Lotus will offer this new sports car in two versions: one for the streets and another prepared directly for use in competition. The Lotus 2-Eleven is a perfect “school” car for young drivers, as it combines a very stable chassis in maneuverability, good power and a weight so low as to have reactions worthy of a racing car.
Recalling the name of the original Lotus Eleven of the 1950s, the new 2-Eleven maintains its same design philosophy: aerodynamic advancement, very low weight plus a very powerful small engine. This car will be used in single-brand promotional competitions as happened with the Renault Spider at the time.
The Elise chassis was optimized and relieved, leaving its weight reduced to 650 kilograms. The new Lotus 2-Eleven was designed considering that weight reductions did not remove stiffness, for which certain reinforcements were developed in very specific areas. The whole car is built with lightweight materials such as aluminum and fiberglass.
The 2-Eleven features a 1,800 cm3 in-line four-cylinder engine. This impeller has a variable valve opening and closing system (WTL-i), as well as being supercharged by a turbo to achieve a maximum power of 252 hp.
The engine is coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox that allows the 2-Eleven to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h.
Another unique feature of the Lotus 2-Eleven is the Lotus exclusive traction system (LTCS) designed to reduce power in order to privilege traction capacity. This ensures, according to Lotus technicians, a faster and more efficient reaction than other manufacturers' systems.
The cabin of the 2-Eleven is Spartan as a good racing car. The street version has some comfort elements, although it does not spare much.
The two versions of the Lotus 2-Eleven are called “Track Only” and Road Going (the street car). The most obvious exterior differences are in the carbon fibre rear spoiler and in the sports seats designed by the FIA for their competitions.
Other differences, but now less visible, are the use of the catalyst, special optics and suspension tuning configurations that are better suited to urban use.
To conclude, it remains to comment that this sport made in England will be marketed throughout Europe plus Japan and Africa.
© Adrián Blanco 2007 - No full or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
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