A new Lotus is definitely something to cheer about, but a new Lotus in over 13 years is something to thank god for, all the Elise’s and Exige’s in all their various guises were getting boring anyway. Famously known as the Project Eagle during its development phase, the first mid-engined 2+2 Lotus is now officially known as the Evora.
With its new seating capacity, the new Lotus is bound to attract a different type of clientele than the traditional Lotus buyer and it is because of this very reason that the Evora is not your normal, deprived of all creature comforts Lotus. In fact it comes with all the option boxes ticked for amenities like leather seats, on-board typre pressure monitor, air conditioning, airbags, an Alpine multi media system, satellite navigation, video, bluetooth hands free telephone, an iPod dongle, reverse camera and much more. Almost sounds like a Mercedes S-Class but its design is purely Lotus.
Such an extensive offering of creature comforts could effectively brandish the Lotus as a ‘lifestyle’ vehicle rather than the lean mean track machine the Lotus badge is famously associated with. However, Lotus assures that it feels every bit as sporting and exotic as a Lotus should be when you’re seated behind its Audi like flat-bottomed steering.
With Toyota’s all-alloy 2GR-FE 3.5 liter V6 capable of churning out 280PS and the entire car weighing in at a very un-Lotus like 1350kg, we trust that performance won’t be stonking but maybe, as all Lotus cars are known for, it will handle as if it were on rails, making it once again, a formidable track machine.
Keeping the car in line with the drivers demands are Bilstein/Eibach suspension and stopping power is achieved through the use of Lotus AP Racing 4 piston calipers with vented and cross-drilled discs. And just for your info, the Lotus Evora scorches the century sprint in under 5seconds, with you in plush leather seats and a blaring Alpine system.
