Ah, yes Lotus. If there ever was a brand that did things their own way, it’s been Lotus. Founded by Mr.Colin Chapman, Lotus Motor Cars established itself early on as a maker of simple and wonderful lightweight sports cars. In fact, all the company’s cars have been built around the famous Chapman principal, "If you want to go faster add lightness."
The company’s new model is no exeption to that rule. Called the Evora, this is the first Lotus "2+2", meaning there should be seating for four. Once inside you realize it’s more like seating for two regular adults and the back seats, well, maybe could fit children or you might have some friends with no legs, as there is not much room back there. Lotus even added the option of removing the back seats and fitting a parcel shelf in their place (an option most owners will probably go for).
Leather will be standard and this will be an all-around more refined Lotus experience. Power will come again from Toyota. The company’s 2ZZ inline four already powers their newer Elise and Exige sports cars, so it was only logical to continue this fruitful relationship. This time though, it will be Toyota’s 3.5-liter aluminum block V6 rated at 280-hp. While this might not seem like much, here is the magic of Lotus. The Evora is very light by modern standards, maybe 2,500 lbs at the most, so 280-hp is plenty of juice. Performance figures are juicy enough. With a top speed in the 160 mph region and a 0-60 mph time of less than 5 seconds, this will be one quick little Lotus.
Company officials say that the Evora laps the Nürburgring "considerably faster" than the Elise, and is more stable at speed than an Exige. Impressive stuff. Lotus expects to sell about 2,000 units per year here in the U.S. Knowing Lotus, a high performance version is probably already in the works, and maybe even a convertible. They should start hitting dealers some time early next year.
If there is one thing all Lotuses share, it’s lightness and looks.
Source: Road & Track
Photos: Lotus Cars Inc.
