Lotus will offer the Exige in 2012 as a track-only car in America, despite killing off the street-legal Elise and Exige due to air bag laws and the discontinuation of the car’s 1.8L Toyota 4-cylinder motor.

The 2012 Exige for North America will be based on the Exige S and get a 3.5L supercharged V6 from the Evora making 345 horsepower. 60 mph comes up in 3.8 seconds and the car is good for a V-Max of 170 mph. Standard equipment should include a roll cage, harnesses, bucket seats, an electrical cut-off switch and other features that will make it legal for competition use.

The Exige is expected to carry a base price of around $85,000-$90,000, but we’ll have to wait for an official announcement from Lotus for more info.

[Source: DuPont Registry]

Ahead of its Frankfurt Auto Show premiere of six new models, Lotus has released a perplexing video teaser of one of these new sports cars. But wait, the above screen shot, taken from the boxer-on-a-race-track Lotus Films production, hints that perhaps Lotus will reveal an all-new Exige in Frankfurt.

Don’t expect a production model, but rather a concept, likely powered by either the same non-existent 2.0-liter 4-cylinder as found in the Elise concept, or perhaps the 3.5-liter V6 shared with the Evora.

Previous reports have also suggested the Exige will be a race car intended for use in rally racing.

In addition, Lotus has promised a new Elise S supercharged model, an Evora S IPS (automatic transmission) model, as well as an Elise SPS – using some type of automated manual gearbox. The remaining two cars are expected to be the production version of the Evora GTE Road Car concept, as well as the special Evora S Freddie Mercury Edition.

Look for more details tomorrow at AutoGuide’s official Frankfurt Auto Show page here.

Watch the video after the jump:

Continue Reading…

The Lotus Cup USA Series will begin its season on September 2nd at New Jersey Motorsports Park, followed by a second round at Lime Rock Park In Connecticut on October 20th.

The inaugural East Coast events kick off the series, which features both open lapping days and a time trial event. The idea is to let Lotus customers experience their car on a closed course, and operate them in the way they were intended to be driven.

Participants will also be able to receive professional instruction behind the wheel of an Evora as part of the aptly named “Evora Performance Driving Experience”.

Lotus will be packing heat this year at the upcoming Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance with the Evora GTE Road Car Concept and the Exige Matte Black Final Edition.

The Evora GTE Road Car will be unveiled to the world for the first time at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival event Wednesday night, August 17 at the Monterey Jet Center. This high performance Evora was built for the sole purpose of being successful in the new global motorsport GTE category. The Evora will crank out 420-hp with a sequential AMT racing gearbox sending power to the wheels via ultra-light forged alloy rims with center-lock hubs and Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires. The sports car will later be shown within the Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill on August 18-20 before being moved onto the Concept Car Lawn for display for the rest of the weekend.

The US Premiere of the North American only Exige Matte Black Final Edition will premiere within the Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill on August 18-21. This Exige gets bumped up to 257-hp, a stealthy paint job and black Alacantara sport seats. Only twenty-five of these vehicles will be produced, each with their own number plate.

The current Lotus Exige is on the way out. Production has stopped for the European spec model since last December, because its current 1.8-liter, four-cylinder engine does not meet current emission standards. And here at home, Lotus just announced a Final Edition model to bring the car’s run to a close.

So what is Lotus to do with the Exige now? Simple answer, make a V6 version with the engine out of the Evora. But it is no easy swap. The Toyota-sourced V6 engine is bigger, so Lotus has been running a test mule with a wider track and a longer wheelbase.

Don’t think the next Exige will be some Frankensteinien-like disfigured monster either, cobbled together hastily. The new car will be mostly new and its styling will be quite different. Lotus design boss Donato Coco thinks their current line-up looks “too weak” and wants to inject more style in their future models.

So expect the new Exige to have the new family look as previewed by Lotus at various auto shows over the last year. Their first completely  new model will be the Esprit, which is due in 2013.

For the time-being, an updated Exige along with the current Evora should allow Lotus to bridge the gap between their current and their future cars.

[Source: Autocar]

Lotus has to clear out its hoary old inventory for the future of its “New Era,” and as such, it’s sending the Elise and Exige out of American production with some guaranteed-to-be-rare limited editions.

