This double door 2-seater sports car that was manufactured by Louts Cars was launched as a coupe version of the Lotus Elise in 2000. A remarkable car that found a lot of staunch loyalists, the Lotus Exige had a host of features that made it stand out from its contemporaries.
The original version of this automobile was fitted with a 1.8 litre Rover K Series engine which had an output of 170 to 190 bhp. Wheel arches were wider when compared with the Elise and this vehicle also boasted of features like fibreglass roof, a splitter in the front as well as a large spoiler in the rear.
It took a gap of four years for Lotus to come out with a second version of the Exige, popularly refered to as the S2 Exige. This car was more advanced than its predecessor due to its 1.8 litre DOHC Toyota/Yamaha engine with 16 valves. The S2 Exige had a hardtop roof made of fibreglass that also had a roof scope along with a rear engine cover in addition to the features seen in the previous model. Aerodynamically, its design saw a lot of improvement and hence the power and performance of this car saw a significant rise.
The Lotus Exige was further developed in 2005, with the addition of supercharged engines which significantly increased the output of power to an impressive 243 hp. These models were produced in a limited way with only around 50 of them coming out of the production unit in total. The original colour of the car too was limited to black or yellow and these vehicles received the name tag of Exige 240 R. Performance factor of this models were considerably increased and it reached a top speed of 155 mph.
Lotus intends to improve upon its various models and targets a 240 bhp option with features like AP racing brakes and larger roof scope for its forthcoming trim levels.
