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2005 Lotus Exige 240R Preview

When Less is Obviously More

In North America and across the globe, Lotus is making a rebound as a seriously competitive sports car manufacturer. With the demise of the supercar-challenging Esprit V8, the brand has been left with all of two vehicles - the mid-engined Elise roadster and the track-day hardtop variant, the Exige.

Now in their second generation, the dynamic duo is starting to pull full force on the sports car scene and theres no better proof than the limited-edition Exige 240R, built by Lotus Sport, the brands performance arm.

The 240R will be the fastest and quickest road-legal Lotus, stopping short of the one-off 400-hp

The 240R will be the fastest and quickest road-legal Lotus, stopping short of the one-off 400-hp Sport Exige. (Photo: Lotus)

Sport Exige. What makes this particular breed so special is it raises the bar performance-wise even further, stretching its small-dimension body and tiny-capacity motor to the absolute limits of engineering.

As with the regular Exige S2 and the Elise 111R, the 240R features a Toyota-sourced 2ZZ-GE 1.8-liter inline-four with VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing with Lift

The 240R features a Toyota-sourced 2ZZ-GE 1.8-liter inline-four with VVTL-i. (Photo: Lotus)

- intelligent) that can be found in the Toyota Celica GT-S and Corolla/Matrix XRS. Acting as the successor to the Rover K-Series engine, the Japanese unit has the same high-revving characteristics, but betters the British unit in terms of reliability and emissions.

However, in the case of the 240R, "stock" almost never makes the grade; Lotus Sport technicians wanted their special Exige to be the performance equivalent of a 3.0-liter V6. Through Lotus "Engine Downsizing"

Lotus Sport technicians wanted their special Exige to be the performance equivalent of a 3.0-liter V6. (Photo: Lotus)

research, the development team was able to modify the engine through supercharging. Despite the base engines high 8,500-rpm redline and compression ratio, very few changes were required to adapt the engine for forced aspiration. A low-pressure Eaton M62 supercharger, an air-to-air intercooler fed by the roof scoop, and a new intake manifold, plenum and induction system, are the only new components required.

Seeing as this model will most likely be used as a track car, Lotus has also upgraded its cooling system to deal with the extra strain of high-revs

Lotus claims that the Exige 240R has a maximum power output of 243-horsepower at 8,000 rpm. (Photo: Lotus)

for long durations of time. Dual oil coolers keep running temperatures low, while the new Accusump keeps pressure constant, even during the high G-forces of hard cornering.

With the supercharged engine, Lotus claims that the Exige 240R has a maximum power output of 243-horsepower at 8,000 rpm, with 174 lb-ft of torque developed at 7,000 rpm. The revised Lotus-T4 engine management system has also been reprogrammed to adapt to the additional power gains and the different power delivery. The computer has been altered to change the timing of the cam-change from the low-power to the hi-power shafts. The result: linear power delivery from just 4,000 rpm.

The Exige 240R is capable of time-bending acceleration: 60 mph is reached from a standstill within 3.9 seconds. (Photo: Lotus)

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