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Lotus on Exige ‘stealth’ mission

On the dark side: The Lotus Exige Scura requires special care for its matt-black paint.

Lotus Oz tries to corner supply for all-black Exige Scura special edition

28 October 2009

By RON HAMMERTON

LOTUS Cars Australia is trying to secure the entire international territories allocation of the striking matt black limited-edition Exige Scura that was unveiled at the Tokyo motor show last week where Lotus was one of the few international exhibitors.

Only 35 of the Scuras – Italian for ‘dark’ – will be produced globally, with only five destined for international markets, including Australia and Japan.

Several Australian enthusiasts have already stepped up to the plate with deposits, prompting Lotus Cars Australia to make a pitch to Lotus HQ for all five units, which will be priced at $139,990 here – the same price as the hard-core Exige Cup 260 and a $25,000 premium over the standard Exige S.

National sales and marketing manager Jon Stretton told GoAuto today that he had been negotiating with Lotus Cars to increase supply for Australia.

“We have had a lot of interest, actually,” he said. “We are pushing to take all of the allocation for international markets.

“We are waiting for confirmation, and should know something by next week.”

LotusExige center image Dressed in a ‘soft feel’ black-on-black paint with black carbon-fibre trim, the menacing Exige Scura requires special cleaning and maintenance requirements laid down by Lotus to prevent fading or discolouration.

In fact, Lotus warns that the paint has a limited warranty of 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first.

The matt surface has contrast high-gloss stripes running the length of the car, while the front splitter, oil-cooler inlet vanes, side air scoops and rear spoiler are all wrought from carbon-fibre.

The carbon-fibre theme continues inside to complete the dark mood while reducing weight. Seats and centre console are of carbon-fibre, while the handbrake and gearknob are finished in black anodised metal.

The Scura’s weight-saving treatments shave 10kg from the Exige S’s kerb weight, to 925kg.

For extra performance, the Scura gains standard fitment of the racing Exige GT3’s electronic launch control, variable slip traction control and track-style Ohlins two-way adjustable dampers with 60 compression and 22 rebounds settings.

Eibach Springs with variable height platforms, black (of course) forged wheels and Yokohama A048 LTS tyres complete the handling package.

Powered by the same Toyota-sourced supercharged 1.8-litre 191kW/236Nm four-cylinder engine as the Exige Cup 260 roadster, the Scura has a top speed of 245km/h and zero-to-100km/h sprint time of 4.1 seconds.

The six-speed manual gearbox has the same ratios as the Exige S.

Combined fuel cycle is a commendable 8.5L/100km, with CO2 emissions rating of 199g/km.

2009 Lotus Exige Scura pricing:

Exige Scura $139,990