Models - Exige V6
Pre-launch
A V6 engined version of the Exige had been rumored for many years, even back before the introduction of the Evora, but as rumors built through 2011[1], with prototypes being spotted both with modified S2 Exige style bodywork and camouflaged paintwork at the Nurburgring - with camouflaged cars seen lacking the Exiges traditional roof scoop and, in some cases, the rear wing.
The car finally broke cover at the Frankfurt Motor Show[2] on September 13th with Lotus Advisory Board member Bob Lutz unveiling the Exige S road and Exige R-GT rally cars.
The launch however was only the beginning of the Exige S's protracted path towards customer deliveries.
At the Frankfurt Motor Show initial deliveries were cited for January 2012[3], but the company was unable to provide official performance, weight or emission figures for the car, instead simply giving estimated 0-60mph, 0-100mph and weight figures of 3.8s, 7.9s and 1080kg respectively as the car was still waiting to undergo the type approval process.
After the Frankfurt launch the car was again seen testing at the Nurburgring[4], along with a test car spotted in Holland[5] along with the MY12 Elise S and a dealer preview even at JCT600 in November[6].
A number of dealership demo days were scheduled for December[7], with the blue 'Ride and Handling' prototype set to be driven between dealership, however the cars engine was damaged during filming at the companies Hethel test track with Bruno Senna driving the car. Rumors say that Senna selected the wrong gear on a downshift and over-revved the engine, however Lotus never commented on the cause of the damage.
In its place the non-running Frankfurt show car was trailered between the preview days, however the first 3 events had to be cancelled due to the short notice and distances involved. A gallery of photos from the preview days and first impressions on it can be found on the main SELOC website.
Official performance figures[8] and initial brochures[9] were finally published in January 2012, however the cars 0-100mph and weight figures had increased to 8.5s and 1176kg and customer cars were still nowhere to be seen and delivery dates being pushed out.
In February 2012 Lotus teased a new convertible model at the Geneva motor show, and while many predicted a convertible Evora[10] it was instead the Exige S Roadster[11] which was shown - explaining the spoiler-less Exige seen testing before the cars launch.
Press reviews finally came out on April 25th[12], with the reviews raving about the cars performance, handling and new Race Mode, but some bemoaning the cramped interior dimensions inherent of the Elise chassis. The take-over of Proton by DRB-Hicom[13] however led to a halt in funding, a shutdown of the factory production lines and further delays for deliveries to September 2012[14].
Potential customers for the car finally got a chance to drive it during a series of dealer demo days[15] in May, and you can read about our test drive.
The first line built Exige S came off the production line on July 26th[16], however further checks and quality improvements meant that delays continued, with durability issues being cited as the cause[17]. The first cars to be shipped from the factory appeared to be Exige V6 Cup cars prepared by Lotus Racing and sold to Asia and the US for the Lotus Cup series[18]. On December 11th, 2012 the first European dealer demo cars were delivered to the Frédéric Koninckx Motors and Lotus Verhiest dealerships in Belgium[19], while UK dealer Bell & Colvill collected the first UK dealer demo car from Lotus's Hethel factory on December 14th 2012[20].
Platform Architecture
The V6 engined Exige retains the same basic chassis that has been used throughout the Elises life, but matches it up with a new rear sub-frame similar in design to that of the Evora with which it shares it's 2GR-FE engine.
Major mechanical changes to previous generation Elise chassis based cars include Evora style cast aluminium rear wishbones, larger suspension bushes carried over from the Evora and the addition of a rear anti-roll bar. The front wishbones remain a similar design but with extra strengthening. The steering rack is also replaced by a slightly quicker ratio unit, but despite the weight gain and wider tyres remains non-power-assisted.
The 2012 Exige S was also the first Lotus to see the latest generation Bosch derived Lotus DPM system, which boasts a highly acclaimed Race Mode which actively monitors the grip levels of the rear tyres and works to maximise traction.
Exige Models
Exige S (2012)
Exige S Roadster
Exige V6 Cup Track Day
Concept Cars
Exige S Roadster SPS
The Exige S Roadster was first shown at the Geneva Motor Show on 6th March 2012[21].
The show car featured several features not avaiable on the production model however, including a non-standard paint colour of Mansory Blue and a bespoke Mansory interior that featured additional trimming beyond the standard Premium Pack[22].
The car was also said to feature the SPS (Serial Precision Shift) hydraulically automated version of the EA60 gearbox as fitted to the Evora GTE, however the show car was non-functional. The SPS option was listed both for the Exige S and Exige S Roadster Specifications when the car was first listed on the Lotus Cars website, but was later removed.
Motorsport
Exige R-GT
Exige V6 Cup Competition
Exige V6 Cup R Development Mule
In December 2012 a lucky group of potential Exige V6 Cup customers, including forum member 'jokke_vlo' were invited up to Hethel to test out the latest developments by Lotus Racing on the companies test track[23].
The revised car features a number of aerodynamic and mechanical changes to help transform the latest Exige from a road and track day weapon in to a full race ready machine.
On the outside the car has sprouted an extended front splitter and larger, adjustable, rear wing, while a slatted rear engine cover, removed inner rear lights and cut out where the number plate normally rests aid cooling.
Under the hood there is no mention of any changes to the Toyota sourced 2GR-FE engine, but a sequential, paddle shift gearbox is added to help improve lap times and durability in race conditions.
This was not a finished product but offered an insight in to what the company is doing to develop the Exige as a race car.
References
- ↑ SELOC Forums » SELOC Chat » Imminent new very powerful factory Exige
- ↑ SELOC - Lotus Cars – Group Lotus unveils the next generation Exige at Frankfurt
- ↑ SELOC - MY12 Range Set To Hit Dealers Soon...
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S V6 Spotted Testing at the Nurburgring
- ↑ SELOC - Exige V6 and S2 Exige side by side in the Netherlands
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S V6 pictures and video from JCT600
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S Dealer Preview Dates Announced
- ↑ SELOC - Final Exige S Performance and Weight Figures
- ↑ SELOC - MY12 Exige S Brochure Available Online
- ↑ SELOC - Lotus to Launch Exige S Convertible at Geneva
- ↑ SELOC - Lotus Cars – Hardcore Soft Top
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S Review Day – Review Roundup
- ↑ SELOC - The Lotus Position – What Happening At Hethel?
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S Deliveries to Begin September
- ↑ SELOC - Exige S Demo Days
- ↑ SELOC - Lotus Cars – First Production Exige S comes off the Assembly Line
- ↑ SELOC - Exige hit with further delays
- ↑ LotusTalk - Lotus "Track" and Racing Cars - Exige Cup V-6
- ↑ SELOC - European Exige S dealer demo deliveries begin
- ↑ SELOC - Bell & Colvill collect UKs first Exige S dealer demonstrator car
- ↑ SELOC - Lotus Cars – Hardcore Soft Top
- ↑ SELOC Forums » SELOC Chat » The Exige V6 photo thread
- ↑ SELOC - SELOC member tests latest Exige V6 developments from Lotus Racing