So Lotus will soon unveil its new (very) limited edition Scura at the Tokyo Motor Show, and just 35 will make it off the production line. A good starting point as to a clue to the car’s nature is the name as it means ‘Dark’ in Italian. Apparently to Lotus this name conjures up Stealth but to me, it conjures up evil.
A quick look at the stats for this car tells you that. No, scratch that actually. One look at the car itself tells you it’s evil intentions. It’s finished in a Matt Black with three gloss stripes running the length of the body, one wide one and two smaller ones.
This car seriously looks like it’s about to cosh you over the head and steal your wallet and nice watch. The Scura is exactly what Lotus is about. A focussed, compact and agile machine capable of taking corners at speeds that will make your face come off. Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars states “Our Exige customers choose Lotus because we deliver thrilling performance and dynamic design and this special edition fits the bill on both counts.”
Visually the car look more meaty that even the standard Exige as it has an extra large rear spoiler, wide side air intakes, a roof scoop and oil cooler inlet vanes. Bare Carbon Fibre is used on the exterior and the interior of the car. The side intakes, roof scoop and front splitter are made of the good stuff while inside the centre console and seats are given the treatment too.
The interior, as expected, is sparse and only has what it needs. There’s no carpets and definitely no drink holders involved. Luxury, my friends, is gone. However, there is (unusually) a radio. Whether you will be able to hear it or not remains a mystery for now though.
The Exige Scura uses the same 1.8 litre Intercooled and Supercharged engine as the Exige Cup 260 and will boast around 257 bhp and 174 lb/ft of torque. Okay so it doesn’t sound much but remember this car weights about the same as a postage stamp.
As it really is featherweight it makes for very impressive figure. 0 -62 mph (0 – 100 kph) comes up in just 4.1 seconds and pushing on to a top speed of 152 mph (245 kph) which should make good use of the six-speed manual ‘box. Although this looks to be primarily a track day orientated car, it might not be too unforgiving on the road thanks to the Ohlins 2-way adjustable suspension.
What’s going to be the dent in your bank account though? Surprisingly, a mere £45,950 (around €61,000) will buy you this very cheap super-sports car. It’s also fairly economical too and will deliver nearly 44 mpg through Extra Urban driving.
If you want to purchase a Lotus Exige Scura or want more information on one call or visit your local Lotus dealership.
