Lotus Exige - Series 1

Series 1

The original Exige (NA or naturally aspirated Exige) was launched in 2000 and had a 1.8 L Rover K Series engine in VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) tune. It produces 177 bhp (132 kW; 179 PS) at 7,800 rpm in standard form. There was also an uncatalyzed "track spec" version with 192 bhp (143 kW; 195 PS) available. The car has a five-speed manual gearbox, and a claimed top speed of 219 km/h (136 mph). The sixty mph sprint came up in 4.7 seconds, while 4.9 seconds meant 100 km/h on the clock.

The first Exige used the round, less aggressive headlights of the first generation Elise, although the Elise was updated soon after the introduction of the Exige. The Series 1 was built until 2002, in 601 examples, and was not replaced until the Series 2 of 2004.