66 Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, November 29th, 2007


•H hillendale.co.uk motorstoday.co.uk


motorstoday.co.uh


hillendale.co.uk


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, November 29th, 2007 67


Performance Sports Car: Winner - Lotlus Exige Sport Cup 255


ritamest


dealer motile


enced staff who truly understand the mean­ ing of customer service. Their endeavour has always been to satisfy


L


Exige 255 is a more ferocious incarna­ tion of a track day legend. It might be hard work day in, day out, but there is no car with greater capability in this price range. Enough said. The standard Lotus Exige is no


B


shrinking violet. Even stiffer and more aggressive in its set-up than the soft- top Elise, it is a car capable of exerting fearsome cornering forces. On its limit, it is enough to make a


driver feel as though his skeleton is about to spontaneously dislocate, reducing him to shivering blob in the footwell. The Exige is a devastatingly quick


car, but as it transpired, not quick enough for Lotus. The engineers took its Toyota-sourced 189 b.h.p. WT-i engine and added a supercharger to


RUTAL performance and with more grip than Bruce Forsyth’s hairpiece, the Lotus Sport


create the 240 b.h.p. Sport Exige Cup 240. Now the Exige could embarrass supercars costing two or three times more on the straight, as well as round the corners, but Lotus could not resist making it a little bit quicker. Today, Ferraris, Porschesand Lam-


borghinis venturing out on track have the Sport Exige Cup 255 to contend with. The Sport Exige Cup 255 is a devel­


opment of the Cup 240 and, like its predecessor, it is designed very much for use on track. Power comes from the same l,792cc variable valve timing and lift engine with supercharger th a t . launched the 240 up the road in such' a spectacular manner, but here it is up­ rated to 251 b.h.p. The power boost is achieved


through a series of measures designed to improve the air-flow into the engine.


The Exige trademark roof-top air intake is enlarged to feed the revised intercooler more effectively and a new air box allows it to flow freely into the combustion chamber.


. The fuel pump has also been redesigned to improve efficiency and deliver the maximum power output at the screaming peak of the rev range while a level 2 sports exhaust provides a clear exit route. When the car is achieving all this


extra velocity down the straights, it is good to know you have some serious stopping power in reserve. The Cup 255 features four piston front brake callipers with 308mm front discs and 288mm discs on the rear th a t will arrest your progress in dramatic fash­ ion. The Exige Sport Cup 255’s chas­ sis is similarly high end and factors in a high level of adjustability for owners


to set the car up according to their preference. Two-way adjustable dampers from Ohlins and an adjustable front anti roll bar help the car achieve its otherworldly levels of grip and poise through corners. A torque-sensing limited slip differential helps deploy the engine's power in the most effective manner and gives the driver more adjustability in high-slip scenarios. As a £50,000 package for lapping


racing circuits as quickly as possible, the Lotus Sport Exige Cup 255 has few peers. There are specialist prod­ ucts that will match or even best it on the track, but if you want another vehicle with this kind of capability in this price range that looks this good and that you could conceivably use on the road on a daily basis, your search will be a long one.


th e requirements of customers and to demonstrate enthusiasm for the Lotus prod­ ucts. As the authorised Lotus dealer for the


North-West, Lotus Ribble Valley is based in the very heart of Lancashire. I t has an extensive range of new models


and used cars available for your extreme pleasure. You will find thatit always provides outstanding service in a welcoming and friendly environment. Lotus Ribble Valley also offers a compre­


of the company, a new showroom is currently in the planning stages. The all-new purpose- built development will offer its Bentley cus­ tomers much improved state-of-the-art facil­ ities and will be sited in a prime location just off the M6, M61 and M65 motorways in Pre­ ston. Why not call into Ribble Valley Lotus and


take a look at the award-winning Exige and other great Lotus models it has to offer? You can find Ribble Valley Lotus in Har­


wood Road, Rishton, Blackburn, BB1 4DJ, or, for further information, telephone Chris , Clarke on (01254) 876777.


