The Lotus Exige S Roadster will arrive this summer: that’s the news from Lotus this morning. We’ve been waiting for an announcement on the new car since we first saw it
at Geneva
the delay
of the coupe, the Roadster’s been a long time coming. Now, though, it seems it’s set to hit the shelves imminently – “summer 2013” being the closest indication they’re willing to give us at present.
Exige S Roadster will hit 62 in four seconds
As we reported last year, the Exige S Roadster will be kitted out with the same 350hp Toyota V6, usefully endowed with the same Harrop supercharger, as
the coupe
. 62mph will come up in exactly four seconds, although top speed will drop from the coupe’s 170mph to an electronically-limited 145mph, in order to stop the fabric roof from peeling off at high speed. The Roadster will, however, weigh 10kg less; that’s because not only has the roof gone, but also the rear spoiler – and of course, with the Exige being based on an
Elise
platform, no extra stiffening (ahem) has been required. A six-speed manual will be standard, with Lotus's Serial Precision Shift automated manual being an option. The Lotus Race Pack also looks set to be available, offering a more track-oriented setup complete with four-mode Dynamic Performance Management.
No rear spoiler means 10kg lighter
This will be the first ever Exige drop-top, and while the quilted cream interior of the show car might have led you to the conclusion that the new car would be a little more gussied-up than the coupe,
the video
– filmed, for some reason, in the style of a Hollywood movie trailer – shows the car testing at the Nurburgring, complete with a no-frills black dash. Which seems to suggest that boulevard cruising is not part of the company’s plan for the car. Jolly good. What’s more, a spokesperson from Lotus told us that the Roadster will be “extremely good value”. Even better. Let’s hope the Roadster continues Lotus’s comeback from the
tangle of woes
that’s afflicted the company behind the scenes in recent years.