Wednesday 18th March 2015

Lotus '3-Eleven' details

2-Eleven replacement will get the V6 (and 420hp), plus a kerbweight of under 900kg

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Well this is good timing. On the very day PH publishes a review on the turbocharged Zenos E10 S, further details emerge of the next Lotus 2-Eleven from Jean-Marc Gales. Spooky.

Based on an Exige, but lighter and faster...

Although if the currently rumoured spec is correct the new Lotus - to be badged 3-Eleven - will be a far more serious track prospect than the Zenos, or indeed the original 2-Eleven. It will be "completely based on the Exige" meaning the 3.5-litre V6 remains but with less weight and more power. For those who find 350hp and 1,176kg a little anaemic, the 3-Eleven is expected to make 420hp and weigh 890kg. Or 471hp per tonne...

Further barmy performance predictions from Gales include a 180mph top speed and a 'ring lap time of 7:09, with an official lap time expected from Lotus prior to its debut. There is no official comment from Lotus yet but Auto Motor und Sport has suggested the car will be seen at Frankfurt in September. It has also stated there will be 311 3-Elevens and, while the car is designed as a racer, Lotus can have it approved for road use. More details as they're available!

[Source: WCF via Auto Motor und Sport]

 

[J4SON88]

How does it make the '420kg'?

Aaannyway. If it has the radial styling like the old one, it'll be fantastic.

[Frimley111R]

Ooops typo. I know someone who had a 2-11 and they said the straight line performance was the only area they felt a little lacking. With this new one though...

[soad]

This is like a modern Tuscan racer.

[Matt Bird]

J4SON88 said:

How does it make the '420kg'?

Aaannyway. If it has the radial styling like the old one, it'll be fantastic.

Apologies, mixing up units. Should be amended now, thanks for pointing it out!


Matt

[Gandahar]

I know it is easy to still "dis" Lotus, take a bow Chris H, but I think the new Evora looks good and this sounds a good idea also.

[j90gta]

Presume it will be at least twice the price of the Zenos

[kambites]

j90gta said:

Presume it will be at least twice the price of the Zenos

Well the old four-pot was £40k so I'm guessing this is going to be at least £60k. Not really sure what's it's competing with in terms of track cars at that money?

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 18th March 12:28

[Tickle]

j90gta said:

Presume it will be at least twice the price of the Zenos

I love the Zenos, I would even consider one in a few years but this '3-Eleven' is clearly a more serious bit of kit.

[Impasse]

kambites said:

j90gta said:

Presume it will be at least twice the price of the Zenos

Well the old four-pot was £40k so I'm guessing this is going to be at least £60k. Not really sure what's it's competing with in terms of track cars at that money?

Gales has indicated it will be the most expensive Lotus car on sale.

[CTE]

I guess it depends where the performance ends up as to justifying the price...whatever it might be...you can spend some really serious money on track only super cars.

[SidewaysSi]

Sounds brilliant. I do think they need to watch the price though to avoid it becoming another X Bow. If it had the option of a screen and some sort of hood and priced around £5k ish over a 620R, I think it would be stunning.

[Gandahar]

It will be going up against the BAC Mono and top Radicals, Lotus has been out of that niche for a while to some extent.

How are Ginetta doing? They are more a competitor to the Zenos price wise.

They got good reviews for their car but now gone quiet.

[redroadster]

I prefer the look of the old 340r but this will go very well with that power, ,pity they don't strip Elise and just add minimal bodywork and make into a cheaper track day car too.

[otolith]

redroadster said:

pity they don't strip Elise and just add minimal bodywork and make into a cheaper track day car too.

Not sure there's much unnecessary stuff in an Elise that you could strip out to make it significantly cheaper.

[kambites]

redroadster said:

I prefer the look of the old 340r but this will go very well with that power, ,pity they don't strip Elise and just add minimal bodywork and make into a cheaper track day car too.

That's what the old 2-11 was, isn't it?

[XBOW]

D7:09 ring time is Hypercar teritory !! Going to be an incredible car

[RobM77]

Frimley111R said:

Ooops typo. I know someone who had a 2-11 and they said the straight line performance was the only area they felt a little lacking. With this new one though...

To be honest I'd disagree, but my focus has never really been on straight line performance with cars. Personally I think the one area needing attention is the balance of the car; there's too much weight over the rear compared to the front (which is obvious if you take a look at the mechanicals!). The straight line performance of the 2-Eleven isn't R500 rapid, but unlike an R500 you can deploy most of it most of the time due to the stiff chassis, fully and superbly tuned fully independent suspension.

This new car looks fantastic though I've got a 2-Eleven so am a typical customer for an upgrade, but I doubt I'll be in the market for one because I suspect like the last one it'll be priced alongside the top of the range Exiges, which was fine when they were £40k, but they're now £60k... In a way I'd be quite glad if there was such a big gap from the value of mine, as hopefully it'll keep 2-Eleven values buoyant.

[SpudLink]

Do you use the 2-11 only as a trackday car, or does it get used on the road? I mean driving it onthe road for fun, rather than just getting to and from the track.

[RobM77]

SpudLink said:

Do you use the 2-11 only as a trackday car, or does it get used on the road? I mean driving it onthe road for fun, rather than just getting to and from the track.

I hardly ever drive it on the road, unlike my previous Caterham or Elise, which saw regular road use. There are two reasons for that:

1) It's just too fast. The grip is so great that even if you're the sort of person who often slides cars around, like me, I don't know of any bends around here where it's safe and legal to get the 2-Eleven anywhere near the point where it starts to feel alive. The acceleration, whilst sometimes criticised relative to cars like the Atom 300 or R500, is still pretty quick and is just daft on the road - you're into license losing territory seconds after going anywhere near the throttle pedal. Above 30mph it's almost as quick as the single seaters I used to race.

2) I love driving it without a helmet on, but to be honest it's not that wise to do so, at least not with the amount of suicidal wildlife that we have round here. With a helmet on its not as fun, and the seats push your head forwards so it's uncomfortable.

I didn't buy it for road use though, it was a consolation purchase after I quit motor racing and I virtually exclusively use it on track days. The thing is, whilst it's electrifyingly quick over a lap compared to most road cars, it still feels s bit heavy and cumbersome compared to a single seater, and it's a good way off on lap times too. Mind you, it's a lot less physical to drive than a slicks and wings single seater and I can do an entire day's track driving with no muscle aches or bruises, plus of course you can drive it to a track and back again.

ETA: That all sounds a bit negative, so I should add that the 2-Eleven is an amazing car - wonderful steering feel, superb brakes, performance, stability and drivability. The only negativity that should be interpreted from the above is that it's compromised as a road car (no surprises there) and not as pure as a track car (again, no surprises there). If you need a car that does both road and track (as I do), then I've not driven anything better.

Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 19th March 08:58

[Terminator X]

I've driven the current one on a track day and it was mentally fast! New one will be outrageous.

TX.