The T125 was central to Bahar's plan to reposition Lotus Cars with a range of high-performance vehicles, with the T125 serving as the flagship. The car was first shown publicly at Pebble Beach in 2010. Prior to the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Bahar arranged a secretive private viewing for prospective buyers: invitees were flown first class to Paris and taken to a private presentation in the basement of the Louvre. Among the guests were Sir Stirling Moss and Formula One driver Takuma Sato.
Owners were offered membership in the Exos Experience by Lotus, a private programme that provided dedicated engineering support, personal nutritionists to develop driver fitness, and a concierge service to arrange global track access. Events were planned at Paul Ricard Circuit in France and Portimão Circuit in Portugal. The car's public track debut took place at Vallelunga Circuit in Italy in January 2011, driven by Jean Alesi and James Rossiter.
The T125 is powered by a Cosworth 3.8-litre GP V8 engine producing 640 bhp, mated to a six-speed semi-automatic gearbox with paddle shifters. The car is started via push-button, unlike a standard Formula One machine which requires specialist external equipment. Construction uses a mix of carbon composite, Nomex, and aluminium, bringing the total weight to 590 kg.
Buyers could choose from several liveries: an Exos-branded white and blue scheme, a heritage green and gold design, a black John Player Special livery, or a speed-yellow option inspired by Ayrton Senna's Camel Lotus cars of the 1980s.
Lotus had originally planned a run of 25 cars, but only six chassis were completed before the project was wound down. The small number produced means examples rarely appear at auction; when they do, prices have ranged considerably. Chassis P002, which was used on Top Gear and was later test-driven by Romain Grosjean, sold in 2025 for just under $174,000. Chassis C003, originally delivered to the United States and displayed at Palm Beach International Raceway, sold at auction in 2019 for $417,500, then again at Amelia Island in 2022 for $380,000, and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023 for £287,500. Chassis C018, a German-market car, reached €320,000 at Sotheby's Monaco in 2024.
In 2019, New Zealand's Rodin Cars acquired several T125 chassis and began offering an enhanced derivative called the Rodin FZED at $650,000. Rodin built four FZEDs from scratch and also completed chassis C018, which Lotus had left unfinished when the original programme was abandoned.
In late 2016, before taking on the T125, Rodin proposed a new one-make racing series called Formula UK, backed by Chadwick Motorsport and modelled on Japan's Super Formula. A first season was planned for December 2017, but the initiative did not gain traction and was cancelled.
The T125 was featured on Top Gear in July 2011, with Jeremy Clarkson driving the car and Jean Alesi on hand to assist him. The car also appeared in the racing simulation video game Assetto Corsa.