ChrisStarrUSA said:
Is this the same as the Sport Exige - just repainted? Or are there 2 - a Sport Exige and a 300RR (one of each)? Anybody know?
I believe it's the same one.
..."Designed and engineered from the ground up at the Lotus Sport headquarters in Hethel, the Exige 300RR had taken six month to complete with the assistance of RTN, the same people responsible for developing the prestigious Le Mans winning Bentley.
The car was then shipped to R3 headquarters in Malaysia where local engineers and race technicians spent another three months carrying out a whole host of modifications and reengineering to ensure that it complied with the technical rules and regulations of the SuperGT Championship while at the same time remain competitive.
"A considerable amount of work had to be done before we could start shakedown and testing," said R3's head and PROTON R3 Amprex driver Tengku Djan Ley. "Extensive modifications needed to be carried out on the bodywork of the car, to parts of the cooling system, the electronics and aerodynamics just to comply with the regulations and still maintain competitive."
The bodywork of the GT car was pretty much dictated by the size and position of the engine. The wheelbase was lengthened by 200mm that in turn meant widening the track by 100mm to get the proportions of the car just right.
The overall aerodynamics was also redesigned and while the end result is sympathetic of retaining the overall looks of the Exige, this one of a kind GT car is longer, wider, more muscular and hundred times more menacing. With the exception of the Exige doors, the entire bodywork was constructed from carbon composite.
"The results from several test sessions carried out at the Sepang International Circuit indicate that the car is competitive in terms of lap times. It's a good sign considering it's a car that evolved from the standard production model Exige, compared to the top-flight Japanese sports cars it will be going up against that are essentially bodywork that fits on to space frames," said Tengku Djan.
"We'll be gunning for reliability rather than outright speed in the race. Whatever the outcome, it's going to be a learning season for us, especially when the championship returns to Japan. If everything goes well then we'll look for a full season next year." "