2012 Lotus Exige S Aerodynamic Profile With New 350 PS 3.5 L V6 Supercharged Evora S Engine

2012 Lotus Exige S - Front Side

Group Lotus unveil the next generation Exige at Frankfurt

1080kg Lightweight Exige Chassis

+ 350 PS 3.5l V6 Supercharged Evora S Engine = The all NEW Exige S

Raw performance, agility, unparalleled ride and handling and mind blowing drive experience, these attributes are what people have come to expect from Lotus. And we don’t like to disappoint. After months of media speculation Group Lotus is proud to announce the latest addition to the family: the extraordinary new Exige S, the ultimate lightweight high performance sportscar.

Alongside the staggering power to weight ratio, the Exige S has a completely new exterior and interior look and feel. The dramatic styling overhaul sees a completely new look for the Exige including a new front splitter and rear spoiler giving it a strong and aerodynamic profile.

There are two new interior package options available: Premium and Premium Sport. The Premium Pack provides added comfort and style where as the Premium Sport option focuses on creating an internal space optimised for ultimate driver involvement.

Built for the adrenalin hungry sportscar aficionado, the Exige S features high performance bespoke tyre package with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres as standard. A Lotus DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) switch allows the driver to switch between three driving modes: Touring, Sport and DPM off.

And if three dynamic settings are not enough, an additional Race Pack option is available which adds a fourth driving mode setting: Race. This setting provides the maximum possible traction out of corners. The Race Pack also features Launch Control and an optimised suspension setting making the car perfect for letting rip on the track.

Commenting on the Exige S, Group Lotus Chief Executive Officer Dany Bahar said: “Anyone who has ever driven an Exige will tell you that it’s not for the faint-hearted. The new Exige S skips a few rungs on the ladder to give the driver the ultimate Lotus experience. Quite simply you can’t get more Lotus than the Exige S.”

Exige R-GT: What better way to demonstrate Lotus’ superior ride and handling than by re-entering the adrenaline filled Rally Championships? Showcasing the new Exige S’ phenomenal performance, the Exige R-GT will participate in the newly formed FIA GT category of the FIA Rally Championship on asphalt in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo.

Powered by the same V6 3.5 litre engine as the new road Exige, significant changes have been made to the gearbox and the restrictors on the engine in order to control the power. Lotus will initially partner with several customer teams following the tried and tested method in which Lotus entered IndyCar and returned to Le Mans.

For Group Lotus’ Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro the return to rally has an extra special meaning: “My motorsport career started in rally, in fact, I even took part in the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus’ Italian Rally championship winning a race in San Marino back in 1981 so this is a very nostalgic moment for me. As we unveiled the car in Frankfurt, alongside the original championship winning car, I had the chance to get back inside and the smell was exactly the same – it brought back many happy memories for me.”

“With the new R-GT rules in rally, it’s a very interesting time for us to return to the sport. Naturally our approach this time around will be different to when we won the championship three decades ago, but I think our philosophy is definitely the same, we want to compete and ultimately we want to win. Our new rally car, the Exige R-GT is a dream come true for those who are passionate about GT racing – this will be their car.”

The beauty of the Exige R-GT is that although it’s a professionally set up race car, you don’t need to be a pro to drive it – the race car has been developed alongside the road car allowing the technical team to create the perfect race machine, high performance but without losing the sense of fun to drive and ease of use. Developing the race version of the Exige in parallel with the road car has allowed the Lotus technicians to make rapid advances in terms of safety and reliability.