New Lotus Exige S Roadster Announced in Promo Video

Lotus cars are unique machines, which reflect the company’s strict philosophy on cutting weight, keeping the size small and the driving dynamics agile. They are widely regarded as being very good driving and fun cars to chuck around a track or a twisty bit of road. Nowadays, if you were to say that a car “handles like a Lotus,” you’d be entering the realm of clichés – their handling is their party piece, and it is stating the obvious.

Now, the British automaker is enhancing its range, as it chopped off the roof of the Exige S creating the Roadster, which just made its official appearance in a video, announcing potential buyers that the car is “ready for the summer.”

Returning to the previous idea, if I may, one can find many capable limited production sports cars out there, and while the heritage behind the Lotus name still means something, they have to adapt to the changing times – they are not Morgan. This is why Lotus added a roadster variant to the Exige S lineup, a car first revealed at the 2012 Geneva motor show.

Lotus says it is their fastest-ever drop top model, a topless offering that gets its motivation from the now-familiar 3.5-liter V6 engine, which is boosted by a supercharger to 345 hp (350 PS) – the unit is identical to that of the hardtop model. The benchmark sprint is dealt with in four seconds dead, and the top speed is 233 km/h, or 145 mph – ~41 km/h (25 mph) lower than that of the fixed-roof variant.

By Andrei Nedelea

2012 LOTUS EXIGE S ROADSTER STUDY

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