We’ve seen the Lotus Exige Sport 350 up close thanks to some beautiful press pictures while also reading all about following its release earlier in the week. Now the British marque has dropped the first official clip of the upgraded sports car, offering us our first opportunity to see it in action both on the street and the racetrack.
The new Exige Sport 350 follows the philosophy of famous mantra of Colin Chapman: “add lightness”. As such, Lotus has managed to strip away 51 kg from the already quite light Exige S, meaning the 350 tips the scales at just 1,125 kg. Some of the key weight saving measures include the installation of a lighter tailgate panel, an exposed shifting mechanism, lightweight battery, lighter engine mounts and new piping for the air-conditioning, heating and ventilation systems.
Beneath the skin, the Lotus Exige Sport 350 is powered by a supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine pumping out 345 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. While that engine is identical to the one powering the Exige S, the lower weight enables it to sprint to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.7 seconds and onto a 170 mph (273 km/h) top speed.
While a six-speed automatic gearbox with forged aluminum shifting paddles is available, customers who want a more analogue interaction with their sports car will have a revised six-speed manual with machined aluminum components and more precise shifting at their disposal.