You can also visit the Ribble Valley Lotus website at www.lotusribblevalley.com


I


hensive after-sales service th a t includes an on- site Lotus Approved service facility com­ plemented by a Lotus Approved and fully authorised bodyshop and parts department. Looking to uture growth and development


o


OTUS Ribble Valley was opened by the Ashworth family on November 1st, 2000, with a dedicated team of experi­


Family Hatchback: Highly Commended - New Ford Focus range I read lest


by Honda's Civic, you might well expect Ford’s top brass to be, well, a little brassed off. Not in this case. The Focus is a car th a t many


rivals try to challenge, but when the sales figures emerge none manage to eat into its market share significant­


ly- The bold Civic may well move the


game forward, but many customers will not care for the radical styling, preferring something a little more low key. That is where the revised and


restytled Focus scores. The latest model, offered in three


or five-door hatchback form or as either a saloon, an estate, or a hard top convertible, remains affordable, with prices starting from around the £12,000 mark. Taking its cue from the C-MAX


mini-MPV, the Focus interior now looks reassuringly expensiva


Sharper Focus W:


ITH victory in this and other awards snatched from beneath the Focus


the old 78 b.h.p. 1.4 and 98 b.h.p. 1.6- litre units at the foot of the range, but it is much better if you can to stretch to Ford’s 1.6-litre Ti-VCT unit, which uses variable valve tim­ ing to produce a peak power of 113 b.h.p. and allows the company to go


Engine-wise, petrol buyers have


head to head with the best engines in the class. If you need to go faster, there is a


143 b.h.p. 2.0-litre petrol unit and the 220 b.h.p. 2.5-litre power plant found in the ST models. For diesel buyers, there is an


entry-level 108 b.h.p. 1.6-litre TDCi (also offered in the super-clean ECO- netic guise), while above this unit sits the highly-acclaimed 2.0-litre TDCi diesel that Ford developed with Peu­ geot, now available in 110 b.h.p. as well as in 136 b.h.p. guises. The Focus feels a polished product


and with many premium manufac­ turers eyeing this lucrative market sector, a little sparkle has gone a long way. I t is also still the keen driver's


choice. iTraveln Style!


s And let Skipton Ford save you a massive


02(02).Elise Sports Tourer, Quartz Silver, Red Leather, Touring Pack, 14,400 miles..... :......... . 07(07) Elise S, Aspen White, Red Leather, Touring Pack, Air Con, Hard Top, Traction, 3,000 miles... .


£25,995


07(07) Exige S, Magnetic Blue, Black Leather, Touring Pack, Air Con, 1,000 miles. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . £34,995 NEW Elise S, Starlight Black, Biscuit Leather, Super Touring Pack, Air Con, delivery miles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £26,995 NEW Elise S, Magnetic Blue, Black Leather, Super Touring Pack, Air Con, delivery miles


in the process! . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . £26,995


NEW Exige S, Chilli Red, Black Leather, Touring Pack, Air Con, delivery miles.. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . £34,995 NEW Exige S, Starlight Black, Cream Leather, Touring Pack, delivery m iles.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :. . . . . ;. . . . £ 3 3 , 9 9 5


Lotus Ribble Valley Harwood Road, Rishton, Blackburn BB1 4DJ tel: 01254 876777 mobile: 07943 831144 email: sales@lotusribblevalley.c Lotus Cars Ltd ♦ “ C h an g e the rules Skipton Ford A Millennium Road, Skipton. Telephone: 01756 693744 Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km): Ford Focus 1.8 (125 ps) Manual: urban 29.7 (9.7), extra urban 50.4 (5.6), combined 40.3 (7.0). Official C 02 emission 169g/km.


j^ <W e d excbde 1st regstralionfee and road Hud fcence. Ratal crty (exriudrig Protege). Metafc paint extra cost Sliced to avalabity at particpahg Ai«x«sed Fort Daalas far new vehidesrEgsta^ by 31h2A37.Mcxlel^iowTi to iuslratimpupo^ only. THsa^jereedesalpiBtody advertised promotions Detafeconect at time of going to print


Ford Focus 1.8 Style 5 door


• 1.8 Duratec (125ps) petrol engine • Air conditioning • Bectric front windows • A B S brakes with electronic brake-force distrtxjtjon • Intelligent protection system • Front fog lights • Flemote audio controls


NOW ONLY List price £14,795 S a v in g £< 4 ,3 0 0


PICTURE FEATURES


ALLOY WHEELS WHICH IS AN OPTIONAL EXTRA.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41