Those after a sports car to drive and love on both road and track could do a whole lot worse than a Series 3 Exige. Whatever it lost in terms of delicacy against earlier, lighter, four-cylinder versions, it made up for in sheer brawn and useful technology like the Bosch ABS and TC system. Plus the sound, of course.
All the S3 Exiges, though eventually becoming more aggressive as the years passed, looked like shrunken Group C race cars, and felt like them to be in as well, with a big single wiper and prominent manual lever. They were plenty fast, too, but required work to get the best from them, which played nicely to that retro sportscar racer feel. The chassis was communicative and capable, the powertrain durable and all the Exiges felt like bonafide mini supercars even when not going for it. Right down to being a faff to get into and see out of, they were brand-new, old-school exotica.
For those that did want to completely fulfil the potential of the Exige, a host of parts were available to upgrade the car, both via Lotus Motorsport and third-party suppliers. While it was a car that stopped, steered and screamed along very well as standard, regular track day goers will have been keen to maximise their Lotus. Which is what a previous owner of this one did. Quite a lot.
The advert for this suggests it’s a race car, which the spec is easy to believe, though it began life as a road-legal Exige in 2016 and has an MOT. It seems an even more extreme proposition than the Cup 430 from later in the production run, and that was a truly exhilarating little car. Power is up to 460hp thanks to a Komotec upgrade kit (ECU, carbon airbox, modified supercharger pulley, new exhaust manifold and sports cats), which reaches the road through a Quaife limited-slip differential. A very encouraging start.
And that's just the beginning. According to the ad somewhere in the region of £50k has been spent on the Exige; lots of money has gone on some stunning carbon fibre additions, in case it didn’t look racy enough, but there are some proper chassis bits as well. There are Nitron dampers, which presumably have some adjustability in them, Team Dynamics wheels, ‘oversized race brakes’ and even a steering rack upgrade. A new shifter and cables for the manual should prevent any baulking with any quick changes on track.
There’s an FIA-spec roll cage and Nankang semi-slick tyres included as well, so it’s hard to imagine there being much faster on your next track day than this Exige. It’s easy to see where money has been spent. Moreover, while that exhaust will need a cat for its MOT, there seems little reason why it couldn’t make for a truly wild road-going Lotus experience as well. If not a bargain, clearly a lot of money has been spent on this Lotus that’s now being included for not much of a premium - something equally low mileage and standard might still be more than £40k. A close-in-spirit Cup 430 might be nearer £90k. This isn’t the Exige for fans of originality or factory spec, sure, but adrenaline junkies need look no further.
SPECIFICATION | LOTUS EXIGE V6
Engine: 3,456cc V6, supercharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 350@7,000rpm (standard)
Torque (lb ft): 295@4,500rpm (standard)
MPG: 28 (NEDC combined, standard)
CO2: 236g/km (standard)
Year registered: 2016
Recorded mileage: 4,220
Price new: £55,900 (Sport 350, 2015)
Yours for: £49,995
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