2015 Lotus Exige V6 Cup

Introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2011, the third generation of the legendary Exige, the 2012 Exige S was powered by the 345bhp, 3.5-litre V6 from the Evora S. The following year, a roadster version was introduced and shortly afterwards the range was completed by the track-focused, ‘V6 Cup’ and subsequently the track- only ‘V6 Cup R’.

The standard Exige is a supremely competent road car, benefiting from being uncluttered by unnecessary luxuries and its supercharged Toyota V6 engine provides it with enough grunt – 345bhp and 295lb/ft of torque – to embarrass all but the most ambitious ‘supercar’ drivers. Combine that with its focused, mid-engined chassis, superb, non-power assisted steering that offers rewarding feedback and hugely capable brakes, the result is another example of the type of thinking that has provided Lotus enthusiasts with rewarding sporting motoring for over five decades. But for those that require more of the same, there is the Exige V6 Cup. The V6 Cup is an unapologetically track-oriented development of the standard car that distills the ‘Lotus essence’ into an even more concentrated hit.

The extra £10,000 required to purchase the ‘Cup’ doesn’t buy you any extra power, it has exactly the same Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre supercharged V6 with exactly the same 345bhp peak output. Performance gains have instead been made on the other side of the power-to-weight ratio, with a comprehensive stripping-out reducing the Cup’s mass to just 1,110kg – 66kg less than the Exige S. Trim is predictably minimal, with the cabin floor and sills in bare alloy, and switches for the battery isolator and fire extinguisher where you’d normally find the audio system (which isn’t even an option). There’s a correspondingly serious-looking fire extinguisher bottle filling most of the passenger footwell, while the seats are carbon-framed motorsport buckets with 4-point harnesses.

The Cup’s real party trick was the new (at the time) Dynamic Performance Management system. DPM is Lotus’ version of ESP with Touring, Sport, Race and Off being the settings. It is capable of both curbing understeer and also optimising traction out of corners (there’s no limited-slip differential) by calculating slip. This means that the car may be a little wayward around the first damp corner while it figures out how much torque the tyres can cope with, but the next one is pre-judged and the resulting grip/power balance fires the car down the track without a stutter. Clever stuff.

And yet the car is still, just about, road-legal, meaning that you can drive it to whichever track day you are intending to terrorise, do the business on the circuit and then drive back home in it at the end of the day. On the road, the V6 Cup feels – and sounds – properly quick too (it is – with a top speed of 170mph and a 0-62mph time of four seconds). It’s 66kg lighter than the standard V6, with all-round double-wishbone suspension (slightly stiffer Alcon springs, two-way adjustable dampers) to produce even crisper responses on the move, less roll and tauter body control under extreme cornering. Lotus has produced what is one of the most serious track day cars there has ever been that is still usable on a daily basis, if that’s what you want to do.

The car presented here is a 2015 Lotus Exige V6 Cup, making it a late production model. Finished in Storm Titanium with black accents, it’s described as being in 'outstanding' condition, with a full-service history, and has benefited from a recent once-over. Fitted with Proxes R888R tyres and Carbone Lorraine brake pads, we understand that it’s absolutely ready for spirited road-driving or track action. The original MOMO steering wheel has been retrimmed in Alcantara by Royal Steering Wheels and the car is in the usual Cup-specification including the carbon seats, fire suppression system, electrical cut-off and Nitron 2-way adjustable dampers.

With an attractive estimate, there can be few machines that offer as much driving involvement and sheer fun per pound as this remarkable Lotus.