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Lotus 3-Eleven covers over 2,000km in
Nürburgring testing
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The quickest and most powerful production
Lotus road car ever
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Ongoing development for model entering
production in early 2016
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One of the fastest ever drives of the
Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit
The new Lotus 3-Eleven marked its first public outing with a
successful two-week test session during the industry pool test
weeks at the renowned proving ground of the Nürburgring
Nordschleife circuit, in which over 2,000kms were covered as
part of a comprehensive test and development programme.
Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc,
commented, "The success of this test session is proof that our
development philosophy for the 3-Eleven is the right way to go.
We’ve always said that to make a car faster you must make it
lighter and this new car carries that philosophy to a new level.
It condenses all of our engineering know-how into an undiluted
performance-focused package and we’re pleased to showcase to the
world, the quickest and most powerful production Lotus to date.
The 3-Eleven achieved one of the fastest ever lap times around
the Nürburgring for any class of car and faster than many other
supercars”
Heralding a new generation of Lotus high performance sports cars,
the 3-Eleven features an all-new lightweight body, with an open
cockpit design and a V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp.
The 3-Eleven re-affirms Lotus core values, offering the ultimate
pure driving experience and providing the perfect demonstration
of "faster and lighter" which comes from Lotus’ roots in
competitive motorsport and underlines the company’s ability to
deliver benchmark handling.
In what was its first turn of a wheel outside of Lotus’ Hethel
HQ, the new 3-Eleven was piloted by three different drivers with
individual areas of expertise and vehicle set-up with specific
focus – aerodynamics, engine calibration, chassis tuning and
suspension geometry.
Gavan Kershaw, Technical Manager for Lotus Motorsport and Lotus
3-Eleven Development Driver, commented, “It has been a hugely
successful test for us in which we have thoroughly investigated
areas of the car which are a specific focus for high performance
driving. We have methodically worked through a test matrix
concentrating on, aerodynamic balance, suspension settings, tyre
and brake development, optimising engine calibration and
throttle mapping to reach the required benchmark for
performance.”
With clear running on the circuit an inhibiting factor over the
course of the two week period – in which the track was not
designated solely for the use of Lotus – the 3-Eleven lapped
regularly on or below the target simulation time. By combining
the quickest sector times achieved during the fastest 2 laps on
the “Sport Auto” magazine lap configuration, a total lap time of
7 minutes 06 seconds was recorded by the vehicle’s data logging
acquisition system.
Marc Basseng, Lotus 3-Eleven Driver, stated, “I know the
Nürburgring Nordschleife very well and have driven many cars
around the circuit. I can say that the 3-Eleven is the perfect
car for a fast lap here. It is so sharp and so focussed; a true
weapon! This was proven in the sector times set and I’m sure,
with the track completely to itself, the car could push towards
a 7min flat lap time.”
The new Lotus 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016
with deliveries scheduled to commence in April 2016. Production
will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total.
Prices start at £82,000 for the Road version (including VAT and
on the road costs) and £96,000 excluding VAT for the Race
version (£115,200 including VAT). The 3-Eleven will be sold in
all markets as a race car and in Europe and Asia as a road car.
 Images: Copyright Group Lotus |
