Lotus 2-Eleven

Lotus 2-Eleven at a glance

The 2-Eleven belongs to the family of lightweight Lotus cars that started with the Lotus Elise. Other models of the brand are in the Lotus catalogue.

Launch at Geneva

Lotus Sport presented the 2-Eleven at the 77th Geneva motor show on 28 February 2007. According to the launch specification, production was due to start in April 2007 at the company's base in Hethel, Norfolk. Each car carried a Lotus Sport build plate.

Lotus presented the car as a modern expression of Colin Chapman's principle of "performance through lightweight". Wikipedia lists the 340R as the predecessor of the 2-Eleven and the 3-Eleven as its successor.

From Exige S to 2-Eleven

The 2-Eleven used the mechanical base of the Exige S, the supercharged coupé of the time. Lotus removed the roof and the doors and fitted a new composite body. The gearbox kept the same ratios as in the Exige S.

The result was a much lighter and more extreme car. Without the coupé's roof structure and glazing, the 2-Eleven weighs 670 kg in road form. The power-to-weight ratio is about 281 kW per tonne, or 376 bhp per tonne in Lotus's own figures.

Engine and performance

The engine is Toyota's 1.8-litre 2ZZ-GE four-cylinder with variable valve timing and lift (VVTL-i). Bore and stroke are 82 mm and 85 mm. Lotus added an Eaton M62 Roots-type supercharger driven from the crankshaft, an intercooler, four high-capacity injectors and an uprated fuel pump. For track use there are an Accusump oil accumulator and two oil coolers.

A C64 six-speed manual with an aluminium casing drives the rear wheels. An open differential was standard. The switchable Lotus Traction Control System works through the engine and is active above 8 km/h.

Chassis, body and safety

The chassis is a high-sided version of the Elise structure, made of aluminium extrusions bonded with epoxy. A glass-fibre crash structure protects the front, and a high sill gives side protection. At the rear a galvanised steel subframe includes a crushable section.

A six-point roll-over structure that meets FIA rules is built in, with integral mounting points for the safety belts. The composite body weighs only 40 kg. Its panels are bolted on from the outside, so they can be removed and repaired easily.

The suspension uses unequal-length wishbones at all four corners, Öhlins dampers adjustable in two ways, coil-over springs and an adjustable Lotus Sport front anti-roll bar. A double-shear brace at the rear protects the track control arm from kerb strikes. Special steering arms and front upper wishbones allow a very low ride height.

Brakes, wheels and tyres

The 288 mm cross-drilled and ventilated cast-iron discs are gripped by two-piston AP Racing aluminium calipers at the front and Brembo sliding calipers at the rear. Pagid RS14 pads, silicone brake fluid and braided hoses are fitted, together with four-channel ABS.

Forged black five-spoke wheels measure 7J × 16 at the front and 8J × 17 at the rear. They carry Yokohama A048 R LTS tyres, 195/50 R16 at the front and 225/45 R17 at the rear.

Road car and track car

At launch Lotus offered the 2-Eleven only as a Launch Edition with a three-colour Lotus Sport paint scheme and decals. Two forms were available. The road-going version, approved in the United Kingdom through Single Vehicle Approval, had front and rear lights, a catalytic converter and a single-plane rear wing.

The track-only version was even more focused. It had a high-downforce carbon rear wing and a front splitter, brake lights and rear indicators, and an FIA-approved driver's race seat. Wikipedia calls the 2-Eleven a "track day car", with road legality as an extra-cost option in the UK.

Legacy

The 2-Eleven sits between the 340R and the 3-Eleven in a line of open, very light Lotus cars. Like them, it put the brand's lightweight principle into its most direct form: no roof, no doors and a weight of well under 700 kg.