Thursday 13th November 2008

Lotus 2-Eleven GT4

Featherweight beefs up for the track

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Lotus Sport has announced a GT4 Supersport version of its 2-Eleven, designed as a cost-effective entry in the European GT4 Supersports category.

An initial run of just 10 cars will be built and delivered in time for the 2009 season, at a cost of £78,255. And although specific details have still to be confirmed, Lotus says many of the Supersport go-faster parts will be available as upgrades for existing 2-Elevens.

According to Lotus, the GT4 Supersport pushes the limits to the extreme, with key features being its dramatic composite body, full roll cage, increased power and a sequential gearbox.

Improvements to the induction and exhaust, coupled to a higher ratio supercharger drive system for increased boost has seen power jump from 255PS to 270PS. Lightening fast gearshifts are guaranteed thanks to a trick six-speed sequential ’box with a centrally-mounted pull/push shifter. The gearbox is integrated with the engine management system to allow flat shifts up through the gears, while an ‘autoblip’ rev matching system takes care of downshifts.

The 2-Eleven double wishbone suspension is uprated with stiffer springs and adjustable dampers and semi-slick A048 Yokohama rubber is standard.

The GT4 Supersport has a tonneau cover to improve aerodynamics, while a carbon wing and diffuser at the rear are balanced by a deep front splitter – a package said to generate 80kgs of downforce at 100mph.

[dkennedyvxt]

I wonder if an Audi engine would fit....400BHP..YES please

[rhinochopig]

Very nice but only 270bhp. I'd have thought it would have been closer to 300.

[andybg40]

Weight!

[Jenny Tills]

andybg40 said:

Weight!

The email I got from Bell & Colvill said target weight of 750 kilos, sounds reasonable as the outgoing model is 720kg

[LewisR]

I'd rather have an M5.

[RTH]

Is there really a market for this at £80,000 ???

[Boggy]

Absolutely hilarious,

Only 80k I'll have all ten, what a load of bks. I think that 2 million profit is going to their heads

Boggy

[boldek1]

"Lotus Sport has announced a GT4 Supersport version of its 2-Eleven, designed as a cost-effective entry in the European GT4 Supersports category."

I wish i wasrish enough to think 80k was cost effective

[rhinochopig]

What would another GT spec car cost though - x bow is well over 80, Aston Martin well over 100. Even the Ginetta must be getting close to £80k.

Cheap is a relative phrase and this does indeed seem to be at the lower end of the entry fee.

[haggle]

time to rob a bank ............................. oh crap cant even rob a bank these days

[ScottL]

I read they're only making 10 of these cars. Don't imagine they'll find it too hard to sell them.

Incidentally, the GT4 version of the X-Bow is £70K+vat.

[Boggy]

I fully understand that 80k is relatively cheap for a GT4 car but how can a 2 11 that cost's around 40k in track spec go to nearly 80k for a few extra bit's? sorry I know a guy who races in the Lotus Trophy who could build a competitive GT4 car for less than that and he doesn't have anywhere near the facilities of Lotus it's madness

Boggy

[zagato]

There are always a few weapons who will pay an absurd amount extra for bragging rights. Even if in reality the product isn't much better than others at half the cost.

Just like the million quid Aston, or the Lambo Reventon. Made up prices for the gullible.

[rhinochopig]

Boggy said:

I fully understand that 80k is relatively cheap for a GT4 car but how can a 2 11 that cost's around 40k in track spec go to nearly 80k for a few extra bit's? sorry I know a guy who races in the Lotus Trophy who could build a competitive GT4 car for less than that and he doesn't have anywhere near the facilities of Lotus it's madness

Boggy

The cost isn't in the parts - they're cheap - the cost comes from the manhours spent in making sure all the parts work together. Rule of thumb = equipment is cheap. Manhours = expensive.

[Boggy]

rhinochopig said:

Boggy said:

I fully understand that 80k is relatively cheap for a GT4 car but how can a 2 11 that cost's around 40k in track spec go to nearly 80k for a few extra bit's? sorry I know a guy who races in the Lotus Trophy who could build a competitive GT4 car for less than that and he doesn't have anywhere near the facilities of Lotus it's madness

Boggy

The cost isn't in the parts - they're cheap - the cost comes from the manhours spent in making sure all the parts work together. Rule of thumb = equipment is cheap. Manhours = expensive.

Yep I agree there, that's why I've always brought and always will buy lotus products as their made in the UK with proper wages paid. I can understand that but it just doesn't add up I.e. an extra 40k?

Boggy

[ewenm]

LewisR said:

I'd rather have an M5.

For racing in a GT4 series?

[rhinochopig]

Boggy said:

rhinochopig said:

Boggy said:

I fully understand that 80k is relatively cheap for a GT4 car but how can a 2 11 that cost's around 40k in track spec go to nearly 80k for a few extra bit's? sorry I know a guy who races in the Lotus Trophy who could build a competitive GT4 car for less than that and he doesn't have anywhere near the facilities of Lotus it's madness

Boggy

The cost isn't in the parts - they're cheap - the cost comes from the manhours spent in making sure all the parts work together. Rule of thumb = equipment is cheap. Manhours = expensive.

Yep I agree there, that's why I've always brought and always will buy lotus products as their made in the UK with proper wages paid. I can understand that but it just doesn't add up I.e. an extra 40k?

Boggy

Ok, at 100 per hour (to cover wages, pension contribution, overheads) 40k * 10 is £400,000 / £100 = 4000 man hours of development time for suspension, aero, engine testing, etc. And that calc excludes any profit. As I said, not that expensive as it will have had proper reliability testing compared to a "tuner" (no offence to tuners meant)

[Tuna]

zagato said:

There are always a few weapons who will pay an absurd amount extra for bragging rights. Even if in reality the product isn't much better than others at half the cost.

Just like the million quid Aston, or the Lambo Reventon. Made up prices for the gullible.

I don't think it's bragging rights here... The X-Bow (which comes in at around the same price) stormed the GT-4 series last year. To bring the Lotus up into competition isn't merely about upping the horsepower - a sequential box with auto-blip and other bells and whistles isn't exactly a cheap bit of kit, ignoring the testing and engineering costs to put it into this car.

In magazine tests, the 2-11 is claimed to be a better drivers car than the X-Bow (yes, at half the cost), but in a race series, it's clear that it needs a bit more. At this level of technology, 'a bit more' becomes increasingly expensive. If this were F1, your 40K increase would cover what, one set of tyres?

At GT-4 level, 80K is not bragging rights, it's fairly cheap kit.

[ewenm]

zagato said:

There are always a few weapons who will pay an absurd amount extra for bragging rights. Even if in reality the product isn't much better than others at half the cost.

Just like the million quid Aston, or the Lambo Reventon. Made up prices for the gullible.

Why do you care how people spend their money? Isn't it in the interests of the car companies to maximise their profits? As long as they sell their products (and I think the Aston and Lambo are all sold out) then they are well priced. See the (sold out) £115k Caterham Levante for example - one of the purchasers is a PHer, I'm sure he'll appreciate you explaining to him how he's "gullible"...

[jellison]

78k for some 270bhp 4 potter - hahahahahaha