Lotus 340R - #281
Text taken from Evo magazine...
Naked Desire � Lotus has stripped away everything that doesn't add to the thrill of driving to build possibly the wildest road car ever, the outrageous 340R � Prepare to be seduced.
So here it is. The most extreme Lotus ever. No roof, no side windows, no doors, and absolutely no compromise. Faster and leaner than an Elise, more radical than the Renault Spider, it's homologated, road-legal and ready for production barely nine months after being rubber-stamped by Lotus management. It's an astonishing achievement. Think back to the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show - the original Elise-based concept prototype that dazzled us looked far too radical to ever make production, despite its Elise underpinnings. With no weather protection and almost fully exposed mechanicals at the rear end, it looked like a legislator's worst nightmare. Little did we know that negative customer reaction was the only thing that could prevent the 340R becoming showroom reality. Compared with last year's show car, the production 340R is remarkably true to the original concept. If anything it looks even more aggressive. Changes did have to be made, though, and to secure European type approval many details, both on and under the skin had to be altered. The most obvious is the adoption of a broader front bib spoiler, which extends either side of the nose to form Formula One-style winglets. They perform a double function , creating aerodynamic downforce and offering protection for pedestrians who would otherwise be dragged beneath the front Wheels in the event of an accident.
Another obvious difference is the more prominent rear wing. The prototype had one but it was set at a very low angle of attack, almost flush with the engine cover. While design head Russell Carr may have preferred the more subtle wing, David Minter, 340R engineering project manager, felt that the more steeply raked wing was vital. 'We always work towards a car with aerodynamic balance, and this wing helps us achieve that. With the front and rear wings we haven't just cancelled lift but generated some serious downforce.' Sounds good to us.
Other changes were made to improve cooling, reduce noise emissions or improve safety. The rear end is now encased with a sound-insulated shield to try smother the worst of the noise generated by the engine. A crash structure has been developed for the front end and the exhaust system has been redesigned and manufactured by Janspeed. Legislation demands that it runs with a catalyst, but with the 340R being aimed squarely at track days, both the catalyst and sound-shield can be removed.
Naturally the 340R relies heavily on Elise components. The basic aluminium chassis is pure Elise, while the brakes, suspension and close-ratio gearbox come from the 190 Sport and 135 Elise programmes. This clever use of existing components not only made the 340R project much more cost-effective but ensures that the car will deliver an exceptional driving experience. The cross-drilled 282mm steel discs might add some weight but there's no doubting their stopping ability. Fitted to the (heavier) 190bhp Elise, they deliver magnificent stopping power with sharp, linear bite and tireless retardation. In the lighter 340R they should guarantee nothing less than sensational braking.
Likewise the lower, stiffer suspension transformed both the 190bhp Elise and the sadly short-lived Elise135. With a combination of Eibach springs and Koni dampers, the 340R can only build on the earlier tweaked Elises' sharpened responses. Having experienced both the 135 and 190 Elises, it's clear the 340R will be incredibly agile, with massive bite at the front end but without the sometimes wayward, light-feeling rear end of the standard Elise.
But the real ace up the 340R's sleeve is its tyres. Measuring 195/50 15 at the front and 225/45 16 at the rear, the unique tyres were developed specifically for the car by Lotus engineers and Yokohama. Mounted on ultra lightweight magnesium wheels, the super-sticky A038R tyres have the race-bred appearance of a cut slick but are completely street-legal. Much effort was put into perfecting their construction and compound to enable them to cope with the high-temperature high-stress rigours of circuit work, while at the same time being able to generate useable grip and traction on the road. If they are anything like the similar concept Avons that Caterham fits to the Superlight-R, they should work reasonably well in the rain too, despite their semi-slick appearance. Only deep standing water might cause a problem, but as the 340R has virtually zero weather protection you're unlikely to go for a blast in torrential rain.
Perhaps the toughest piece of the 340R jigsaw to put in place was the engine. The Rover K series engine is notoriously difficult to get through emission regulations if it is highly tuned. That's one of the main reasons why the 190 Elise never made series production. To get a clean, reliable, tractable 177bhp and 1261b ft of torque from the 340R�s 1.8-litre engine took an awful lot of work on calibration and drivability.
The results, though, should be more than worth the effort. Although no figures have been taken, Lotus estimates the standard road-going 340R will be good for 0-60mph in 4.3secs, 100mph in 10.9 and run on until it hits an aerodynamic brick wall at 130mph.
With only a handful of the 340-unit production run left unsold, the 340R is certain to be one of the rarest as well as one of the most vivid driving experiences ever. For enthusiasts like us that's very good news indeed.
