Race To Buy This 2016 Lotus 3-Eleven

By Steven Symes Oct 01, 2019

news

Shop Sports

By Steven Symes Oct 01, 2019

This car simplifies then adds lightness for the win.

Even by the standards of Lotus, a brand known for making extremely lightweight cars, this 2016 Lotus 3-Eleven is an extreme vehicle. With a potent supercharged V6, the simplified roadster will rocket you forward with breakneck acceleration. What’s more, with only 311 units produced for the entire global market, the opportunity to buy this car is one you might not see again.

View in gallery

View 33+

["Race To Buy This 2016 Lotus 3-Eleven"]

View

View 33+

When Lotus revealed the 3-Eleven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2015, it caused a real stir. Right off the bat, the exposed carbon fiber, absence of a windshield, prominent roll bar, and tall rear wing signal this is a vehicle not to be trifled with. Sharing some design elements with the Evora, you can immediately identify it as a Lotus.

Shoehorned behind the driver and passenger seats is a 3.5-liter Toyota 2GR-FE V6 engine with an Edelbrock Roots-type supercharger bolted up to it. Since this is the race version of the Lotus 3-Eleven, output peaks at 460 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 387 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,500 rpm. Those are impressive figures, but so is 0-62 mph acceleration at 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. You don’t even need to learn to double-clutch to enjoy that kind of performance, because this car has a 6-speed sequential manual transmission you control with paddles mounted to the steering wheel. Of course, handling is exceptional, just like you’d expect from a Lotus.

This is a pure race car without the frills you’ll find in other models, including the Lotus Evora. The cabin doesn’t feature any carpeting or additional padding, while both one-piece race seats come with five-point harnesses. All controls are contained in a single module to the right of the Momo steering wheel. A Zero 2000 fire extinguisher system is onboard, with the main tank at the passenger’s feet.

One of the main reasons why this car would make a wonderful investment is the extreme scarcity worldwide. That, combined with shocking performance makes for a vehicle which will always attract attention from those who know cars.

To inquire about purchasing this Lotus, see SCD Garage.