Lotus Exige 240R: the future is bio
We hear Lotus Engineering is experimenting with a bio-ethanol version of the supercharged Exige.
The car has more power at 264bhp and torque than the 240R -- the prototype is based on the ex-press fleet 240R -- and is so much quicker than the standard supercharged Exige around the Hethel test track that the engineers are upgrading the front brakes to cope.
It's the consequence of bio-ethanol offering more power than petrol, according to Lotus Engineering technical specialist Richard Pearson, who said that the effect was particularly marked in cars with super- and turbo-charged engines. He said that the efficiency increases aren't huge but are within the range that many people in the automotive industry are spending billions of dollars attempting to achieve.
PistonHeads hopes to bring you a report on the car soon.