Lotus reveal lightest V6 Exige ever

Lotus has introduced its new Porsche Cayman-crushing Exige 410 to fill the gap between the 430 Cup and 350 bookends.

Raiding the track-focussed 430's parts catalogue and using the same mid-mounted 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine, the 410 brings an equally hard-edged car that’s only a little tamer for the road.

The new coupe and roadster’s 20hp-milder tune reduces output to 306kW at 7000rpm and 420Nm between 3000-7000rpm that’s sent through a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission to the rear-wheels.

Already powerful enough to rival most sports cars like the 269kW/420Nm Cayman GTS, the British marque has put its latest model on a weight-loss diet via the extensive use of carbon-fibre and removal of any mod cons. It's now the lightest V6-powered Exige in existence at just 1054kg and the power-to-weight ratio tells the whole story: 290kW per tonne that outshines the GT4’s 201kW/t and is not far from the McLaren 570S’ 299kW/tonne.

Complementing its supercar performance is a raft of quality gear to keep it glued down, including three-way adjustable Nitron dampers, adjustable Eibach front and rear anti-roll bars and 215/45 front and 285/30 rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres on 18-inch ultra-lightweight alloys. Braking should be just as sticky with four-piston AP Racing brakes clamping J-hook disc brakes. (Track-derived J-hook discs aren’t drilled and benefit from strong initial bite but with increased durability.)

Outside is a new face with larger inserts and lower drag as well as carbon fibre diffusers and a large rear wing that combine to produce 150kg of downforce (60kg front, 90kg rear). On a straight road, the British belter accelerates from 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds on its way to a top speed of 290km/h.

Inside is as sparse as you’d expect from the lightweight brand with assumed standard features such as air conditioning, stereo and sound insulation all optional extras. Instead, an exposed transmission tunnel for the close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox sits between plenty of carbon-fibre panels and Alcantara trim.

An optional four-point racing harness, FIA-compliant rollcage and more carbon-fibre can also be optioned for weekend track work, while a full titanium exhaust shaves off a further 10kg.

Local pricing and availability hasn’t been announced yet but the Exige 410 is priced from $154,000 in the UK.