2017 Lotus 3-Eleven In Malaysia – 2 Units Only, Both Sold Out

Lotus’ quickest ever production car, the limited-run Lotus 3-Eleven, is officially launched in Malaysia, although there isn’t a need to reach for your chequebook at the moment. Only two units are allocated to our market from its first production batch and both vehicles have already found homes with enthusiasts of the brand.

Two variations of the Lotus 3-Eleven are available – Road and Race, priced at RM640,855 and RM868,214 respectively. Exclusive to Malaysia, the two cars destined for our market are of build numbers 001 and 007, both of them Road spec vehicles. The Race version spec is configured exclusively for track use and cannot be registered for public roads.

A bespoke chassis built on extruded and bonded aluminium sections underpins the 3-Eleven. It features all-round double wishbones with front anti-roll bar and Eibach springs with adjustable Ohlins dampers.

Lightweight forged aluminium wheels are standard in the 3-Eleven – measuring 18 inches up front and 19 inches at the back with either Michelin Pilot Super Sport or Michelin Cup 2 tyres fitted for Road or Race versions respectively. Both versions get AP Racing four-pot brakes callipers with slotted discs – the Race model gets uprated pads.

Powering the 3-Eleven is the proven 3.5-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine shared with the Lotus Evora 400. Sourced from Toyota but tuned with a Lotus-exclusive setup, the 2GR engine pushes out 410hp and 410Nm in Road spec; in Race spec, the numbers rise to 460hp and 525Nm. Both versions get 6-speed transmissions – a traditional H-gate manual with Torsen rear diff in the Road version and a sequential gearbox with paddle shifters in the Race model.

Both Road and Race versions of the 3-Eleven thoroughly embrace Lotus’ principle of achieving speed and balance through minimized weight, tipping the scales at 925 and 890 kg respectively, enabling it to match supercars for power-to-weight. The Road version has a top speed of 280km/h and is able to do 0-100km/h in 3.4 seconds; the Race version ups these figures to 290km/h and 3.0 seconds respectively.

Hand-built at Lotus Cars’ plant in Hethel, UK, the 3-Eleven is limited to a global production run of just 311 vehicles per year.