The all new Lotus 3-Eleven

·                 The quickest production Lotus road car ever

·                 Dramatic, all-new lightweight composite body

·                 Two versions, Road and Race, both developed through Lotus Motorsport

 

 

Heralding a new generation of Lotus high performance sports cars, today saw the unveiling of the company’s quickest and most expensive series production car ever, the 3-Eleven, at the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Designed as an uncompromised manifestation of the Lotus spirit, the new car is focused on providing an undiluted driving experience, and underlines the company’s ability to deliver legendary handling and blistering speed.

Working on the concept of less is more, and keeping close to Lotus’ track roots, the dramatic new vehicle features an all-new lightweight body, with an open cockpit design and a revised V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp.

Two variations of the Lotus 3-Eleven will be available: Road and Race; both delivering an impressive combination of high performance, agility and precision. Based on the Road version, the Race includes a more aggressive aero kit, a sequential gearbox and an FIA approved driver’s seat with a six-point harness.

With a dry weight of below 900 kg (Race version), the 3-Eleven offers an enviable power to weight ratio, in excess of 500 hp per tonne, and is capable of sprinting from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) for the Race version and 180 mph (290 km/h) for the Road version

Speaking at Goodwood, Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, stated, "We always say that to make a sports car better, you make it faster and lighter. The new Lotus 3-Eleven carries that philosophy to a new level, and is perfectly in keeping with our brand values.”

Jean-Marc Gales continued, “This new car is a giant slayer, capable of embarrassing far more expensive rivals. It condenses our engineering know-how into one, hard-core package, and is so focused that it won’t suit everyone. This is a perfect demonstration of the faster and lighter concept, something which will be crucial to all Lotus cars in the future.”

The new Lotus 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016 and deliveries will commence in April 2016. Production will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total.

Prices start at £82,000 for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £96,000 excluding VAT for the Race version (£115,200 including VAT).

 

The Lotus 3-Eleven in more detail:

Performance

·       Quickest Lotus production car ever, lapping the Hethel track in 1 min 22 secs

·       Aerodynamic downforce of up to 215 kg at 150 mph (240 km/h) - Race version

The 3-Eleven utilises a bespoke chassis based on the proven Lotus design of extruded and bonded aluminium sections. The Road roll-cage incorporates twin side bars for side impact protection, whilst the Race cage has additional bars to meet international requirements for motorsport.

The Lotus 3-Eleven’s suspension features lightweight, double-wishbones front and rear, adjustable front anti-roll bar and Eibach springs with Öhlins adjustable dampers. This allows owners to fine tune the vehicle’s handling characteristics.

Powertrain

·       Supercharged and charge-cooled 3.5-litre V6 engine

·       Limited Slip Differential as standard

·       Lotus traction control system

 

The new Lotus 3-Eleven is powered by a revised version of the 3.5-litre V6 engine first shown in the Evora 400, which includes a supercharger with integrated water-to-air charge cooler. Maximum power output has increased to 450hp (456 PS / 336 kW) at 7000 rpm and torque has increased to 450 Nm / 332 lbs ft with maximum torque available from 3500 rpm through to 6500 rpm.

A close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox with a Torsen-type limited slip differential, featuring a performance clutch assembly and oil cooler, come as standard on the Road version. The Race model has a 6-speed sequential transmission with a semi-dry sump, oil cooler, limited slip differential and paddle shift.

Brakes and Tyres

·       Lightweight forged Aluminium wheels as standard

·       AP Racing four-pot calipers

·       Bosch ABS tuned by Lotus

Designed to cope with the 3-Eleven’s potential, lightweight forged Aluminium wheels are fitted as standard on the 3-Eleven, with either Michelin Pilot Super Sport or Michelin Cup 2 tyres depending on if it’s in Road or Race configuration.

At the front 225/40 ZR18 tyres are standard, and to help transfer the 3-Eleven’s considerable power and torque to the road, the rear tyres has been specified as 275/35 ZR19.

In order to deliver the stopping power required for such a quick car, AP Racing four-piston calipers are complemented by two-part grooved and vented brake discs (332 mm front and rear). Upgraded brake pads are fitted to the Race version.

  

Exterior Design

·       Lightweight body panels, using new resin infusion composite technology 

·       Dramatic silhouette underlines car’s performance-focused nature

Manufactured from very light weight composite materials, optimizing vehicle weight, aerodynamic and structural requirements, the 3-Eleven’s composite body is 40% lighter than the GRP equivalent.

