The Lotus 340R is a limited edition sports car manufactured by Lotus Cars in 2000 at their Hethel factory.

Overview

The 340R is a special edition of the Lotus Elise. Just 340 were built, and all were sold before they were manufactured. It uses a custom built bodyshell with no roof or doors. All cars came with a silver and black colour scheme. Special A038R tyres were developed for the 340R in collaboration with Yokohama.

While road-legal in the UK, most of the surviving cars are used for racing, track use, or demonstrations.

Engine

The engine is a four cylinder tweaked version of the Rover K-Series engine called VHPD (Very High Power Derivative) used in the regular Elise which produces 177 bhp (132 kW; 179 PS) at 7800 rpm/ 172 N·m (127 ft·lbf) at 6750 rpm as standard, or 187 bhp (139 kW; 190 PS) at 7500 rpm/ 189 N·m (139 ft·lbf) at 5600 rpm with optional Lotus accessories.

Specifications

• Weight: 701 kg (1,545 lb) (curb: all fluids and full tank of fuel)
• Performance: 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) 4,4 sec; 0-160 km/h (99 mph) 10,7 sec, top 209 km/h (130 mph)
• Power to Weight: 252 bhp/Ton or 3,96 kg/bhp
• Transmission: Rover 5 speed PG1 Close Ratio Gearbox
• Price: £35,000

References

• The Lotus 340R story

External links

• Independent 340R site
• PistonHeads Entry

• http://www.340r.net/
• http://www.340r.net/story.htm
• http://www.grouplotus.com/
• http://www.pistonheads.com/lotus/340R/car.htm