Monday 3rd April 2017

Lotus Exige Sport 380: Time for Coffee?

Quick car, quick driver, quick video!

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The Lotus Exige Sport 380 is a car we like very much at PH, although perhaps not in the grey with red colour scheme it was launched in. By stripping yet more weight from the Series 3 Exige and increasing the track ability even further, Lotus has created a car described on these pages as "one of the fastest and most rewarding driver's cars this side of £100K."

You may have noticed one thing missing from the Sport 380 review back in December though: a video. How better to hear that enhanced V6, and appreciate that dynamic finesse, than on film? Fortunately Lotus has thought of that...

This Hethel film is much in the mould of the Evora 400 video, with the emphasis very much on the car and the driving rather than fancy production values. Fine by us! Here Lotus's self-proclaimed 'supercar killer' is seen in a very fetching shade of Gulf blue at the Hethel test track being driven, well, how you would want an Exige Sport 380 to be driven. It's making loads of noise, going very fast and, on the odd occasion, doing some rather large powerslides too. Note how one tyre is spinning up rather a lot more than the other here...

It still looks like tremendous fun though, exactly the sort of car Lotus is famed for and hopefully one buyers will appreciate. If you are considering an Exige as a summer purchase, definitely take a look at this first!

Watch the video here.

[DM525i]

Why would you buy any other fast car? This has it all: small, seriously powerful, probably handles like anything, manual gearbox. Awesome
Well done Lotus.

[cib24]

All I have to say is look at how it eats up the competition on track here:

https://youtu.be/ZB0y4B_GYxE


And how good it looks in Ironman red and gold:

https://youtu.be/tuI8I7phghg

Full tour of car and features.

https://youtu.be/N3Y_Lzxf2Nc


Thought I wanted the Evora 400 but now I think I want this more.

[Krikkit]

cib24 said:

All I have to say is look at how it eats up the competition on track here:

https://youtu.be/ZB0y4B_GYxE

Glad I wasn't on that trackday, absolute chaos!

Not sure the "competition" is a bunch of E39's and a 370Z...

[cib24]

Yeah, fair point but you get a good idea of its speed compared to more normal cars. I haven't seen another track day video yet but I'm sure over summer a few will pop up.

[CABC]

Krikkit said:

cib24 said:

All I have to say is look at how it eats up the competition on track here:

https://youtu.be/ZB0y4B_GYxE

Glad I wasn't on that trackday, absolute chaos!

Not sure the "competition" is a bunch of E39's and a 370Z...

no helmets! Is the passenger wearing tweed?
i think i recognise the driver from another vid where he took a 120hp Elise around the 'Ring overtaking most things.
doesn't look like chaos at all, just that he's a very fast driver in a very fast car.

[Presuming Ed]

Fabulous machines but a bit too hardcore for me.

Rumour has it a tie up with PSA could be on the cards. They desperately need some decent interior architecture and relying on stalks from a 20 year old Vauxhall Corsa doesn't really cut the mustard. I know these things shouldn't matter but we're all getting used to decent luxuries as standard and I think Lotus need to get a bit more onboard with this stuff and create a genuine GT4 rival.

Its not as if there's no market for this.

[binnerboy]

CABC said:

Krikkit said:

cib24 said:

All I have to say is look at how it eats up the competition on track here:

https://youtu.be/ZB0y4B_GYxE

Glad I wasn't on that trackday, absolute chaos!

Not sure the "competition" is a bunch of E39's and a 370Z...

no helmets! Is the passenger wearing tweed?
i think i recognise the driver from another vid where he took a 120hp Elise around the 'Ring overtaking most things.
doesn't look like chaos at all, just that he's a very fast driver in a very fast car.

it says Touristfahren Hockenheim above the comments box in youtube

http://www.hockenheimring.de/en/tourist-rides

I didn't know other german circuits did this , explains lack of helmets and tweed racesuit :-)

[hughcam]

Presuming Ed said:

Fabulous machines but a bit too hardcore for me.

Rumour has it a tie up with PSA could be on the cards. They desperately need some decent interior architecture and relying on stalks from a 20 year old Vauxhall Corsa doesn't really cut the mustard. I know these things shouldn't matter but we're all getting used to decent luxuries as standard and I think Lotus need to get a bit more onboard with this stuff and create a genuine GT4 rival.

Its not as if there's no market for this.

You mean just like the evora 400....

