Lotus 3-Eleven’s Ring of Speed

After completing two weeks of testing at Germany's Nurburgring proving grounds, Group Lotus plc says its all-new 3-Eleven sports car achieved the equivalent of a 7.1-minute lap around the famed Nordschleife circuit.

Lotus extrapolated the impressive time based on a composite of the car's quickest times on various sections of the 12.9-mile track. It notes that a true fast lap wasn't possible due to current speed restrictions and renovations being made to improve track safety following a fatal accident earlier this year. The upgrades are expected to be completed next year.

The 3-Eleven's theoretical time of seven minutes and six seconds would have been the fifth fastest time ever on the twisting Nordschleife circuit for a street legal vehicle with production tires. The Radical SRE LM and SR8 kit cars hold the two fastest times of 0:06:48 and 0:06:55, respectively. The only other vehicles to eclipse seven minutes are a Porsche 918 Spyder (0:06:57) and Lamborghini Aventador SV (0:06:59). The latter was achieved earlier this year.

Lotus test driver Marc Basseng says the 3-Eleven would have challenged the seven-minute mark too if it had been driven on a closed track without any other vehicles as is typically the case for record-attempting runs.

The 3-Eleven, named for the planned production run of 311 units, is due to launch early next year. The car is powered by a supercharged Toyota 3.5-liter V-6 engine that produces 450 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, making it the most powerful car in the Lotus lineup.

The car is built on an aluminum monocoque chassis and is the first to use body panels made from a new composite that Lotus says is 40% lighter than conventional fiberglass. An even lighter racing version of the car can rocket from zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, according to the carmaker.