Posted July 31, 2017 by 99MilesPerHour Legendary Lotus Series

Lotus Exige “S” LF1: The Paradigm Of Success

Colin Chapman’s paradigm is ensconced within his famous rhetorical quote which became the company impetus – “Adding power makes one faster on the straights…subtracting weight makes one faster everywhere.” Lotus became synonymous with speed. The Lotus legend continues. Let’s fast forward to the 21^st Century. Colin Chapman’s philosophy of weight reduction with aerodynamic architecture is the basis for the formidable Lotus Exige. It’s a car suited for the purist who knows the breed well.

Time dulls the impact of some automobiles in its class…however, a Lotus goes down in history as a true masterpiece in every respect. Its predecessors – the sophisticated first generation of high-performance behemoths that includes the Elite, Elan, and Europa are the pioneers which paved the super highway of success for the brand. The Lotus Exige is your best decision ready to be made if unambiguous high-performance, superb overall handling, and superior automotive concepts are what you seek. Aside from its technical superlatives – the Lotus Exige is drop-dead gorgeous!!!

Colin Chapman (1928-1982) hid his light under a bushel. The name of that bushel is Lotus! It was the very heart and soul of this man. The driving force behind the man…was his love for automobile racing and his indomitable strive for absolute perfection. Unlike the average CEO…Colin Chapman was actively involved with every aspect of his business – from the boardroom right straight through the assembly hall – he loved to place himself strategically in the center of everything.

When things went well, one received the twinkle of his blue eyes and a gratuitous nod of approval with a hearty thank-you. Colin Chapman would adamantly refuse to accept error – if one would not put their best foot forward, the twinkle in his eye quickly turned torrential grey and his demeanor became as fierce and unrelenting as a hurricane. This is how Lotus Cars home based in Norfolk, United Kingdom has become superfluous with legendary high performance…precision engineering…and automotive innovation.

Lotus Exige “S”

The Lotus Exige is an extremely swift two-seat sports car based upon the highly successful Lotus Elise and has been built in various configurations since 2000. The Exige “S” packs its prolific punch with a supercharger. Exige is created from a race-bred heritage. It’s this intrinsic knowledge which exemplifies the brand. Lotus road-going models aren’t mere production sports cars – they are race cars dressed in street clothes. Every Lotus is destined to become a cherished collectible taking its place in automotive history.

One such coveted Collector’s Series is the Exige “S” LF1 built at a highly restricted pace of only 81 vehicles for the 2014 model year. When they were in build their price equated to around $105,000 USD (even though they were not imported to the US) which is about a $10,000 premium over the Exige “S” model. The LF1 is a culmination of Lotus fashionably forward-thinking augmented by the craft of 21^st Century tuning expertise. This type of refinement enhances the technological competence with a touch of dynamism further reinforcing Colin Chapman’s theory –

This distinctive limited edition is built to celebrate 81 Lotus grand prix victories. The LF1 is all decked out exhibiting Lotus F1 livery-inspired black with contrasting gold accents for both exterior and interior trim. The bold black and gold ensemble represents livery colors from the 1970s and 1980s which blends Exige’s contemporary sophistication with its Formula 1 racing heritage.

Each car is sequentially numbered to commemorate a specific victory in Lotus history from the very first in 1960 at Monaco to the 81^st in 2013 in Australia with Kimi Raikkonen. “LF1” badges immediately identifies this unique collectible. Every Lotus brings an illustrious motorsport heritage. Why…ask any Lotus owner. Wouldn’t trade my Elan Sprint for all the tea in China! Especially now when the first-generation Lotus Elan is gaining such admiration as a true definitive British classic sports car –

The Exige “S” LF1 pays homage to Formula 1 Team success with Lotus resplendence. Riding a tight 90.6” wheelbase, the LF1 sports aggressively styled gold 17” wheels fitted to the front axle with 18” mounted to the rear. The wheels are mounted to Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo Tyres. Subtle red accents flow throughout the vehicle in a tasteful contrast…highlighting the lower front-end valance with hood and roof striping back to and ending with the underside of the rear wing. Classic red racing-inspired four piston calipers accent the two-piece high performance brake discs.

The Exige “S” Lf1 is powered by an alloy 3.5 litre transverse mid-mounted supercharged 24-valve Toyota 2GR-FZE V6 engine. It’s equipped with a 4-Mode Lotus Dynamic Performance Management system with launch control, an exhaust-bypass valve and optimized suspension settings. It also includes Variable Valve Timing, a 9-multiport sequential fuel injection system, and a Harrop HTV 1320 supercharger with an Eaton TVS technology intercooler. Its sophisticated electronics includes a direct ignition system and Lotus Electronic Throttle Control system. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox with sports ratios, constant mesh helical gears and open differential. A Bosch Electronic Differential Lock aids traction and stability for this rear-wheel drive sports car.

The Exige “S” LF1 is constructed using composite body panels with an extruded aluminium bonded chassis structure. This lightweight 2,592 lbs. sports car has a wind cheating drag coefficient of 0.433. The front splitter, rear diffuser, and wing are designed to enhance the car’s aerodynamics.

Its fully independent suspension is equipped front and rear with roll bars for aggressive road-holding stability. Bilstein high performance gas-filled dampers and Eibach coaxial coil springs are fitted to the front and rear. Sophisticated rack and pinion steering provides the driver with excellent maneuverability. Standard equipment includes Lotus/Bosch tuned ABS, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Electronic Brake Distribution, and Cornering Brake Control.

The inner world of the Exige “S” LF1 intrigues the senses with leather, Alcantara, and carbon fibre. It is immediately set apart from its Exige “S” siblings by its exclusive carbon fibre build plate. This alerts passengers to the fact this is a piece of Lotus history. The black leather clad interior is highlighted with gold accents in true Lotus motorsport tradition. Embroidered “LF1” logos augment seatbacks, head restraints, and floor mats. The LF1’s Formula 1 heritage and contemporary values are presented as an abstract work of automotive art.

Distinctive F1 livery colors are coordinated throughout

Meet Colin Chapman’s high-performance legends

The Elite, Elan, and Europa models are Colin Chapman’s 20^th Century algorithms which set the stage for today’s high-performance athletes. His indomitable obsession and artful genius created processes and industry innovation that became an epiphany changing sports car design forever.

Formula 1 provenance is the underlying order of every Lotus automobile. The Exige “S” is the extremely swift supercharged sports car based upon these formidable principles. Its capability of achieving 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds made it the ideal candidate in 2014 as the basis for a distinctive limited-edition sports car to celebrate Lotus historical grand prix victories.

The Exige “S” LF1 was built at a highly restricted pace of 81 vehicles. Each one is serialized sequentially to commemorate the historic grand prix victories from the first in 1960 to the 81^st in 2013. The Exige “S” LF1 Formula 1 livery black and gold clad collectibles are worthy additions to your collection – if you get lucky. Hopefully…this will be a short-lived interregnum between grand prix victories for the brand. The Exige is a thoroughbred built in the formidable Lotus tradition. It’s a sporting machine Colin Chapman would be proud to bear his name.