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The original Exige was launched in 2000 with a naturally aspirated 1.8 L Rover K Series Inline-four engine in VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) tune. It is rated at at 7,800 rpm in standard form. There was also a "track spec" version with available. The car has a five-speed manual gearbox, and a claimed top speed of . 0–97 km/h (60 mph) was achieved in 4.7 seconds and 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds.