Lotus Revs Up 3-Eleven Sports Car

Group Lotus plc is launching a lighter, faster and more powerful version of its 3-Eleven sports car.

Production of the new 3-Eleven 430 will be limited to 20 units. The topless 2-seater will start at £102,000 ($143,000), 20% more than the base 3-Eleven.

The car’s supercharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine has been tuned to deliver 430 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque, up 5% and 7%, respectively. The engine is mated with a 6-speed manual transmission and Torsen-type limited-slip differential.

A revised carbon fiber body saves about 11 lbs. This pushes the car’s power-to-weight ratio to nearly that of a Ferrari 488 GTB, media reports note.

Coupled with improved aerodynamics, the added power and reduced weight make the 3-Eleven 430 the fastest street-legal model Lotus has produced. The vehicle can rocket from zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds (down 0.2 seconds) on its way to a top speed of 180 mph (up 6 mph).

At high speeds, the car produces 584 lbs of downforce, 60% of which acts upon the rear of the vehicle. The car generates 1.5 g of lateral acceleration.

The rear-wheel-drive car also sports new brakes, which Lotus says reduces distortion and vibration. The base model’s independent double wishbone suspension carries over to the 430 version.