Would you actually use the Lotus 3-Eleven on the road?

Look don’t get us wrong, the Lotus 3-Eleven looks stunning and, because it’s a Lotus, it should be spectacular to drive. But would you actually want to drive it on the road.

Bear in mind that, good as it looks, it would clearly mark you out as a track geek. Just look at those roll bars, and that microscopic windscreen. This clearly isn’t a car for taking out on long drives if you live somewhere with even remotely variable weather.

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Then again, that might not matter quite as much if you live somewhere where you can take the 3-Eleven to top speed. The fastest Lotus ever, it is capable of going from 0-60 mph in a claimed less than three seconds before reaching a maximum speed of 290 km/h.

According to Lotus, that speed is down to a combination of a lightweight composite body and a V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp.

Lotus also says that two versions of the 3-Eleven will be available: Road and Race. Based on the Road version, the Race includes a more aggressive aero kit, a sequential gearbox and an FIA approved driver’s seat with a six-point harness.

While the Race is the lighter of the two vehicles, coming in at under 900kg it does have a slightly lower top speed than the Road, coming in at 280km/h.

The 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016 and deliveries will commence in April 2016. Production will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total.

With a limited run like that, it should hardly be surprising that the 3-Eleven won’t be all that kind to your wallet. Prices start at £82 000 (R1.6-million) for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £96 000 (R1.84-million) excluding VAT for the Race version.