Lotus sent its latest creation to the Nurburgring for further testing, with the 3-Eleven covering over 2,000km on the iconic track.

This was a part of the ongoing development for the open-cockpit model which is expected to enter production in early 2016 and also it was the first public outing of the 3-Eleven.

The new British track weapon completed a two-week test session with three different drivers behind its wheel, focusing on improving areas like aerodynamics, engine calibration, chassis tuning and suspension geometry.

Due to traffic on the circuit, Lotus didn’t announce a definitive lap time for the 3-Eleven, stating that their new creation ‘lapped regularly on or below the target simulation time’. The British company also says that by combining the quickest sector times achieved during the two fastest laps, the 3-Eleven managed a 7min 06sec time, giving us a taste of its track capabilities. In order to realize just how fast this time is, let us remind you that a Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the Green Hell in 6 min 57sec.

“I know the Nürburgring Nordschleife very well and have driven many cars around the circuit. I can say that the 3-Eleven is the perfect car for a fast lap here. It is so sharp and so focused; a true weapon! This was proven in the sector times set and I’m sure, with the track completely to itself, the car could push towards a 7min flat lap time,” said Marc Basseng, Lotus 3-Eleven Driver.

The Lotus 3-Eleven features a new lightweight body with an open cockpit and a mid-mounted supercharged V6 producing 450hp, making it the fastest and most powerful road-legal model that came out of Hethel, with the factory set to offer a ‘Race’ model, destined for track use only.

According to Jean-Marc Gales, Lotus CEO the new 3-Eleven “condenses all of our engineering know-how into an undiluted performance-focused package and we’re pleased to showcase to the world, the quickest and most powerful production Lotus to date. The 3-Eleven achieved one of the fastest ever lap times around the Nürburgring for any class of car and faster than many other supercars”.

The new Lotus 3-Eleven is scheduled to enter production in February 2016, with production limited to 311 units in total. The new model will be sold as a road car in Europe and Asia, with the rest of the markets receiving it as a track-only model, due to the different homologation rules.

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