Lotus Exige Cup 260 aims for lightweight power

The Lotus Exige range has always been about offering more performance by losing more weight. The latest Exige Cup 260 takes the 38 kg weight savings introduced in last year’s Cup 240 model, combines them with the extensive body and aerodynamic improvements and revisions introduced on the 2010 Exige in March 2009 and tops them off with new components and technologies.

The Lotus Exige Cup 260, designed to be eligible as a competitor in the Lotus Cup Europe race series, comes with a larger lightweight carbon-fibre rear wing that maintains downforce figures of 42 kg at 160 kph. Weight savings are achieved with extensive use of carbon-fibre body panels.

The supercharged and intercooled 257 hp engine offers a torque figure of 236 Nm at 6000 rpm, with a top speed of 245 kph, a 0-100 kph figure of 4.1 seconds, a 0-160 kph figure of 9.9 seconds, and burning only 8.5 litres of petrol per 100 km. It uses a roof scoop as one of its air intakes.

The restyled front end includes a larger, more angular air intake to help funnel more air through the radiator. Ahead of the front wheels on either side of the main aperture, two larger air intakes increase the airflow to the twin oil coolers. Mounted below the three air intakes is a new aerodynamic splitter.

Ohlins two-way adjustable dampers are now fitted as standard. The brake system includes large diameter 308 mm 2-piece cross-drilled and ventilated front discs and 282 mm cross-drilled and ventilated discs at the rear, upgraded Pagid RS14 sports brake pads set into the brake calipers — AP Racing two piece radially mounted, 4 piston at the front and Brembo sliding at the rear.

The barebones 890 kg sports car is priced well above Dhs 250,000 in Europe. It may be available through the Lotus dealerships in Saudi Arabia, which happens to be the only official setup in the GCC.