EXIGE
LOTUS
EXIGE
EXIGE
LOTUS
EXIGE
The Lotus Elise was the most popular car Lotus has ever produced. And its iconic design and chassis technology inspired a new generation of performance-oriented Lotus racecars. As the millennium approached, the British Touring Car Championship was the perfect opportunity for Lotus to return to the track and debut the Exige in 2000, showcasing the latest advancements in racing technology. Like the Elise, the Exige would eventually be replaced by the Lotus Emira in 2023.
Initial concepts for the car that would become the Lotus Exige iterated upon the Elise chassis, with a more powerfully tuned engine and hardtop roof. As the idea developed, the Lotus Design team sketched a radically new concept, and the Lotus Exige was truly born.
The Lotus Exige deviated from the Elise’s roadcar spirit to create a truly race-optimised sportscar. The Exige debuted a more aggressive full coupe design with flared wheel arches and a roof-mounted air scoop. The new design proved popular and broke new ground as an engineering concept – all the new body panels could be fitted to the existing Lotus Elise chassis.
The Lotus Elise gearbox was swapped out for a non-synchromesh racing box and the Exige was fitted with a single centre-mounted seat, non-removable hardtop roof, kamm-tail rear bodywork and a pylon-mounted rear spoiler. The Exige implemented its own version of the Elise’s pioneering, bonded aluminium chassis, adding a unique rear subframe and forged aluminium double wishbone suspension at the rear of the car.
Under the rear panel, the Lotus Exige packed the same Rover 1.8-litre 118bhp K-Series engine as its predecessor, tuned for more power output. This generated a top speed of 219b kph and a quick 0-100 kph mph time of 4.6 seconds.
Following its track success, a more road-friendly version was developed. The Lotus Exige was still a track car at heart, but this new variant added an extra front seat, as well as a track-derived front splitter and rear wing, and road-legal Yokohama track tires. Comfort features such as air conditioning were notably absent. Leaving its status as an Elise variant behind, the Lotus Exige was officially unveiled at the Autobytel series race in 2000 – with the name derived from the French ‘exiger’, meaning ‘demanding’.
The Series 1 Exige (often referred to as the Lotus Exige S1) was followed by the Exige S2 in 2004, with the Lotus Exige S3 launching in 2012. The Exige is still highly desirable across the second hand market. If you are interested in buying a Lotus Exige, your nearest Lotus Agent will be able to advise and assist you in the purchase.
EDITIONS