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GOING ORGANIC

Well it took a bit more than water and sunlight to produce this outstanding little 2-eleven track car but not too much more…

Now given that the Lotus 2-eleven has no roof or even a windscreen, this track toy really is constantly exposed to the elements (unless you have a garage that is) and this is highly advisable as at 670kg someone could literally pick it up and carry it away. Strictly speaking Lotus’ new purist model is more or less the bare bones of the Exige S; it has the same 252bhp supercharged unit and underpinnings but most of the driver aids and creature comforts have been done away with.

In the 2-eleven’s case less is most definitely more – without artificial extras like power steering, every conceivable stability system and heavily Servo assisted brakes you actually get to feel what a car is supposed to do on track and how you are supposed to handle it. Of course this means that your driving skills are challenged somewhat but not to the extent of being out on a limb.

Another pleasurable factor of going organic is that you can take ownership for it, honestly Lotus’ Chief Engineer Nick Adams won’t mind, he only grew the thing. You on the other hand get to set up the suspension, adjust the angle of the rear wing and allow it transform you in to a racing driver. With your helmet and gloves sitting beside you at the breakfast stop just off the M4 and your mate antagonising you about his quicker Caterham CSR 260, your competitive spirit has the very outlet it needs.
Little does your mate know you’ve spent the last four weekends memorising the best tyre tracks and ironing out those gear changes, visualising those precious moments to overtake and pumping iron in the gym. This is no game – this is outright war. Thankfully then the Lotus 2-eleven has been engineered for the average driver (all be it one who will have ideas beyond his station). It has an enlivening edge without the hanging on for dear life and there is always a logic (or a warning) that follows your every action. While howling off down the straight to reach 100mph in 9.1 seconds it’s always nice to know that those anti-lock brakes will come some way to addressing your reprieve. As a novice to the track there’s always the possibility that you will realise you’re running out of runway just a little sooner than you had expected and so this safety feature kicks in just before crunch time.

Of course a lot of modern cars are already there mollycoddling you when you take a corner slightly too wide or when there’s a few bits of loose grit in the road. All these electronics will no doubt take the road casualty figures down but it won’t help you be a better driver. If you’re to discover your natural ability to handle a car then the track is surely the place to be… and as me and my mate discovered we both had a long way to go before we posed any kind of threat to Lewis Hamilton.
However owning a track car worth £39,995 will surely give you every incentive to learn how to smoothly approach the chicane while not loosing too much speed and neatly tweak the 2-eleven’s tail so as it follows through at the right angle. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever become complacent about owning a car that equates to 382bhp per tonne and because of its ability to rev right up to 8000rpm as well as being snappy from the off it will keep you captivated throughout each splurge of ambition.

As many enthusiasts will find it more practical to drive their 2-Eleven to the circuit you can pay an extra £1100 for an SVA version. This has slightly more comfortable seats with conventional harnesses, brighter lights and a rear wing which isn’t quite as obtrusive. Either way the fun hasn’t been modified in any shape or form and you’ll still get plenty of oohs and ahhs as you breeze past whole rows of monotonously styled traffic.

Verdict

FOR: You won’t get all its offerings in one go though so be prepared to work for them. As you keep getting sharper and quicker, the goal posts keep getting wider so you’ve always got your better self to catch.
AGAINST: Well obviously you don’t look quite as cool when its bucketing down and yes £39,000 is a lot of money for weekend driving but its such an enviable buy that you’ll have plenty of fanatics on your door step when you’re ready to sell it on.
CONCLUSION: In this day and age when many cars seem to merge in to each other with the same beautifully sweet sounding engine, idiot-proof gadgets and family friendly features, the Lotus 2-Eleven takes you out of Pleasantville and in to ‘try a little harder get a lot more than you bargained for-Ville.’

Spec

ENGINE: Supercharged 1,796cc, four cylinders, 16 valves,
POWER: 255bhp at 8,000rpm
TORQUE (lb/ft): 179lb ft at 7,000rpm
0-60mph (sec): 3.8
TOP SPEED: 150
TRANSMISSION: Six speed manual, rear wheel drive
PRICE: £39,995
RIVALS: Ariel Atom , Caterham CSR 260 , Radical SR4