This new process is a first for a production car, and an example of Lotus’ focus on utilising pioneering new technology and lightweight materials in its vehicles. The choice of material technology has allowed extreme vehicle performance targets to be met, and help realise the 3-Eleven’s dynamic styling.

Undeniably a track car, the 3-Eleven’s aggressive stance leaves no doubt of its intentions. The dramatically sculpted body perfectly balances the technical efficiency of a track car with the surface refinement of a road-going supercar. Form follows function, with a minimised cross sectional area that keeps drag to a minimum while optimising cooling.

As an extreme design evolution of Lotus predecessors, the Lotus 3-Eleven’s new front clam shell incorporates larger openings to deliver the necessary cooling for the powertrain and transmission. This helps give the vehicle a much more aggressive stance.

Two front splitter configurations are available, depending on whether the vehicle is configured for road or race use, and the front arches are wide enough to cover the car’s wide track and the new 225/40 ZR18 tyres.

Dramatic side scallops provide a clean exit from the front wheels arches, and the car’s profile is dominated by an aerodynamically significant roll bar cover. The car is without a windscreen and doors, with the roll bar fully enclosing the rear cage. As well as generating downforce, the roll bar forms a vital part of the car’s homologation to international motorsport safety standards.

The rear clamshell emphasises the aggressive stance of the car, with different fixed spoilers available, depending on whether the vehicle is specified for road or race use.

The new rear diffuser and under-tray, which has been developed to ensure minimum drag, complements an exhaust system designed specifically to minimize back pressure and enhance engine performance.

Interior Design

·       Focussed race interior

·       New race spec colour TFT instrument cluster can be switched between road and track modes

Fitted with the standard aeroscreen and the optional passenger seat, a passenger can be easily accommodated in the two seater. However, these can be removed and the optional tonneau panel fitted - to envelope the driver and improve overall aerodynamics.

The new instrument cluster has been designed around a colour TFT screen, and can be switched between road and track modes, providing relevant information direct to the driver.

A quick release steering wheel and Lotus sports seats with four-point harnesses are fitted as standard, while the Race variant has the option of a data logger system, FIA approved driver’s race seat, and six-point harness - as well as a fire extinguisher & battery kill switch.



Manufacturing

• Hand built in Hethel, England     

The Lotus 3-Eleven will be hand made by the highly skilled craftsmen and women at the Lotus Headquarters in Hethel, alongside the rest of the Lotus sports car range, supported by Lotus Motorsport technicians. All 3-Elevens will then be finished in Lotus Motorsport’s dedicated workshops prior to delivery.

Official fuel consumption figures and CO2 emissions figures for the Lotus 3-Eleven are not available at the time of going to press. They will be provided on the Lotus website www.lotuscars.com as soon as they are available.

 

Lotus Alex Job Racing Ready for ALMS Petit Le Mans Finale This Weekend

Lotus Alex Job Racing drivers Bill Sweedler, Townsend Bell and Johnny Mowlem are ready for the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda to be run Oct. 20 at Road Atlanta.  John Eagle European’s Lotus of Austin is central Texas’ official factory dealer for new and pre-owned Lotus cars.

The AJR team took the opportunity to test the car on Oct. 16 at the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta track, located 30 minutes northeast of Atlanta. Mowlem (Charvil, UK), the Lotus Factory Driver, joins season long drivers Sweedler (Westport, NY) and Bell (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) behind the wheel of the No. 23 Lotus Alex Job Racing Evora GT. Road Atlanta is viewed by the drivers as one of the more "old style" road courses with high speed turns and a multitude of elevation changes making the 1,000-mile or 10-hours, whatever comes first, a very exciting race. The event will see the second biggest field of the year with 42 cars entered.

"We were able to put in a good day of testing yesterday at Road Atlanta," Sweedler said. "Johnny is fitting right in with the team and is providing some positive feedback on the car and the development that the team has done with the car this season. We have a good baseline set up to tweak on for the rest of the week and a few additions to our to-do list for the off season. Our partners Battery Tender, William Rast, Schecter Guitars and Yokohama are behind us all the way and I am looking forward to closing out the season very strong on Saturday."

Bell will run Road Atlanta for the first time since a second place run in Indy Lights 11 years ago.

