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Lotus 3-Eleven Set Loose on Nurburgring, Certainly Looks Like the Fastest Lotus Ever

If this is not your first time on autoevolution, and not your second either, you may already know about the Lotus 3-Eleven. The company promises it will be the fastest car they've ever built and, after watching this clip shot on the Nurburgring, we see no reason to doubt such claims.
Lotus 3-Eleven on Nurburgring 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
As a reminder, the Lotus 3-Eleven uses the same 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine borrowed from Toyota as the Evora 400, but here it's tuned to deliver 450 hp at a stratospheric 7,000 rpm. Maximum torque is at a hefty 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) delivered from as low as 3,500 rpm, which is plenty considering the car's reported weight is under 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds).

Performances? Glad you asked. It is said the Lotus 3-Eleven powers from zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than three seconds, that places it in a select group where he can sip champagne and smoke cigars together with hypercars like the LeFerrari or McLaren P1.

You will have noticed we haven't mentioned the car's design. Besides the fact it looks as though a Lotus Elise and a Caterham got drunk nine months ago and didn't remember what they did that night, it's also worth pointing out everything about is functional. Every shape and every crease is there either because of aerodynamic purposes, or for legal reasons.

Yes, you read that well, the Lotus 3-Eleven will be completely road legal. It's absolutely ridiculous given some of the car's features - like its rear air diffuser, for example - but it's always better to drive your car to the circuit on a track-day. You should also know Lotus has confirmed a future model called 4-Eleven which will be even faster (how the hell...?) and also the most expensive model ever sold by the British brand.

Because, make no mistake, a track is where the Lotus 3-Eleven belongs. It was a foregone conclusion, but now we also have concrete proof. Just look at the clip below and tell us what seems more natural to you: the Lotus 3-Eleven handling surprisingly well over the uneven Nurburgring track or seeing the car caught in a busy roundabout, advancing one meter at a time? Yeah, it was a rhetorical question.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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