FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Lotus Exige S, Exige R-GT, Evora GTE

The new importer for Lotus cars in Australia, Ateco, is keen to hit the ground running locally with significant new models that were unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show.

Two of the new models, the Evora GTE and the new Exige S, are being investigated as desirable additions to the Lotus line-up and the Australian arm has already announced that other models making their debut at Frankfurt are locked in for local release.

Prior to the opening of the 2011 motor show, Lotus had made a teaser announcement concerning two new models it was planning to unveil alongside other stand attractions. In its pre-Frankfurt statement, Lotus said it would also be announcing its "quickest road car" as well as its "return to motor sport" at the show.

True to its promise, the Malaysian-owned British car-maker revealed the V6-engiend Exige S and the Exige R-GT – the former claiming the quickest road car title and the latter aimed at participation in the FIA Rally Championship run on asphalt in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo, competing in the newly formed FISA GT category.

The Exige S, with a kerb weight of 1080kg and an output of 260kW, becomes (as promised) the company's  quickest road car with a formidable power to weight ratio and a new look to identify it as the definitive Lotus.

According to Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar "Anyone who has ever driven an Exige will tell you that it's not for the faint-hearted. The new Exige S skips a few rungs on the ladder to give the driver the ultimate Lotus experience."

The Exige S brings a "dramatic style overhaul" that includes a new front splitter and rear spoiler, as well as a new "look and feel" for the interior.

The Exige R-GT rally car, meanwhile, is fitted with the same engine as the Exige S, but "significant changes have been made to the gearbox and the restrictors on the engine in order to control the power."

Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro has long connections with Lotus and rallying. "My motorsport career started in rally. In fact, I even took part in the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus' Italian Rally championship winning a race in San Marino back in 1981, so this is a very nostalgic moment for me.

"As we unveiled the car in Frankfurt, alongside the original championship winning car, I had the chance to get back inside and the smell was exactly the same – it brought back many happy memories for me," said Berro.

According to Lotus the R-GT, despite its performance, is no highly-strung specialist rally car. It was developed alongside the Exige S with the intention of retaining road driving characteristics. Lotus says "you don't need to be a pro to drive it."

Other announcements at the show included the Elise SC-replacing Elise S with a supercharged 162kW 1.8-litre engine that produces more performance along with lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than the outgoing car.

The public relations manager for Australia's new Lotus importer Ateco, Edward Rowe, said the Evora S IPS, Elise SPS and the revised Elise S will arrive in Australia in the middle of 2012.

He said that, as the new Lotus importer, Ateco is "very keen" to see the Evora GTE and Exige arriving in Australia, but "there are a number of homologation issues that need to be resolved before a date is able to be set for an Australian launch."

Watch this space!

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