Lotus has been rolling out one incredible piece of automotive engineering after another, and today is the day when we get to talk about the latest one. The brand new Exige Cup 430 was inspired by the Cup 380 iteration and goes far beyond it – in a good way.
The engine bay is home to the Evora GT430 engine, meaning a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that develops 430 hp and 440 Nm of torque will send its power to the rear axle through an open-gate, six-speed manual transmission. Lotus has also tuned the powertrain specifically for the lighter Exige, and a more aggressive aerodynamics package is also part of the package.
But there’s more to this car than that. Weighting in at just 2,328-pound (1,055 kg), this ultra light Lotus Exige will hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in a mere 3.2 seconds and max out at 180 miles per hour (289 km/h). There is plenty of down-force to help the driver keep it in track, which also means fast conrnering and a lot of excitement, on or off the track.
According to Lotus, the ultimate Exige will round the Hethel test track in just 1 minute and 24.8 seconds, making it the company’s fastest production car ever. Sadly, US customers won’t be able to drive the Cup 430 on American roads, although the order books will allow you to enjoy your very own for £99,800 in the UK or €127,500 in Germany. Hit it!
