Thursday 9th November 2017

Lotus Exige Cup 430

Yes, another new Lotus, but who's complaining when it's an Exige with 400hp per tonne?

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Once upon a time there was the humble 350hp Lotus Exige Cup, a car unsurprisingly very well received on PistonHeads. That time was 2014, and since then we've had a Cup 360 (with 360hp), a Cup 380 (go on, guess), plus all the accompanying Exige Sport models, and now there's this: the Exige Cup 430.

New front end has aero and mass benefits

Yes, that's 430hp in an Exige. Using a development of the familiar V6, it's upgraded from the Evora GT430 version with a new supercharger and chargecooler as well as a new intake and larger throttle body. Now with a redline of 7,000rpm, the Exige's 430hp and 325lb ft are sufficient for a 3.3-second sprint to 62mph and a 180mph top speed. Blimey. Thanks to a weight reduction of 12kg - we'll get to that in a second - Lotus claims a power-to-weight ratio of 407hp per tonne.

As the most track orientated model in the Exige line up - clue's in the name - circuit performance is a priority for this latest Lotus Cup. Hence the inclusion of lighter clams front and rear, which not only trim a few precious kilos but also contribute to a formidable aero performance. Thanks to a new spoiler on that rear clam and a reprofiled splitter on the front one (amongst numerous other tweaks), the Exige Cup 430 produces a maximum of 220kg of downforce. Compared to a Cup 380, there's a greater focus on front-end downforce, with 36 per cent now allocated to it - Lotus says this will "ensure accurate high-speed turn in".

There's more, too. The Nitron dampers are now three-way adjustable - rebound, low-speed compression, high-speed compression; the clutch has been upgraded to deal with the extra power; and the Cup 430 also uses "some of the largest calipers and rotors of any Lotus road car." All that's in addition to those components seen in previous models including Michelin Cup 2 tyres, Eibach adjustable anti-roll bars and forged alloy wheels.

Fixed wing boosts downforce without drag penalty

Despite the 17kg of additional weight - thanks to the new chargecooler and cooling system (15kg), that clutch (800g) and wider brake discs (1.2kg) - the weight saving measures for the 430 recoup 29kg, for an overall saving of 12kg. There's 2.5kg taken from the interior (including lighter seat runners even) 6.8kg from the carbon composite body panels, 10kg from the titanium exhaust, a new seatbelt anchorage frame takes 1.2kg, and that new diffuser saves another precious kilogram. Indeed if you really want to you can delete the airbag and save another 3kg, for a lightest dry weight of 1,056kg. Every little helps, right? Just don't wear your thick socks to the track day.

Jean-Marc Gales says the Cup 430, "continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in terms of performance, agility, aerodynamics and rapid covering of ground... in a production car", going on to call it a "ground-breaking car" for Lotus. Should you fancy one, get a hold of your Lotus dealer ASAP and set aside £100,000...

[Reavenger]

" new supercharger and chargecooler as well as a new intake"

I suppose that's the big news for many Lotus owners because Lotus said it would be tough to do due to the weight penalties and possible packaging issues. Guessing the new supercharger is the Edelbrock from the Evora.

£100,000 though...I'll keep my S2

[kambites]

Over 400bhp/tonne is starting to get fairly serious. Mind you so is a six figure price tag.

[Crazy4557]

That's going to be mentally bonkers fast but £100k is too much. Rather wait for 2 years and get a used one for £50k

[Rocket.]

"Yes, another new Lotus, but who's complaining when it's an Exige with 400hp per tonne?"

Probably someone who has just stumped up a load of cash for a limited edition 380 Cup only to be guzumped by this non limited edition better model !

[kambites]

Crazy4557 said:

That's going to be mentally bonkers fast but £100k is too much. Rather wait for 2 years and get a used one for £50k

Good luck with that. Three year-old 350s are still £40k.

[GroundEffect]

kambites said:

Crazy4557 said:

That's going to be mentally bonkers fast but £100k is too much. Rather wait for 2 years and get a used one for £50k

Good luck with that. Three year-old 350s are still £40k.

I know...

I really want an Exige S Roadster but they aren't budging at all.