"My last visit to Road Atlanta was in 2001," Bell said. "I was leading by 16 seconds with three laps to go in the Indy Lights race. It started to rain. The yellow came out. It went green, white, checker and Wheldon (Dan) passed me in last corner. I finished second. Dan was a fierce competitor and it's been one year since we lost him, he was a good friend. I am looking forward to racing the Lotus there this weekend, especially through the Esses - the fast twisty section from Turn Two to Turn Five. We have a great contingent of Lotus enthusiasts coming to the race and I hope we can have them celebrating with us come 9 p.m. on Saturday evening."

Mowlem returns to Petit Le Mans, where he also raced one year ago in a Lotus.

"I raced the Evora at Petit Le Mans last year in the World Endurance Championship," Mowlem said. "The Road Atlanta circuit really suits the chassis. I am optimistic that with the great preparation of AJR behind it, and the advantage of a 10 hour race where reliability and strategy can really play a part, that we have a chance at a strong performance in the final results."

Alex Job, team principal, had his team put the car through its paces on Monday at Road Atlanta.

"The test went well," Job said. "Johnny got acclimated to the car and the team. We were able to put some quality miles on the Lotus and get a good baseline set up heading into the official weekend which starts on Wednesday. We are looking to prove out our updates on the car, so we can go into the off season knowing exactly where to put our development efforts for 2013."

On Friday, the team donate one of the limited-edition Lotus Alex Job Racing Schecter Guitars to the Austin Hatcher Foundation auction. The live auction will take place at 1:15 p.m. on Friday at the Flying Lizard Motorsports' Team Transporter in the paddock.

Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda live qualifying can be viewed Oct. 19 at 2:25 p.m. EDT on ESPN3.com, the live streaming of the race can be seen Oct. 20 beginning at 11:15 a.m. EDT on ESPN3.com with the race broadcast on ABC running Oct. 21 starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Alex Job Racing is one of the most successful teams in sports car racing. The team's resume includes: ALMS GT series championships in 2004, 2003, 2002; a record 22 consecutive ALMS GT pole positions; two-time 24-Hour of Le Mans GT class winners; Eight 12-hour of Sebring wins in 2012, 2010, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 1999 and 1995.

The ALMS GT Class is production-based, moderately-modified two-wheel drive race cars comprise the GT class - BMW M3, Corvette C6.R, Ferrari F458 GT, Ford GT-R, Jaguar XKR GT, Lotus Evora and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The GT cars share many similarities to their showroom brands. With top speeds of up to 180 mph, these elite GTs produce between 450-500 horsepower and have a minimum weight of 2,480 pounds. All GT race cars have green Leader Light System race position lights and green car numbers.

2012 Lotus Evora Now Available with Intelligent Precision Shift Option

Lotus has begun delivering the agile Evora with the IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) option, which was first introduced at the New York Auto Show.  With the new automatic 6-speed gearbox that features a Lotus developed transmission control mated to the standard, naturally-aspirated, 276 HP 3.5-liter V6 engine, the Evora a superior automatic driving experience.

"The Evora IPS was designed to broaden the appeal of thisLotus,” said Sonny Morgan, dealer principal of John Eagle European’s Lotus of Austin. “It will connect with people who crave spectacular handling and superb power-to weight-ratio of a pure Lotus, but sometimes prefer not to shift gears. With the Evora IPS, you can just put the car into automatic mode when crawling along downtown, then manually change gears when the road gets twisty on the way to Fredericksburg.”

          
The IPS version of the Evora allows the driver to switch between manual paddle shift and automatic drive modes. The driver also has the option of selecting ‘sport’ mode which showcases the Lotus sport driving experience allowing the driver to really feel each gear shift and be in complete control of the transmission.

“It’s been a long time since Lotus created an automatic,” noted Morgan. “Now we can offer people a sporty Lotus that can be driven like a manual with the paddles, but yet with no clutch, is a versatile enough for heavy traffic commutes. Evora IPS is perfect for any driving situation.”

All other options, from various tire/wheel packages to the sport suspension are also available for the Evora IPS.  A few of the limited edition sports car are beginning to trickle into the United States. As the #1 North American dealer last year, Lotus of Austin is lining up orders for the exclusive sports car.

Formula Expo Announces Presence of Double Podium Lotus F1™ Team

Experience innovative technology that drives competitive advantage in a sport where hundredths of a second count

May 9, 2012 - Austin, Texas – Formula Expo™, an event in partnership with Circuit of The Americas™ (COTA), today announced Lotus F1™ Team’s presence at Formula Expo, scheduled for June 15-17, 2012. Following the team’s Bahrain Grand Prix double podium finish, the Lotus F1 Team has leapt from sixth to third in the Constructor’s Championship.

