Several Exiges are in use in the SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge. An Exige GT3 and some Cup Exige variants race in the Supercar Challenge. An Exige participated in the GT300 class of the 2005 Super GT Series season.
Simply Sports Cars in Australia ran an Exige Cup R in endurance racing during 2014 and 2015 at the Bathurst 12 Hour, achieving class wins on both occasions.
The Exige GT3 prototype uses a Toyota-supplied 2ZZ-GE 1,796 cc inline-four engine with an Eaton M62 Roots-type supercharger and the Lotus T4e engine management system, producing 275 PS (202 kW; 271 hp) at 8,000 rpm and 250 N·m (184 lb·ft) at 7,000 rpm. The six-speed C64 close-ratio gearbox has an open differential and gear ratios I–VI of 3.166:1, 2.050:1, 1.481:1, 1.166:1, 0.916:1, and 0.815:1, with a final drive of 4.529:1. The claimed power-to-weight ratio is 362.3 hp per tonne.
The Angelo Lazaris version of the Exige GT3 competed in the 2008 GT Championship in the FIA GT3 category. Based on the European race car, it features a 1.8-litre engine rated at 355 PS (261 kW; 350 hp) at 7,000 rpm and 305 N·m (225 lb·ft) at 6,000 rpm. Bodywork modifications include: increased frontal area to accommodate a wider track, a revised front radiator inlet and outlet, the nose extended forward by approximately 3 cm, bodywork extending 8 cm rearward and widened 10 cm while losing almost 3 cm in height at the rear deck, and body parts produced in lightweight ZPREG carbon fibre using room-temperature curing rather than an oven. The roof scoop feeding cooling air to the intercooler was eliminated in favour of a water-to-air intercooler. The vehicle was unveiled in round three of the 2008 GT Championship.
The Exige Sport 240, limited to six units for the Australian market only, uses the adjustable traction control system developed from the Lotus Sport UK GT3 motorsport programme. The system features a driver-adjustable control knob with 18 different presets of traction control as well as electronic launch control. The Sport 240 was the fastest Lotus ever sold in Australia at the time of its release.
The Exige Cup 430, unveiled on 9 November 2017, uses the Evora GT430's powertrain and is eligible for competition use. The Cup 430 is not offered with an automatic gearbox. It produces 430 PS (424 hp; 316 kW) and generates 220 kg (485 lb) of downforce from its body. The Exige V6 Cup R, a track-only variant, is offered in the United States exclusively as a track-only car; US Lotus dealers provide only a bill of sale rather than a title.
The Exige 360 Cup, limited to 50 examples and revealed on 14 August 2015, is eligible to race in the Lotus Cup series.
The Exige LF1, launched at the 2014 Canary Wharf MotorExpo, commemorates Lotus's Formula One heritage. A total of 81 cars were made, each corresponding to one of Lotus's Formula One victories over the course of 40 years in the sport. Car #1 commemorates Lotus's first Formula One victory at Monaco in 1960; car #81 marks Kimi Räikkönen's win in Australia in 2013. The car is finished in Motorsport Black with red and gold tri-stripes and carries an individually numbered carbon fibre build plate. Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales stated the car is "intended for the truest of Lotus' racing fans."
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