[c8rks]

Not too sure why you think 50% depreciation in 2 years is a cert @crazy4557. All the current models are doing much better than that.

A £100k for that level of performance and full manufacturers warranty seems fair to me. Running costs will be very reasonable too.

That's serious and reliable performance on road and track. Nice on Lotus.

[Porsche911R]

This is a proper thing at last, the car was crying out to be charged cooled.

Yes it pisses off 380CUP owners and dealers having £95k 380 CUPs on the forcourts, but this time this car is mighty, I might even order one ;-)

The car they wanted to build so they say , why did it take so long ;-)

Chrome Orange please.

[SevenR]

Rocket. said:

"Yes, another new Lotus, but who's complaining when it's an Exige with 400hp per tonne?"

Probably someone who has just stumped up a load of cash for a limited edition 380 Cup only to be guzumped by this non limited edition better model !

I see these kind of comments a lot about new Lotus cars. Surely someone how was ordering and buying the 380 Cup would have been told by Lotus about the new model on the cards? Maybe someone in the know can confirm this?

[schrodinger]

SevenR said:

Rocket. said:

"Yes, another new Lotus, but who's complaining when it's an Exige with 400hp per tonne?"

Probably someone who has just stumped up a load of cash for a limited edition 380 Cup only to be guzumped by this non limited edition better model !

I see these kind of comments a lot about new Lotus cars. Surely someone how was ordering and buying the 380 Cup would have been told by Lotus about the new model on the cards? Maybe someone in the know can confirm this?

Probably not. Lotus are really bad at this, but any Lotus buyer should (by now) expect their car to be obsolete as soon as delivered. There'll be a 450 cup fairly soon no doubt.

There's a substantial price difference too - cup 380 was around 83k base (realistically 90 with options) so this is ~17k more list.

[Europa1]

Porsche911R said:

This is a proper thing at last, the car was crying out to be charged cooled.

Yes it pisses off 380CUP owners and dealers having £95k 380 CUPs on the forcourts, but this time this car is mighty, I might even order one ;-)

The car they wanted to build so they say , why did it take so long ;-)

Chrome Orange please.

I may need to lie down.

[suffolk009]

Reavenger said:

" new supercharger and chargecooler as well as a new intake"

I suppose that's the big news for many Lotus owners because Lotus said it would be tough to do due to the weight penalties and possible packaging issues. Guessing the new supercharger is the Edelbrock from the Evora.

£100,000 though...I'll keep my S2

Lotus PR says Edelbrock. http://www.lotuscars.com/news/corporate/new-lotus-...

[Maldini35]

God that’s lovely!

Expensive perhaps but why shouldn’t it be?

Same price as a lardy M4 CS and I know what I would rather have.

[suffolk009]

Would love to have the beans to buy one of these. I was in an Exige V6S this summer (whats that, about 320-330hp). That was mental fast on the road.

I was asking the salesguy whether he thought the Komotec or the SSC engine upgrade was better. He said "do you think it needs it?" I had to agree that it really didn't.

I'm trying to persuade my wife that with second hand cars being so expensive, it will be worth buying a new 350 next year. Get to spec it how we want. (meaning purple!).

[HeMightBeBanned]

Is this officially the most expensive car ever to wear Rover Metro wing mirrors?

God, I wish Lotus would replace them. The cars are crying out for a factory-fit equivalent to the Transforged items.

https://transforged.com/products/tfr-mirror-mount-...

[Ares]

Wow. Serious car, serious money. Not much comes close for the money bang-for-buck though.

My old S2 Exige barely managed 200bhp/tonne, and was still blindingly quick in its day.

[CraigyMc]

How long before the Exige is being compared with junior Mclarens (eg. 540C) ?

[kambites]

HeMightBeBanned said:

Is this officially the most expensive car ever to wear Rover Metro wing mirrors?

I wonder why they don't use the mirrors from the 3-11 on other Elise variants?

[Krikkit]

That is properly mental. 430hp in (with me and some fuel) 1150kgs.

[Rick101]

Love it. Some fantastic stuff coming from Lotus over the last few years.

Whilst other manufacturers tell you about Nav, phone prep and sound systems. Lotus are talking about 3 way adjustable suspension and downforce.

Proper sports cars.