2012 Lotus Exige S Coming to the US as a Track Car

Following the demise of the Elise and Exige in the US, a track-only variant of the new Exige S is on the way. Both the Lotus Elise and Exige were axed from the US lineup this year due to the expiration of a 'smart' airbag exemption and the discontinuance of the Toyota-derived 2ZZ-GE four-cylinder engine that powered them.To bid the cars farewell, Final Edition models were released and these were followed by a revised 2012 Exige S unveiled in Frankfurt for the European market. It features a Lotus Evora S-derived 345hp 3.5-liter supercharged V6.No mention of the car heading stateside was made at the time of its unveiling, but it appears Europeans won't be having all the fun as the Exige is expected to head to the US, albeit as a track-car only.This means they'll be fixed with a full roll cage, racing seats and harness, and electrical cut-off switch amongst other things and will be priced around the $85,000 to $90,000 mark.Despite its 300-pound additional mass, the new Exige S is expected to blast from 0-60mph in 3.8 seconds and hit a top speed of 170mph, considerably better times than the outgoing model.The track-car will also feature a Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system, and is expected to come with the Race Pack function that offers optimized track-suspension and a launch control system.