Lotus Exige Sport 350 Roadster – World debut at Geneva
Lotus chops the top from the fantastic Exige Sport 350 to create a new Roadster variant
Lotus has revealed the new Exige Sport 350 Roadster at the Geneva Motor Show. The open-top, mid-engined V6 sports car joins the Exige Sport 350 coupe that was launched at the end of 2015.
The Sport 350 Roadster tips the scales at 1085kg and is the lightest incarnation of any Exige on sale today. Weighing some 40kg less than the coupe, thanks to the removal of the car’s fixed roof, additional weight saving measures include the fitment of a carbon fibre tailgate, side air intakes and seats, a lithium ion battery, forged alloy wheels and two-piece cross-drilled and ventilated brake discs.
As with the coupe the Exige Sport 350 Roadster is powered by a 345bhp 3.5-litre supercharged V6 Toyota engine and is available with either the revised and lighter (by 1.5kg) six-speed manual gearbox introduced on the Sport 350 coupe, or with a six-speed automatic gearbox. The Sport 350 Roadster will crack 150mph and reach 60mph in 3.7 seconds.
The new Sport 350 Roadster wears the same battledress as its coupe cousin, including the fixed rear wing, while inside the new roadster can be ordered with the company’s new heritage tartan trim. The new roadster will cost the same as the coupe, £55,900.
Joining the Exige 350 Roadster on Lotus’ Geneva motor show stand were the new Evora Sport 410, Elise Cup 250 and the 3-Eleven.