Lotus produces its fastest and quickest road going car ever, and its not the Evora 400, read on to learn more.

• Lotus 3-Eleven covers over 2,000km in Nürburgring testing
• The quickest and most powerful production Lotus road car ever
• Ongoing development for model entering production in early 2016
• One of the fastest ever drives of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit

The new Lotus 3-Eleven marked its first public outing with a successful two-week test session during the industry pool test weeks at the renowned proving ground of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, in which over 2,000kms were covered as part of a comprehensive test and development programme.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, commented, "The success of this test session is proof that our development philosophy for the 3-Eleven is the right way to go. 

We’ve always said that to make a car faster you must make it lighter and this new car carries that philosophy to a new level. 

APOLOGIES FOR THE POOR QUALITY OF THE PICTURES, THESE ARE WHAT WERE SUPPLIED BY LOTUS CARS - AND THEY GENERALLY SUPPLY POOR QUALITY PICS.

It condenses all of our engineering know-how into an undiluted performance-focused package and we’re pleased to showcase to the world, the quickest and most powerful production Lotus to date. 

The 3-Eleven achieved one of the fastest ever lap times around the Nürburgring for any class of car and faster than many other supercars”

Heralding a new generation of Lotus high performance sports cars, the 3-Eleven features an all-new lightweight body, with an open cockpit design and a V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp. 

The 3-Eleven re-affirms Lotus core values, offering the ultimate pure driving experience and providing the perfect demonstration of "faster and lighter" which comes from Lotus’ roots in competitive motorsport and underlines the company’s ability to deliver benchmark handling.

In what was its first turn of a wheel outside of Lotus’ Hethel HQ, the new 3-Eleven was piloted by three different drivers with individual areas of expertise and vehicle set-up with specific focus – aerodynamics, engine calibration, chassis tuning and suspension geometry.

Gavan Kershaw, Technical Manager for Lotus Motorsport and Lotus 3-Eleven Development Driver, commented, “It has been a hugely successful test for us in which we have thoroughly investigated areas of the car which are a specific focus for high performance driving. 

We have methodically worked through a test matrix concentrating on, aerodynamic balance, suspension settings, tyre and brake development, optimising engine calibration and throttle mapping to reach the required benchmark for performance.”

With clear running on the circuit an inhibiting factor over the course of the two week period – in which the track was not designated solelyfor the use of Lotus – the 3-Eleven lapped regularly on or below the target simulation time. 

By combining the quickest sector times achieved during the fastest 2 laps on the “Sport Auto” magazine lap configuration, a total lap time of 7 minutes 06 seconds was recorded by the vehicle’s data logging acquisition system.

Marc Basseng, Lotus 3-Eleven Driver, stated, “I know the Nürburgring Nordschleife very well and have driven many cars around the circuit. I can say that the 3-Eleven is the perfect car for a fast lap here. 

It is so sharp and so focussed; a true weapon! This was proven in the sector times set and I’m sure, with the track completely to itself, the car could push towards a 7min flat lap time.”

The new Lotus 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016 with deliveries scheduled to commence in April 2016. Production will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total.

Prices start at £82,000 for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £96,000 excluding VAT for the Race version (£115,200 including VAT). The 3-Eleven will be sold in all markets as a race car and in Europe and Asia as a road car.

Those wishing to register their interest in the Lotus 3-Eleven, should 

visit: http://www.lotuscars.com/3eleven

Official fuel consumption figures and CO₂ emissions figures for the Lotus 3-Eleven are not currently available. They will be provided on the Lotus website www.lotuscars.com as soon as they are available.

Another new McLaren, this time the 675 LT (LongTail), to be unveiled at Geneva in March.

• LT model designation – standing for ‘Longtail’ – to join exisitng C and S range hierarchy
• LT to be the lightest, the quickest, and the purest version in the range
•  Introduced by the 675LT which joins 650S and Asia-only 625C in the newly named McLaren Super Series
• Global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015 alongside the production-intent McLaren P1™ GTR
• Modern day interpretation of the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’– the evolution of a true world-beater
• Click here to watch the teaser: http://youtu.be/TwkFqbGTNHY

McLaren will look to its heritage when it revives the legendary ‘Longtail’ name given to one of the purest GT sportscars of all time, the McLaren F1 GTR ‘Longtail’, for the launch of the new McLaren 675LT at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. This road legal supercar will embody the ‘Longtail’ ethos with a focus on performance optimised aerodynamics, increased downforce, driver engagement, power and reduced weight.

The 675LT will join the core range of McLaren supercars alongside the existing 650S and Asia-only 625C to form the newly named McLaren Super Series which sits above the recently announced Sports Series in the range hierarchy.  

In line with the convention begun with the 650S, the number 675 denotes the power produced by the 675LT’s engine in PS – the output equating to a devilish 666bhp.  This figure makes the 675LT the most powerful offering in the Super Series.  It will be offered in coupé bodystyle only when deliveries start later this year.  

The iconic Longtail name made its debut during the 1997 season of sportscar racing, and saw a legendary model from McLaren on the grids around the world evolve into the most efficient race-focused version seen to-date. 

Rather than rest on the laurels of the highly-successful examples from the previous two seasons, which included a win on its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, McLaren moved the benchmark on further – an approach that echoes through the company to this very day. Formula 1™ knowledge and experience, and the know-how gained from the pinnacle of the sport created the purest version of a true world-beater.

The distinctive stretched silhouette of the McLaren F1 GTR became known during the season as the ‘Longtail’. The nickname stuck, and the model demonstrated the ultimate example of one of motorsport’s most successful GT cars.

More details of the 675LT, including its startling performance figures, will be announced in the weeks running up to the Geneva Show.