Production for the Elise and Exige will end August 2011 for America—Lotus cites its difficulty in sourcing Toyota’s 1.8-liter 2ZZ engine as the reason to stop building them. The final cars will be “instantly collectible,” as Lotus cites, and limited to nifty matte-black and color schemes, with supercharged engines and an impressive array of standard features.

The Elise SC Final Edition gets a supercharged 218-hp engine and matte black paint on the hardtop and mirrors. Standard features will be unprecedented for a Lotus: air conditioning, MP3-ready radio, central locking, traction control and iPod connectivity as part of the Touring pack will all be standard, as well as a a limited-slip differential. It will be available in four colors and will start at $57,500.

The Exige gets two special editions: the Exige Matte Black Final Edition gets matte black paint as reflective of its namesake, Alacantara sport seats and body-colored wings and side scoops. The Exige S260 Final Edition, on the other hand, will be available in actual hues—Lotus’s entire Metallic, Lifestyle and Limited palette is available at no extra charge—thus sparing its well-heeled owner of “Lord Vader, your car has arrived” jokes. Both cars get the same 257-hp supercharged engine with a limited-slip differential and Sport/Touring packs standard.

As per any limited edition, production will be kept to comically low examples. The Elise SC will only see 15 examples built, while the Exige Matte Black Final Edition and the Exige 260 will be numbered up to 25 and 30, respectively.

It’s safe to assume that all models have been spoken for, which really leaves this announcement as a tease for budding Lotus fans.

GALLERY: Lotus Final Editions

Lotus is planning to build a Exige-based rally car that it will debut later this year at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The decision to enter the pro-rallying ranks is the latest move by the British sports car maker to further expand its motorsports activities that currently stretch from GT car racing at Le Mans to Formula 1 and Indy Car.

Reports are unclear as to weather this race car will share parts with the now-discontinued Exige, or if it will be an all-new chassis (likely based on the Evora platform).

According to CAR Magazine, Lotus’s ambitions aren’t to compete at the top-tier, but instead the RWD rally car will be built to drive in a class below the Super 2000 category.

It’s not yet clear if Lotus will enter a factory-backed team in either the WRC or IRC rally series, and instead may rely on selling prepped-cars to independent teams.

The Frankfurt show car will be ready for racing duty by January 2012 and in order to meet homologation standards at least 300 versions of the car will have to be built for street use.

[Source: CAR]

The RSRNurburg school runs a fleet of brand new Lotus cars at the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps for those feeling the need for speed. Based out of Nurburg, Germany, the company allows drivers to sample a new Lotus Exige S’s and track the car on both the Nuburgring in Germany and the Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

As well as the two track sessions, beautiful twisty turny roads have been selected so the driver gets to experience both road and track. The tour is ended by passing the secret factory workshops of Porshce, Ferrari and Aston Martin. RSRNurburg will teach the driver high speed driving techniques, correst use of the controls, the racing line and the best use of different variations through the convoy training system and finding the importance of balance.

Prices vary from  €249 which includes fuel and insurance for a half day package to €1495 per driver for a full day of racing at the Nurburgring racetrack.

[Source: The Lotus Forums]

According to a report from Autoblog North American-spec production of the Lotus Elise and Exige will end in August, leaving the brand with only the Evora to sell as its sole product.

Since its debut in 2004 the Elise, and its hardtop Exige sibling have won accolades from enthusiasts and journalists alike, but have always been a niche product. The end of the Toyota 2ZZ engine, which powered the Elise on our shores, likely contributed to this decision.

The Elise will continue to be sold in Europe with a new 1.6L four-cylinder engine until a replacement arrives in 2015.

[Source: Autoblog]

With the new Lotus models looming on the horizon, current Lotus owners may be looking for new ways to spice up their ride before the new model range kicks off in 2015. Tecnocraft, an American manufacturer of carbon fiber products, seems to be listening to the demand, developing a program for the current model Lotus Elise and Exige.

No actual details have been released from Tecnocraft on the products that will be available, but these photos may be provide some hints. Clearly replacement carbon fiber seats will be available, saving some weight in an already svelte vehicle. The exterior meanwhile looks to get some carbon fiber inserts on the hood.

[Source: GTspirit]

GALLERY: Tecnocraft Lotus Carbon Fiber Parts