Formula Expo attendees stopping by the COTA exhibit will have the chance to see a real Lotus-Renault F1 car and learn about the technology, innovation and teamwork that have taken this team to the top. COTA, in partnership with Pirelli, will also exhibit product displays and an interactive information kiosk featuring all that is Formula 1™.

“Lotus has played a major role in Formula 1 since the early 80’s”, said Ian Weightman, president and founder of Formula Expo. “Beginning life as the Toleman team, it found great success after being purchased by Benetton, with Michael Schumacher winning his first two world championships in ‘94 and ‘95. Success continued in the 2000's, now as the Renault team, with back-to-back world championships both as a constructor and for driver Fernando Alonso.  With the latest Chapter in the team's history bringing further victories, this is a perfect time for attendees of Formula Expo to experience firsthand the power behind the Lotus F1 team.”

Lotus of Austin will also showcase a number of high-end Lotus road cars on the Expo floor, including the all-new Evora IPS and Evora S editions. As the number one volume Lotus dealer in North America for 2011, Lotus of Austin is one of the flagship marquees offered by John Eagle European, the ultra luxury division of John Eagle Dealerships, one of the largest, privately owned auto groups in the nation.

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As the first public event in the run-up to the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, Formula Expo (June 15-17 2012) is a multi-faceted event providing families and motorsport enthusiasts the opportunity to connect to the race experience, history, technology and prestige of the Grand Prix.

During Formula Expo, attendees will see and meet some of the leading F1™ teams, cars and drivers, while learning about the rich history and cutting-edge technologies that make this the pinnacle of motorsport. There will be fascinating exhibits detailing the history of the sport, as well as a fun zone with race driving simulators, competitions, auctions and interactive exhibits.

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About Formula Expo

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Formula Expo is one of the first organizations to create an exhibit and demonstration environment for anyone to become more closely connected with Grand Prix racing.  With its inaugural event hosted in Austin during build-up to the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, the organization is structured to replicate the event model in other geographies worldwide.  For more information visit: www.formulaexpo.com

About Circuit of The Americas

Circuit of The Americas™ will be a world-class destination for performance, education and business. It will be the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power, and be the U.S. home to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™.

The Circuit of The Americas' master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans. Other support buildings will include an expansive outdoor live music space, 14 executive meeting suites, a conference center, a banquet hall as well as a state-of-the-art medical facility. Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsports driving club, kart track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehicle park.

For more information and downloadable video, audio and photos, visit:

www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com

Lotus of Austin Named #1 in North America

AUSTIN, Texas – Jan. 24, 2012 – John Eagle European’s Lotus of Austin was the top-selling Lotus motorcar dealer in North America for 2011. The Austin, Texas, dealership sold more new and pre-owned Lotus Evora, Elise and Exige sports cars than any other factory authorized location in the Western hemisphere.

“Texans love premium luxury and high performance cars,” said dealer principal Sonny Morgan. “We continue to attract people in Central Texas, as well as across the region, who are passionate about these cars because of our world-class service, spectacular selection and terrific value.”

Lotus of Austin opened its doors in April 2009. The company quickly catapulted to the top, becoming the number one Lotus USA dealer in Texas and number three in the USA after its first year. That strong performance was symbolized by the first North American Lotus Evora delivery taking place at Lotus of Austin.

The Evora is the world’s only mid-engine, four-seat sports car. Powered by a normally aspirated or supercharged V6 engine and weighing less than 3,000 pounds, the Evora offers thrilling performance. Only a few thousand Evoras are built worldwide each year. In addition to the Evora, Lotus of Austin sells late model Elise and Exige sports cars. The dealership has a complete service department to maintain and tailor contemporary Lotus cars.

Lotus is one of the flagship marques offered by John Eagle European, which also sells Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles inside its plush showroom located at 12989 Research Boulevard in Austin. For more information on Lotus of Austin, visit www.lotusofaustin.com.

About John Eagle European

John Eagle European is part of the John Eagle group of dealerships, which consists of 13 dealerships in Texas and Florida. John Eagle European offers the complete line of Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce and Lotus fine motorcars. In addition, the dealership offers pre-owned models and services all of those cars. The museum-inspired facility hosts exclusive events year-round. Additional information about John Eagle European is available at www.johneagleeuropean.com or by calling (512) 401-2663.

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