Saturday, April 24, 2010

Lotus Exige

Here comes the Exige!


The Lotus Exige (pronounced /ɛɡˈziːʒ/) is a two-door, two-seat sports car made by Lotus Cars. It is essentially a coupé version of the Lotus Elise, which is a roadster that is mid-engined and has been in production since 1996.

The original Exige (NA or naturally aspirated Exige) was launched in 2000 and had a 1.8 L Rover K Series engine in VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) tune. It produced 177 bhp (132 kW; 179 PS) in standard form and 192 bhp (143 kW; 195 PS) in the “track spec” version.

In 2004, the Series 2 Exige was introduced. It features a 1.8 L 16-valve DOHC Toyota/Yamaha engine that produces 190 bhp (142 kW; 193 PS) with the Toyota engine designation of 2ZZ-GE. Compared to the Series 2 Elise, it has a front splitter, fibreglass hardtop roof with roof scoop, rear engine cover, and rear spoiler. The sole purpose of these aerodynamic additions to the base Elise is to create more downforce (almost 100 lb (45 kg) of downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Exige versus 13 lb (5.9 kg) at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Elise).

In February 2005, Lotus announced a limited production run of 50 Exiges, using theToyota engine with a supercharger, that increases the power output to 243 bhp (181 kW; 246 PS). These vehicles were only available in yellow or black, representing the colours of Lotus Sport, and are badged 240R. They have a projected 0-60 mph (0–100 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds and 0-100 mph (0–160 km/h) of 9.9 seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h) at a cost of £44,000.00 (approximately $72,500.00 or €51,000.00).

The North American Exige was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. In February 2006, Lotus announced the Exige S model which used a superchargedToyota engine producing 220 bhp (164 kW; 223 PS). The S was also made available in North American markets as a 2007 model.

Specifications

According to Lotus, the standard Exige Series 2 model weighs 2,016 lb (914 kg) has the following specifications:

Engine

Toyota Supplied, 1796 cc I4, DOHC with VVTL-i (variable valve timing with lift intelligence) – Designed by Yamaha – Engine Code: 2ZZ-GE
Bore/Stroke 82 mm/85 mm
190 hp (142 kW) @ 7800 rpm
138 ft·lbf (187 N·m) @ 6800 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1

Transmission

6-Speed Manual, Close Ratio with Single-Plate Dry Clutch.

Performance

0-60 mph (0-97 km/h): 4.7 seconds
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 12.9 seconds
Top speed: 147 mph (237 km/h)
Fuel consumption: 24 miles per imperial gallon (12 L/100 km; 20 mpg-US) city / 29 miles per imperial gallon (9.7 L/100 km; 24 mpg-US) highway

Exige S

According to Lotus, the Exige S model, weighing 2,057 lb (933 kg), has the followingspecifications:

Engine

Toyota supplied, 1796 cc I4, DOHC with VVTL-i (variable valve timing with lift intelligence), supercharged and aftercooled
Bore/Stroke 82 mm/85 mm
218 hp (162.5 kW) @ 7800 rpm
158.6 ft·lbf (215 N·m) @ 5500 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1

Transmission

6-speed, close ratio with single-plate dry clutch

Performance

0-62 (0-100 km/h): 4.1 seconds
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 9.98 seconds
Top speed: 148 mph (238 km/h)
Fuel consumption: 24 miles per imperial gallon (12 L/100 km; 20 mpg-US) city / 29 miles per imperial gallon (9.7 L/100 km; 24 mpg-US) highway

2008 Exige S 240

In 2008, the Exige S had a 240 bhp (179 kW; 243 PS) option that was sold alongside the regular Exige S (220 hp). The package includes upgraded AP racing brakes from the Exige Cup 240 and a larger roof scoop from the Exige Cup 255. 0-60 mph (0–97 km/h) is trimmed to under 4 seconds with this option.

2009 Exige S

In the 2009 model year, the Exige is offered in the United States in two configurations: S240 and S260. S240 is the continuation of the 2008 model, it weighs 2,077 lb (942 kg) and comes with a 240 hp (180 kW) supercharged engine. New for 2009, S260 weighs 2,020 lb (920 kg) with a full tank of fuel; its engine has been improved to produce 257 hp (192 kW) and 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) acceleration in 4.0 seconds. Base manufacturer suggested retail prices for S240 and S260 are $65,690 and $74,995, respectively.

Exige 265E

The Exige 265E is a factory-built Exige S optimized to run on E85, comprised of 85% ethanol. The higher octane of this biofuel allows for a higher compression ratio and/or more supercharger boost. In this model, which saw the ECU re-mapped as well as upgraded injectors and fuel pump to cope with the new fuel type, the brakes have also been upgraded to four-piston AP Racing calipers with increased diameter 310 mm (12.2 in) sport brake pads mated with drilled and vented discs at the front. Brembo single-piston sliding rear calipers with 282 mm (11.1 in) diameter discs are fitted at the rear. Lotus says it has no intention to build the 265E (265 indicates the approximate horsepower and the E indicates the “environmentally favourable bio-ethanol E85 fuel” powering the engine) as a production car, and that it is simply a biofuels demonstrator. According to Lotus, the Exige 265E model has the followingspecifications:

Engine

Toyota supplied, 2ZZ-GE 1796 cc I-4, DOHC with VVTL-i (variable valve timing with lift intelligence), supercharged and intercooled
Bore/Stroke 82 mm/85 mm
264 hp (197 kW) @ 8000 rpm
184 ft·lbf (249 N·m) @ 5500 rpm
Compression ratio: 11.5:1

Transmission

C64 6-Speed, close ratio with single-plate dry clutch

Exige 265E performance

0-60 (0-97 km/h): 3.88 seconds
0-100 mph (0-161 km/h): 9.2 seconds
Top speed: 158 mph (254 km/h)
Fuel consumption: ~25 miles per imperial gallon (11 L/100 km; 21 mpg-US) city / 65 miles per imperial gallon (4.3 L/100 km; 54 mpg-US) highway

Exige GT3

According to Lotus, the Exige GT3 model has the following specifications.

Engine

Toyota supplied 2ZZ-GE, 1796 cc I-4, DOHC with VVTL-i and Lotus T4e engine management system, Roots-type Eaton M62supercharger and intercooled
Bore/Stroke 82.0 mm / 85.0 mm
271 bhp (202 kW; 275 PS) @ 8000 rpm
190 lb·ft (258 N·m) @ 7000 rpm
Compression Ratio: 11.5:1

Transmission

C64 6-speed, close ratio with uprated clutch and cover, open differential
Gear ratios I/II/III : 3.116:1 / 2.050:1 / 1.481:1
IV/V/VI : 1.166:1 / 0.916:1 / 0.815:1
R/final drive : 3.250:1 / 4.529:1

Exige GT3 performance

0-60 mph : 3.9 seconds
0-100 km/h : 4.0 seconds
0-100 mph (0-160 km/h) : 9.8 seconds
Top Speed : 160 mph (260 km/h) – electronically limited
Power to weight ratio : 361 bhp per tonne

Note: While the mass of the vehicle has yet to be disclosed, it can be estimated to be around 2170 lb (980 kg) from the disclosure of the power to weight ratio.


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