Photo: Lotus
As you already know from chief executive officer Jean-Marc Gales, Lotus is working on three all-new models, one of which believed to be a replacement for the 3-Eleven. To this effect, the road-going track tool is celebrating its final evolution in the form of the 430 edition.
430 comes from the number of metric horsepower, which translates to 424 brake horsepower and 440 Nm (325 pound-feet) of torque. Generated by a supercharged and charge-cooled Toyota V6 displacing 3.5 liters, the suck-squeeze-bang-blow is sent to the Michelin Cup 2-wrapped 19-inch wheels by a six-speed stick shift.
Tipping the scales at 920 kilograms (2,028 pounds), the 3-Eleven 430 prides itself on a power-to-weight ratio of 467 horsepower per tonne. What that means in terms of performance is zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, onto a maximum velocity of 180 mph (289 km/h). Quite the fitting send-off for the white-knuckled 3-Eleven, isn’t it?
But wait, there’s more! In the right hands and with the right skills, the 3-Eleven 430 special edition is two seconds quicker than the previous incarnation at the Hethel circuit, delivering a lap time of 1 minute and 24 seconds. A striking performance for a car that Colin Chapman would definitely appreciate if he were to be alive today.
“The development of the original 3-Eleven focused our thoughts on a Lotus of pure simplicity and advanced our thinking on the sports cars of the future,” said head honcho Gales. “The 3-Eleven 430 is the ultimate conclusion of that work, a beast of unbound abilities and something that we’re all immensely proud of.”
Pricing? £102,000 and it’s yours, including value-added tax and on-the-road costs. Being a last hurrah of the 3-Eleven, the 430 is a rarefied breed. Production is limited to 20 vehicles, and if you want one, you’d better put that deposit down before Lotus runs out of build slots.
Tipping the scales at 920 kilograms (2,028 pounds), the 3-Eleven 430 prides itself on a power-to-weight ratio of 467 horsepower per tonne. What that means in terms of performance is zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, onto a maximum velocity of 180 mph (289 km/h). Quite the fitting send-off for the white-knuckled 3-Eleven, isn’t it?
But wait, there’s more! In the right hands and with the right skills, the 3-Eleven 430 special edition is two seconds quicker than the previous incarnation at the Hethel circuit, delivering a lap time of 1 minute and 24 seconds. A striking performance for a car that Colin Chapman would definitely appreciate if he were to be alive today.
“The development of the original 3-Eleven focused our thoughts on a Lotus of pure simplicity and advanced our thinking on the sports cars of the future,” said head honcho Gales. “The 3-Eleven 430 is the ultimate conclusion of that work, a beast of unbound abilities and something that we’re all immensely proud of.”
Pricing? £102,000 and it’s yours, including value-added tax and on-the-road costs. Being a last hurrah of the 3-Eleven, the 430 is a rarefied breed. Production is limited to 20 vehicles, and if you want one, you’d better put that deposit down before Lotus runs out of build slots.
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