We just received an email from Lotus’ North American division informing us about the introduction of the new Exige S Roadster in Europe along with the unfortunate news that the car won’t be sold in North America.
Here’s what it says: “I forward along this latest press release from my Lotus UK colleagues announcing the availability of the new Exige S Roadster, not to cruelly tease you with what we can’t have here in North America, but because the Exige V6 Cup and Exige V6 Cup R Lotus Racing variants ARE available here in North America for track use only!”
The Exige S Roadster, which was previewed in pre-production trim at last year’s Geneva Salon, will be available in the United Kingdom at a starting price of £52,900 (including VAT), in the rest of Europe at €55,378 (excluding local taxes), and in Japan, from ¥8,500,000 (including taxes). In all three cases, pricing is exactly the same as the Exige S coupe.
In the UK, the Exige S Roadster is £6,788 more expensive than the new 311hp (315PS) Porsche Boxster S.
Lotus said the Roadster model completes the Exige lineup that also includes the Exige S, Exige Cup and Exige Cup R models.
Weighing in at 1,166 kg (2,570 lbs), the Exige S Roadster is 10kg (22 pounds) lighter than the Exige S hard-top, with which it shares its 3.5-liter supercharged V6 producing 345hp (350PS) at 7,000 rpm and 295 lb-ft (400Nm) at 4,500 rpm, paired to 6 speed close ratio manual.
Despite being slightly lighter, the Roadster completes the 0-60mph (96km/h) sprint in exactly the same time as the coupe at 3.8 seconds, while it has a restricted top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h) compared to the hard-top’s unrestricted 170mph (274km/h).
Sales of the new Exige S Roadster will begin this summer.
New Exige S Roadster Specs:
Max Power: 345 hp (350 PS) at 7,000 rpm
Max Torque: 295 lb. ft. (400 NM) at 4,500 rpm
0 – 60 mph: 3.8 seconds
0 – 100 km/h: 4.0 seconds
Max Speed: 145 mph (233 km/h) / Restricted
Weight: 1,166 kg (2,570 lbs)
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