Christian Gebhardt from Sport Auto has set a new lap record for the 2.6 kilometer Hockenheim Short - one of the more prominent venues for road car track testing.
For almost two years, this record was held by Horst Von Saurma and the far more powerful (and expensive) Porsche 918 Weissach.
Sometimes "less is more", even when "less" means serious sacrifices. In this case the obvious sacrifice is the essential comfort feature - roof.
This is not the first time Lotus has chopped roof off a Lotus Elise and sold it as a track-day special. Auto enthusiasts will remember the Lotus 2-Eleven from late 2007, the direct predecessor of this new model.
The Lotus 3-Eleven Race has nearly twice the power of 2-Eleven which will drastically improve its chances in faster circuits against more powerful opposition.
Lotus has, once again, proven that "less roof is more speed" and laid the blueprint on how to beat the mighty Porsche 918. Maybe Ferrari and McLaren will take notice and develop a chopped supercar of their own. The 918 is systematically beating both P1 and LaFerrari in test after test, and Ferrari and McLaren may need some drastic measures to cut the losing streak, even if it means cutting roof first.