Lotus 3-Eleven

We knew the featherweight Lotus 3-Eleven was fast, but with just 460 horsepower could it be faster than an extremely fast hybrid supercar? The answer is yes, yes it could.

The 3-Eleven managed a time of 1:06.02 which bested the previous production car record held by the 918 Spyder at 1:06.03. That would be the 887 horsepower 918. Which shows just how important the power to weight ratio is on the track. Impressively the 3-Eleven managed to beat the time on street tires and with weather that never reach above 46 degrees Fahrenheit on the fastest lap.

The lap record was set by the top road tester at the German automotive magazine “sport auto”. Of the Lotus he said, “The Lotus 3-Eleven is an amazingly fast and track focused car in which to have a lot of fun at the limit. It is the fastest series-production car in the test history of “sport auto” on the Hockenheimring Short Circuit.”

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus said, “Christian set a fabulous lap in less than ideal conditions. We knew from the outset that we have created a simply phenomenal car that is capable of great things, and this lap record proves that beyond doubt. This is the ultimate embodiment of the Lotus design philosophy; it’s a beautifully engineered machine that doesn’t carry one ounce of excess weight. With 460hp on tap and race car handling at your disposal, this car is the ultimate giant killer”.

below are the top 10 times for production cars at the Hockenheimring Short Circuit

1. Lotus 3-Eleven, 1:06.2 min

2. Porsche 918 Spyder, 1:06.3 min

3. Gumpert Apollo, 1:07.2 min

4. Radical SR3 SL, 1:08.1 min

5. Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse, 1:08.2 min

6=. Corvette ZR1, 1:08.3 min

6=. Ferrari 488 GTB, 1:08.3 min

8. Porsche 911 GT2 RS, 1:08.4 min

9. Porsche 911 GT3 RS (991), 1:08.5 min

10. Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series, 1:08.6 min

That’s pretty quick, the bad news is the 3-Eleven will not be coming to the US. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a good cry about that.