LOTUS 2 Eleven 2007-2015 Photos, engines & full specs

Lotus introduced a track-ready roadster at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, based on the successful Exige model, but lighter and more powerful.

Collin Chapman's idea of a racing car was simple: low weight beats more power. The Lotus engineers carried over that idea when they designed the 2 Eleven and offered it a power-to-weight ratio similar to a 1960's Formula 1 car. But the carmaker built the vehicle also for street use.

Usually, a race car cannot be successful on the track if it had to carry all the weight of various features needed for a street-legal vehicle. It doesn't need airbags or catalytic converters on the track, but it needs them on the street. Lotus built the 2 Eleven so it could be registered. For that, it added headlights. The two-seat roadster didn't have a windshield or a retractable roof. It was a barchetta-style vehicle with a big win in the back and a safety roll-cage behind the sport seats.

The roadster was available with one or two seats and with a six-point harness. The U.K. laws allowed them for street use, while for other countries, they had to be accompanied by regular, three-point safety belts. There was no carpeting nor sound-deadening materials. It was a bare-metal cockpit with a flat panel where Lotus mounted two dials in front of the driver.

Lotus installed the engine in the middle, between the driver's seat and the rear axle. It was a supercharged 1.8-liter engine pumped-up to provide 255 hp. It was paired to a 6-speed, close-ratio, manual gearbox.