliminating unnecessary movement, by precisely keeping various car components aligned, it features a light-weight cast and aluminum parts. Equally appealing, the open transmission mechanism also helps contribute to the car's reduced weight. The manual gearbox has been further upgraded through the implementation of a new oil cooler, ensuring the gears operate at the optimal temperature no matter how hard they are performing.
Aero dynamics has also been improved as with all Lotus cars, aerodynamic efficiency plays a key role in the Exige, helping it to drastically expand its performance envelope. Highly efficient modeling work has allowed the Lotus design team in fine tuning specific areas, in order to deliver a substantial overall improvement. The revised front access panel modifies the air flow exiting the car's horizontally placed radiators, before it travels over the car, while the carbon front spoiler and rubber lip spoiler combined with the carbon barge boards reduce pressure under the vehicle.
With all of these features the marketing price for the latest Lotus Exige Sport 380 is still unknown but considering that its predecessor the Exige Sport 350 cost almost $60,000. Needless to say, it seems like the car is not just dusting competition, it can also leave consumers a nasty hole in their wallets, and the car is expected to hit the market on 2017.