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Lotus Exige Gets Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG V8 Engine, Ferrari F430 GT3 Rear Wing

If you’re in the market for a Lotus, the British automaker is much obliged to sell you four- and six-cylinder sports cars with Toyota-sourced powerplants. Quentin Boylan of South Africa – the man who dropped a V8 in the engine bay of his manual Toyota Hilux pickup – has a Lotus too but it’s hardly stock.
Quentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercar 12 photos
Photo: Speed & Sound
Quentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercarQuentin Boylan's Lotus Exige Mercedes-AMG V8 supercar
Like the AMG Hilux we’ve talked about in a previous article, the Exige has received a different engine with two more cylinders over what Lotus offers. Sourced from a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Holland, the 6.2-liter M159 packs anything between 571 PS from the get-go and 631 PS for the Black Series. That kind of power in a vehicle as light as the Exige certainly is exciting and scary at the same time.

Speaking to South African motoring publication Speed & Sound, the owner nearly sold his Lotus if it weren’t for his wife. “I’m glad she stopped me. I’m living my dreams and I’m fortunate enough to do so,” Quentin told the magazine. Helped by engineering mastermind Hercules van Wyk, the engine’s paired to an Albins ST6 sequential transmission originally developed for GT3 and GT4 endurance racers and V8 Supercars. The thing is, chassis mods were also mandatory.

An engineer by the name of Andre van Aarde extended the Exige without compromising structural integrity, then weaved chromoly pipes to house the M159 and ST6. An all-carbon body shell, the rear wing from a Ferrari F430 GT3, a roof duct that supplies the cabin with fresh air, and an additional 100 millimeters in width are a few other highlights.

Care to guess how much suck-squeeze-bang-blow the engine develops? At the rear wheels? Make that 575 PS and 720 Nm, translating to 567 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque. Taking the 10- to 15-percent parasitic loss into consideration, you can easily guess the output of the M159 at the crankshaft.

On the handling front, three-way adjustable dampers with a remote reservoir open the list. To them, Quentin and Hercules have added 12- and 10-inch-wide tires at the rear and front axles as well as AP discs and calipers for the braking system. Going forward, there are two possible outcomes from the AMG Exige in the photo gallery and following video.

To the point, Quention wants to either add a Kleeman supercharger or swap the motor altogether for the 4.0-liter M178 twin-turbo V8 from the GT.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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