Guide: Lotus 111 Exige S1 — Supercar Nostalgia

Dec 14

Dec 14 Guide: Lotus 111 Exige S1

Lotus - Lotus Exige - Lotus Elise - 2000s British Cars - 2000s Supercars

Background

In the year 2000, Lotus Sport arranged a one-make racing series for specially prepared versions of the Elise that were supplied, maintained, set-up and transported by the factory.

A grid of over 20 cars contested each round of the Autobytel Lotus Championship which supported the British Touring Car Championship along with several European FIA Sportscar Series events. Races lasted 24 minutes plus one lap and Lotus even brought most of the sponsors on board themselves.

With its 205bhp VHPD K-series engine, race-tuned chassis and heavily spoilered Coupe body, the Motorsport Elise was the most extreme iteration of the Type 111 yet seen. It looked, drove and handled like a GT3 racing version of Lotus’s popular entry level model and, having already established a market for uprated Elises in varying states of tune, the Hethel manufacturer decided to offer a road-going incarnation dubbed the Exige.

Launched at Brands Hatch during the opening round of the inaugural Autobytel Lotus Championship in April 2000, the Exige was a last hurrah for the S1 Elise platform. It arrived as a slightly more civilised road-going replica of the Motorsport Elise with just a handful of concessions necessary to satisfy type approval regulations and ensure the new model was able to withstand the rigours of daily use.

With an intoxicating mix of Lotus Motorsport parts plus an array of model-specific features and the best equipment already showcased by high performance Elise variants, the Exige effectively replaced the 340R and Sport 190 as the most extreme Type 111 available.

Production started in June 2000 and, for the next 18 months, the Exige was offered alongside the entry level Elise, the Elise Sport 160 and various iterations of the by now V8-powered Esprit.

Chassis

The Exige was based around a bonded extruded aluminium tub imported from the regular Elise. The tub was manufactured on Lotus’s behalf by Hydro Automotive Structures and weighed just 68kg. Steel was used for the roll bar, galvanised rear subframe and bonded suspension mounts. As usual, a 40-litre fuel tank was located under the rear of the cockpit floor.

Like every Type 111, suspension was via upper and lower wishbones, co-axial coil springs over inverted monotube dampers and Lotus-patented extruded aluminium uprights.

In a similar fashion to the 340R and Elise 190 Sport, Eibach springs and adjustable Koni dampers were installed at each corner along with an anti-roll bar at either end. This arrangement gave a lower and stiffer set up than the standard Elise and allowed considerable scope for adjustment.

Brakes were 282mm cross-drilled and ventilated discs with AP Racing calipers up front and Bremo items out back.

Steering was unassisted rack and pinion type with a quicker ratio than the standard Elise.

Twelve-spoke anthracite-finish Rimstock wheels were specific to the Exige and the biggest yet fitted to a Type 111. The fronts were 7 x 16-inches while those at the back measured 8.5 x 17. They were originally shod with Yokohama A039 tyres (195/50 R16 and 225/45 R17 respectively).

Engine / Gearbox

In the engine bay was an all-alloy inline four cylinder VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) Rover K-series unit as used by the 340R. It featured a DOHC four valve head and displaced 1796cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 80mm and 89.3mm respectively.

The compression ratio was 10.5:1.

Engine management was courtesy of an in-house system developed by Lotus with electronic multi-point injection.

There was also a Lotus-designed Janspeed exhaust and Motorsport catalyst. To reduce noise, an air inlet throttle valve was installed.

Peak output was 177bhp at 7800rpm and 127lb-ft at 6750rpm.

Transmission was through a close-ratio five-speed gearbox, AP Racing clutch and limited-slip differential.

Bodywork

Externally, the Exige used a broadly similar bodyshell to the Motorsport Elise albeit with a riveted front spoiler that offered a little more ground clearance plus slightly narrower fenders, a smaller roof-mounted snorkel with radio antenna and a larger un-vented rear windscreen. Other model specific equipment included a different rear spoiler assembly and re-profiled underbody venturi canards.

Compared to a regular Elise, the Exige used a modified front clip with flared and vented fenders, brake cooling ducts outboard of the primary nose intake and a deep wraparound chin spoiler.

Instead of a removable Targa-style panel, there was a fixed body coloured roof with integrated snorkel that fed fresh air to the engine’s induction system.

Unlike the flat rear deck and flying buttress-style sail panels used by the Elise, the Exige adopted a fully enclosed Fastback engine cover with transparent polycarbonate rear window. Also forming part of the rear clip was a fully shrouded tail and flared arches with a matt black shark fin-style stone protector ahead of each rear wheel.

Down each flank were more aggressively styled skirts.

Overall the Exige was 29mm wider, 35mm longer and (on account of its roof snorkel) 53mm taller than a standard Elise.

Aside from the carbonfibre rear wing, body panels were fashioned from lightweight plastic composite.

Interior

Inside, the cockpit was effectively a Coupe version of the regular Elise..

The metal upper dash and transmission tunnel were given a dark grey textured finish while, aside from leatherette sills, door panels and seats plus a fabric roofliner, the rest of the cockpit surfaces were left in bare aluminium.

A curved two-gauge instrument binnacle housed analogue read outs for road and engine speed. All other vital statistics were accessed via the Stack digital readout located at the base of the two main dials.

Single-piece bucket seats could be adjusted fore / aft only. To give the driver the clearest possible vision, the driver’s seat was positioned closer to the centre of the car than the passenger’s (which was fixed in the rearmost position).

The standard specification included wind-down windows and an audio system.

Options

Exige buyers could personalise their car with a number of optional extras to include leather / alcantara 340R-style Sports seats with four-point harnesses and fixing bar, leather upholstery, metallic paint, premium Alpine speakers, an upgraded alarm system, air-conditioning and Exige-branded floormats. There was also an alcantara trim pack (for the sills, door trims, dashboard insert and steering wheel) plus a removable steering wheel (suitable for track-use only).

After-market dealer-supplied options included a sports exhaust, cat replacement pipe, racing brake pads and the 190bhp engine upgrade.

The transformation from standard to ‘190′ specification comprised the following enhancements: re-mapped engine management, a 101° inlet camshaft pulley (to optimise output and mid-range torque) and an 82° thermostat (that allowed the engine to run cooler). Lotus also removed the resonator valve and secondary air filter. A cat replacement pipe reduced exhaust back-pressure, increased output, gave better throttle response and a fruitier engine note.

Peak output was 190bhp at 7800rpm and 126lb-ft at 5000rpm.

Weight / Performance

At 724kg the Exige weighed 31kg less than a standard Elise.

Top speed was 136mph (up from 126mph) and 0-62mph took just 4.7 seconds (down from 5.8).

Production Changes

The only major production changes occurred during the year 2000 when the two exposed screws at leading edge of sail panel were deleted (July) and air-conditioning was made standard (October).