It is one of those tales where David triumphs over Goliath. Cars from Lotus might not be known to have the biggest engine or even the highest output, but they found a way around that by ditching any unnecessary weight and putting a great deal of focus on the handling. With those in mind, Lotus did not only manage to make one hell of a fast car out of the 3-Eleven, they even managed to kick the Porsche 918’s rear around the Hockenheimring.
In a test conducted by Sport Auto, the 918 hybrid supercar was the record holder to blitz around the Hockenheimring short circuit at 1:06.3. It was a blistering fast lap time that had left cars like the Gumpert Apollo and the Radical SR3 SL far behind, but things then changed when Lotus’ new 3-Eleven came into the picture.
Also the most powerful production car Lotus has ever made, the 3-Eleven features a revised Lotus-Toyota 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine that churns out a healthy 460-horsepower. It might not sound like much but one has to put into account that the car only weighs a featherweight 900kg, equalling to a power-to-weight ratio greater than a Bugatti Veyron!
Couple that up with a capable driver like Christian Gebhardt, the 3-Eleven managed to blow its competition out of the water by clocking a mind-boggling 1:06.2, beating the 918 by a mere 0.1 second. It is even more impressive to know that the Lotus was running on road tires and the temperature during the run was no higher than 8 degrees Celsius.
“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,” said Jean-Marc Gales, Lotus CEO.