[MrLizard]

if its anything like the 350 it will be spot on - loving mine

[kambites]

hughcam said:

Presuming Ed said:

Fabulous machines but a bit too hardcore for me.

Rumour has it a tie up with PSA could be on the cards. They desperately need some decent interior architecture and relying on stalks from a 20 year old Vauxhall Corsa doesn't really cut the mustard. I know these things shouldn't matter but we're all getting used to decent luxuries as standard and I think Lotus need to get a bit more onboard with this stuff and create a genuine GT4 rival.

Its not as if there's no market for this.

You mean just like the evora 400....

No Cayman rival in terms of interior fit and finish is going to be based on the Exige because no matter what you do in terms of cuddly dashboards, it'll still be an arse to get in and out of the thing.

[suffolk009]

Just seen one of these on the road this lunch time (not a 380, but an Exige), they have amazing road presence - much more than any current Porsche this side of a 918.

I notice that they've now gone with one rear light per side, to save weight they say. But it looked on the video like they've just popped a little blanking plate over each unused hole in the rear panel. I'll have to go and have a look see if I can find some stills on the internet. If I was about to order one, I think I'd ask for the extra lights instead.

ETA: My mistake. Looks like the inner lights have been downsized. I still prefer the old four lights though....

Edited by suffolk009 on Monday 3rd April 15:51

[bosshog]

Yum. Yes please.

[Jesus]

suffolk009 said:

Just seen one of these on the road this lunch time (not a 380, but an Exige), they have amazing road presence - much more than any current Porsche this side of a 918.

I notice that they've now gone with one rear light per side, to save weight they say. But it looked on the video like they've just popped a little blanking plate over each unused hole in the rear panel. I'll have to go and have a look see if I can find some stills on the internet. If I was about to order one, I think I'd ask for the extra lights instead.

ETA: My mistake. Looks like the inner lights have been downsized. I still prefer the old four lights though....

Edited by suffolk009 on Monday 3rd April 15:51

The 380 has a new rear clam - the rear transom is totally different not just the lights.

[Leggy]

All Pistonheads members should try one. As mentioned earlier there's nothing to match the experience. And with low mileage 3-4 year old models available in the high £30k's they are genuinely amazing for the money.

[Vroom101]

cib24 said:

And how good it looks in Ironman red and gold:

https://youtu.be/tuI8I7phghg

Full tour of car and features.

https://youtu.be/N3Y_Lzxf2Nc

Lovely in red & gold, but my word, I find that guy annoying.

[baronbennyt]

The video posted in the main article certainly isn't the worst offender by any means but please, please, please can performance motor manufacturers stop overlaying dodgy sound effects and music when all most of us want to do is hear the car properly.

[cib24]

Vroom101 said:

Lovely in red & gold, but my word, I find that guy annoying.

Totally agree. He is hard to listen to and he is only 20 and his parents live in Monaco, but still, he's a Lotus fan and a real petrol head (he had an Elise before), and I thought these two videos were very good to be able to see all of the curves of the Exige Sport 380 and check out the interior as well.

The Copper Fire Red he chose is unreal and the gold wheels are a perfect match.

[kambites]

Leggy said:

All Pistonheads members should try one. As mentioned earlier there's nothing to match the experience. And with low mileage 3-4 year old models available in the high £30k's they are genuinely amazing for the money.

I'm not sure £40k (which seems to be about the cheapest they are) can be considered that good value for a four year-old car whcih can be bought for £55k new. It's certainly a lot of car for the money but given Lotus' rather dubious quality control and the tendency for their paint and trim to be made of something resembling cheese, I think it's one of very few cars which I'd rather buy new. Not that I have £55k or indeed £40k to spend on a car like this.

[Jesus]

kambites said:

I'm not sure £40k (which seems to be about the cheapest they are) can be considered that good value for a four year-old car whcih can be bought for £55k new. It's certainly a lot of car for the money but given Lotus' rather dubious quality control and the tendency for their paint and trim to be made of something resembling cheese, I think it's one of very few cars which I'd rather buy new. Not that I have £55k or indeed £40k to spend on a car like this.

You may actually find the earlier V6's have better quality fixtures and fittings than the new ones.

[suffolk009]

Jesus said:

The 380 has a new rear clam - the rear transom is totally different not just the lights.

I hadn't spotted that, thank you (specsavers, etc...).
Dare I say, I still prefer the four rear light setup.