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FIRST DRIVE: Lotus 2-Eleven
With all the commotion surrounding the KTM X-Bow, it would be easy to forget the Lotus 2-Eleven, Lotus' cheaper version...
Autocar staff  | http://www.autocar.co.uk  |  Posted October 16, 2008   Surrey, UK

What with all the commotion surrounding the KTM X-Bow, it would be easy to forget the Lotus 2-Eleven. To serve as a timely reminder, and perhaps needle the X-Bow’s high price, Lotus has introduced a cheaper version.

Still powered by a 1.8-liter Toyota 2ZZ engine, but without the supercharger, power drops from 252hp to 189hp and the price to a starting point of $48k. We say starting point for two reasons. One, because this price excludes the cost of getting a 2-Eleven road-registered. Two, because buying a naturally aspirated 2-Eleven is just the beginning of your ownership experience. Lotus offers owners the chance to come back at any point and upgrade their car from the extensive list of option packs, including retro-fitting the supercharger for $7,700. So you could buy the naturally aspirated car, spend a season learning all about it and then, when you want more power, or when funds allow, have the supercharger bolted on, or the $6k sport pack (adjustable dampers and variable traction control) added. Later on you could return and convert your 2-Eleven to GT4 spec and go racing.
Spartan interior hits all the right notes. Of course, dry weather is a bonus... (Autocar photo)

So is the naturally aspirated car little more than a clever pricing strategy or does it have merit as a model in its own right?

There is, of course, less outright performance than the supercharged car (0-100mph at 11.1sec is 2.1sec slower), but still sufficient that on the road you are unlikely to need more. For track work, it depends on the circuit and the length of the straights. What is certain is that the naturally aspirated engine possesses markedly more character, with a pronounced step-change in the cam profile at 6000rpm. The engine not only spins more freely beyond this, but the engine note also changes to a deliciously hard-edged bark. Essentially the same engine as in the Elise R, the 2-Eleven’s lighter mass gives a greater response when the engine is off-cam.
No blower means 1.8 spins much more freely. (Autocar photo)

As with the supercharged car, the chassis balance and steering feel are about the best you will experience in a car eligible to be driven on the road, and although ultimately you have less power to play with, the pure and precise nature of naturally aspirated power feels like a better fit with the 2-Eleven’s character. We often talk about a car being steered on the throttle, but I can think of no other that demonstrates the theory better. So delicate is the throttle response and so communicative the chassis that every corner is an opportunity to revel in the joys of controlling and exploiting a car, without ever feeling like you’re taking unreasonable risks.

Natural aspiration has made the 2-Eleven experience more accessible than before, and not just financially. By reducing the power while increasing the precision with which it is produced, you can more easily learn the lessons the 2-Eleven has to teach. I suspect many will buy this entry model and never consider the need for more power. But for those who do, Lotus has the answer, and that is the genius in their plan.
Jamie Corstorphine /Autocar
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