I attended the Malaysian launch of the Lotus 3-Eleven sports car earlier today. It was the official launch of the car here as well as the handover of one of two units already spoken for here in Malaysia. We witnessed the handover of car number to a loyal Lotus customer and also noted that he had been allocated car number #007. Another nice bit of trivia is that the other Malaysian customer for the 3-Eleven was given number #001. A privilege for Malaysia in my opinion. That car is in Penang, folks.
The new Lotus 3-Eleven is the quickest production Lotus ever. It has been designed to be as pure as possible in terms of sports car design. As with the usual Lotus mantra of 'Less is more', the 3-Eleven has it all and more. Its new lightweight body, open cockpit design and revised 3.5liter supercharged V6 engine with 450hp/450Nm makes it a fantastic car for a trackday or for the open road.
There will be two variants of the 3-Eleven here in Malaysia - Road and Race. The Race gets more aggressive aerodynamics, a sequential gearbox and an FIA compliant driver's seat with 6-point harness. Aside from that, both have similar parts. But you will note that it's that sequential gearbox that makes things a little bit different. AND more expensive.
The limited to 311 units 3-Eleven (aptly so) will be available in Malaysia from now onwards (till stock runs out). Its prices start at RM640,855 for the Road version and a from whopping RM868,214 for the Race version. I told you its that gearbox that is expensive!
The 3-Eleven is super light. Essentially a stripped down sports car based on the Elise/Exige plaftorm it actually weighs under 900kgs (dry) in Race version. This gives it a power to weight ratio of over 500hp/tonne. 0-100kmh in under 3.0seconds and a maximum speed of 280km/h for the Race version (due to added downforce) and 290km/h for the Road version.
Mighty fast. It actually laps Lotus' Hethel track in 1min 22 secs and according to the chaps at Lotus Cars Malaysia, should be able to lap the Sepang Circuit in under 2min 20 seconds or even less depending on the tyres used. Very fast indeed.
I like the 3-Eleven. It's open cockpit setup would actually make this car possible for chubby people like me to actually drive a very track oriented Lotus!
| 3-Eleven | ||
|---|---|---|
| PERFORMANCE* | Road | Race |
| Max power | 410 hp at 7000 rpm (416 PS) | 460 hp at 7000 rpm (466 PS) |
| Max torque | 302 lbft at 3000 rpm (410 Nm) | 387 lbft at 3500 rpm (525 Nm) |
| 0-60 mph | 3.3 seconds | 2.9 seconds |
| 0-100 km/h | 3.4 seconds | 3.0 seconds |
| Max speed | 174 mph (280 km/h) | 180 mph (290 km/h) |
| Power to weight ratio | 443 hp/tonne (450 PS/1000kg) | 517 hp/tonne (524 PS/1000kg) |
| 3-Eleven | |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | |
| 3.5 litre V6, 24 valve, water cooled, all aluminium engine with Edelbrock supercharger | Standard |
| Mid mounted, transverse, rear wheel drive | Standard |
| Low inertia flywheel | Standard |
| TRANSMISSION | |
| 6 speed manual gearbox with sports ratios (Road version) | Standard |
| 6 speed sequential gearbox with paddle shift (Race version) | Standard |
| DIMENSIONS | |
| Dry weight (Road / Race version) | 925 / 890 kg |
| Fuel tank capacity (Road / Race version) | 40 / 70 litres |
| 3-Eleven | |
|---|---|
| CHASSIS/ BODY | |
| Two-seater open cockpit | Standard |
| Lightweight, extruded aluminium bonded chassis structure | Standard |
| Carbon body panels | Standard |
| Aerodynamically optimised front splitter, rear diffuser and wing | Standard |
| LED front daytime running lights with integrated direction indicators | Standard |
| LED rear lamps with integrated direction indicators | Standard |
| SUSPENSION | |
| Fully independent double wishbone suspension with front and rear anti-roll bar | Standard |
Öhlins adjustable dampers
| Standard |
| 3-Eleven | |
|---|---|
| BRAKES | |
| Red AP Racing four-piston calipers | Standard |
| ABS | Standard |
| Servo assisted 2-piece grooved ventilated brake discs | Standard |
| WHEELS & TYRES | |
| Gloss black, forged wheels [18" front and 19" rear] | Standard |
| Michelin Pilot Super Sport (Road) or Michelin Cup 2 (Race) tyres | Standard |
| Front tyres 225/40 ZR18 | Standard |
| Rear tyres 275/35 ZR19 | Standard |
| 3-Eleven | |
|---|---|
| INTERIOR SPECIFICATION | |
Full colour TFT display with driver selection modes for road/track
| Standard |
| Engine start/stop button | Standard |
Page toggle switch
| Standard |
| Adjustable Traction Control | Standard |
| Lightweight driver's footrest / brace | Standard |
| Lightweight sport seats (Road) | Standard |
| FIA approved competition seat (Race) | Standard |
| on | |
| Carbon Tonneau | Option |
| Road to track logger and GPS unit | Option |
Pro-Software Upgrade
| Option |
FIA compliant cage (only available on Race version, no passenger seat permitted with this cage)
| Option |
Öhlins 2-way adjustable dampers (standard on Race)
| Option |
Adjustable ARB (standard on Race)
| Option |
Fire extinguisher and battery isolator (standard on Race)
| Option |
| PAINT OPTIONS | |
Metallic/Signature Paint
| Option |
Black Pack
| Option |
Colour Scheme 1: Metallic Green/Metallic Yellow Stripes
| Option |
Colour Scheme 2: Metallic Black/Metallic Gold Stripes
| Option |
Colour Scheme 3: Metallic Red/ Metallic Gold Stripes
| Option |
Colour Scheme 4: Matt Black/Metallic Black Stripes
| Option |
| * Lotus reserves the right to modify prices, specifications and options without prior notice. Please consult your local Lotus dealer for more information. Verification of performance results should not be attempted on public roads. Lotus recommends that all local speed and safety laws must be obeyed and safety belts worn at all times. For USA and Canada; Elise, Exige and 3-Eleven models are for track use-only (not road-legal). Errors and omissions excepted. | |
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