Lotus Exige Lf1 Review
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The Lotus Exige S has always been one of our favorite sports cars. It carries an unmatched design that oozes sportiness and aggression, plus it houses a 3.5-liter, V-6 engine that pumps out 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. That enables the Exige S to speed from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 170 mph. Those are impressive credentials for the Exige S, a car that Lotus has apparently deemed fit to use as the basis for the Exige LF1, a special-edition model that pays homage to the company's success in Formula One.
Lotus developed the Exige LF1 as a shout-out to its 81 Formula One victories. That's why the automaker will offer only 81 examples, ensuring that the LF1 remains as exclusive as any sports car Lotus has created in its long and esteemed history.
Unique modifications are at the heart of the changes made to the Exige LF1. These upgrades ensure the exclusivity of the model, while also giving customers a unique education on the success the company has had in Formula One racing.
Lotus plans to debut the Lotus Exige LF1 simultaneously in two separate locations. A right-hand-drive version of the model is currently on display at the Canary Wharf Motorexpo in London where it will remain until Sunday, June 15th. A left-hand-drive, European-spec model will make its debut at the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans June 11th through June 15, 2014.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2015 Lotus Exige LF1 Limited Edition.
Exterior
The most compelling aspect of the Lotus Exige LF1 is the automaker's use of the iconic black and gold livery that has adorned Lotus Formula One cars to this day. The matching red accents are also a hat tip to the legendary F1 colors.
Gold is well represented on the 17- or 18-inch matte-finished, five-spoke, cast-alloy wheels that are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo tires. A stylistically pleasing racing red and gold racing stripe also makes its way onto the body, running the length of the roof and the hood. A black and gold Lotus nose badge is also part of the unique exterior package.
Rounding out the exterior mods are the obligatory "LF1" badges.
Interior
The interior of the Exige LF1 definitely screams "limited edition." In here, you'll find the same black and gold treatment highlighted by a bespoke leather trim and technical fabric seductively colored in black and complemented by gold piping and stitching.
Embroidered logos also make prominent appearances in the cabin, including "LF1" logos on the headrests and floor mats, and "Lotus F1 Team" logos on the seat backs. Each of the 81 available models also received individually numbered, limited-edition, carbon-fiber build plates representing all of Lotus' Formula victories, beginning with its first triumph at the 1960 Monaco GP all the way to Kimi Raikkonen's triumph at the Australian Grand Prix last year.
The overall look and feel of the Exige LF1's cabin exudes class and exclusivity, the kind you only get with a car that's been created to serve a specific purpose.
Drivetrain
The special-edition Exige retains its 3.5-liter, V-6 engine with no power upgrades, so expect to see 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque on this model. Even without any engine modifications, this 81-off Exige can still blast to to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds to go with a top speed of 170 mph. This special model does, however, come with the Race Pack, which adds in the 4 Mode Lotus Dynamic Performance Management system that includes launch control, an exhaust-bypass valve and optimized suspension settings.
If you're going to go fat, then you need to stop fast too, so Lotus includes two-piece rotors to help aid in heat dissipation and reduce stopping distances.
The only bit of disappointment is the car's fuel consumption in the city, which indicates returns of just 19 mpg. Fortunately, highway driving is much more fuel efficient at 37 mpg while the combined rating of 28 mpg is equally impressive.
Prices
Lotus is only building 81 models of the Exige LF1. No word yet on how much it's going to cost, although it's likely that the sports coupe will sell for somewhere around &euro66,000 (about $90,000 as of 6/10/2014). It should be no surprise that none of these models are earmarked for the U.S., as the Exige is not approved to roam our streets as of the 2014 model year.
For those lucky enough to get one of the 81 available models, Lotus is throwing in a handful of cool freebies, including a factory tour for two people of the company's production plant in Hethel, England. Another factory tour for two is also being given away, this time at Lotus F1 Team's headquarters in Enstone, England, as well as a collector's edition owner's pack that includes an Exige LF1 Membership card, giving members as much as 20-percent discounts on Lotus Originals and Heritage merchandise and 10-percent savings on the F1 team's replica collection. A 1:2 scale replica helmet of Roman Grosjean is also part of the freebies, as are a Lotus F1 car key fob and a USB stick.
Competition
Porsche Cayman GTS
The Porsche Cayman was only introduced in 2006, but in its short time, it has established quite a reputation as the baby Porsche.
The latest iteration of the Cayman was presented as a 2015 Cayman GTS model. The new Cayman GTS features an aggressive exterior design that serves as a nice complement to its incredibly powerful 3.4-liter, flat-six engine that develops 340 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Those numbers represent a 15-horsepower improvement over the 2014 model and 7 added pound-feet of torque. Taken together, the 2015 Cayman GTS is capable of hitting 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds to go with a top speed of 177 mph.
The 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS runs $76,195, including the $995 destination charge. That's right in the ball park of what the Lotus Exige sells for, making these two cars about as close as competitors can be.
BMW M235i Coupe
We've already lamented how the lack of attention given to the BMW M235i is inexcusable. Sure, it doesn't carry the same level of prestige as its M big brothers, but the M235i is still more than capable of being a fringe competitor to the Lotus Exige.
First of all, it carries BMW's fresher and sharper design aesthetics. Complementing that is a 3.0-liter, inline six-cylinder engine equipped with TwinPower Turbo technology, allowing the car to produce 322 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. It's not as fast off the block as the Exige, but it's 0-to-60-mph time of 4.8 seconds and 155-mph top speed are still impressive performance numbers.
One other thing the BMW M235i has going for it is its price tag, which is $44,025. That's a lot cheaper than what you would've spent on a Lotus Exige, let alone the ultra limited Exige LF1 Edition.
Conclusion
There's a lot to love about the Lotus Exige LF1. The F1-inspired colors look great on the sports Exige, but it's the interior that really sets it apart from other special-edition models we've seen in the past. Black and gold really looks good when done correctly, and Lotus got it perfect. But it is still sad to see that this sexy Exige will not make it to the U.S., but we've gotten used to that as of late.
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Love it
- You won't want to leave the cabin once you're inside
- Fancy black and gold livery brings out the F1 soul in the Exige LF1
- Limited quantities
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Leave it
- Not available in the US
- Would have been nice to have engine upgrades
Source: https://www.topspeed.com/cars/lotus/2014-lotus-exige-lf1-limited-edition-ar163865.html
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