Professional racing drivers are a different breed than the rest of us mere mortals. While fear – of dying, of killing or of simply making a fool of yourself – keeps most men and women from pressing their automobiles to the very limits of their capabilities, some people choose instead to embrace the fear, turn it into adrenaline and hit the track.

That includes Barton Mawer, who was chasing down a Lamborghini Gallardo for the overall lead in his Lotus Exige during Australia’s Island Magic Enduro 2011 race at Phillip Island. Only one problem: in his path were a pair of slower cars; a Porsche Boxster and the Mazda MX-5 of Team Chapman Racing.

What happened next is the things dreams are made of… or nightmares, depending on which seat you’re in.

See for yourself, from both points of view, in the videos pasted after the break.

Continue reading The art of threading the needle, as demonstrated by a Lotus Exige

The art of threading the needle, as demonstrated by a Lotus Exige originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey weekend is almost upon us, boys and girls. The event at Pebble Beach is consistently packed year-in, year-out with mouthwatering classics, record-breaking auctions, historic automobile races and even a few new vehicle debuts. And this year, Lotus has some big plans.

No, it’s not about to unveil six new concepts at once like it did at the Paris Motor Show last year, but it does have a couple of tricks up its proverbial sleeve. First up is the Evora GTE road car concept we’ve been anticipating since last month, which looks poised to take a page out of the less weight, more power playbook employed on such favorites as the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. The concept starts with the Evora GTE race car and retunes it for the road, with 420 horsepower on tap, a competition-spec sequential gearbox and center-locking forged aluminum wheels.

If you’re looking for something more tangible than a concept car, though, Lotus will also be unveiling the Exige Matte Black Final Edition. Exclusive to North America, the special Exige, as you might have guessed, bids a fond farewell to the lightweight sports car with a matte black paint job, plus black Alcantara interior and a 257 horsepower upgrade. Only 25 individually numbered examples will be made, and you can follow the jump for the full press release on both these new debuts.

Continue reading Lotus presenting Evora GTE concept and matte black Exige in Monterey

Lotus presenting Evora GTE concept and matte black Exige in Monterey originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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