The 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260: someone cares about us

With Porsche producing SUVs and sedans, and Ferrari making folding hard-top cars for trophy wives instead of hard-core cars for trophy cabinets, it’s nice to see a company still coming out with stuff for dedicated driving enthusiasts. So it’s with a spine-tingling thrill that we present the supercharged and intercooled 2010 Lotus Exige Cup 260.

In what is essentially a road-legal track car, the Exige Cup 260 is homologated for road use in Europe, Asia and North America. And even though it keeps the same amount of power as the 2009 model, it’s 83.6 pounds lighter (in keeping with the Lotus lightness philosophy) and has a more efficient aerodynamic package. Note also the larger roof scoop.

Rear chassis rigidity is upped to the tune of 30 percent, with Öhlins two-way adjustable dampers fitted as standard at each end. There are 60 compression and 22 rebound settings as well as ride height adjustment. And an adjustable front anti-roll bar.

New forged alloy wheels are claimed by Lotus to be the lightest OE wheels in the world (12.4 pounds, front; 17 pounds, rear). Nice. Once the tires are hooked up, 60 mph comes in four seconds and top speed is 152 mph.

The car’s 260 name comes from PS, which works out to about 257 hp, and the peak torque figure is 174 lb-ft. The numbers sound OK, but in a chassis this lissome and agile, it’s not really about facts so much as feel. Will it come to the States? We can only hope so.

Gut Reaction(Febbo): Believe me I realize the gravity of this statement, but the Lotus Exige is best driver’s car currently in production. There I have said it, argue away.

Having driven most the world’s best exotics, when asked, I always reply the same. It may not be the fastest car out there and it is certainly not the most powerful, but for sheer driving bliss, nothing comes close to a Lotus.

The best things you can do for a car’s performance is to make it lighter and stiffer, Lotus has accomplished both of these things. As an added bonus they have improved aerodynamics. They shed even more weight out of the wheels, which as enthusiasts, we know unsprung and rotating mass matters the most. The rear subframe was strengthened with a new sheer panel, which gussets the hard points. This may only be noticeable at extremely high loading, but these cars will see track work.

Possibly the most interesting feature is the addition of a limited slip differential. Lotus has shied away from LSDs in the past, unwilling to trade their legendary supple steering control for low speed corner exit grip. We will have to see how they work in practice.