Lotus won seven F1 titles, and pioneered too many automotive engineering firsts to mention. Its road cars are legend for their roadholding, light weight and remarkable power-to-weight ratios and anyone who has driven one will perhaps also mention their distinctly spartan interiors and lack of creature comfort. That all changed this year with the announcement of the Evora. It will be the world's only 2+2 sports car when it hits showrooms early next year and it has another significant world first—it's the first Lotus with a luxury interior and, as the delicately worded press release puts it, "a more refined ownership experience." Perhaps we'll see a few more refinements in future Lotus models, as the order book already looks like a who's who of celebrity car buffs—already signed on the dotted line for a 3.5-litre 206kW V6Evora are two out of the three Top Gear TV presenters (the nice ones), current and past 007s Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, Boris Johnson (Mayor of London), Jay Leno, musician Jay Kay, supermodel Jodie Kidd, Beyoncé, Dave Grõhl, Kelly Rowland, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Patrick Dempsey and JLo.
The Evora is also the first all-new Lotus since the iconic Elise made its debut in 1995.
Powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre Toyota V6 engine producing 206kW, the Evora weighs in at just 1350kg—portly by Lotus standards but anorexic by most. During preliminary testing around the famous Nürburgring, the Lotus chassis engineers report it to be extremely agile and great fun too.
The Lots press release for the vehicle continues: In addition to its excellent performance and exemplary handling, the Evora offers a more refined ownership experience than Lotus's existing smaller four-cylinder models. Its styled cabin is elegantly trimmed and its equipment list includes contemporary features such as an advanced touch-screen multi-media system and electric power-fold door mirrors.
Because one of the roles of the Evora is to attract new customers to the Lotus brand, much attention has been paid to its ease of use. Wider, taller door apertures and narrower sills make getting in and out of the cabin a less athletic undertaking than it is in Lotus's smaller sports cars (Elise, Exige, Europa and 2-Eleven), while the design of the cabin itself will accommodate two 99th percentile (6ft 5in tall/196cm) males in the front seats.
The 'convenience factor' of the Evora extends to less obvious areas of the car. For instance, beneath the skin the entire front-end structure is a high tech aluminium sacrificial modular unit, attached to the main extruded aluminium tub. This modular unit is designed to deform for maximum safety, and to reduce repair costs in the event of a frontal impact.
The Evora has been designed with global automotive regulations in mind, and future derivatives are planned, including a convertible.
The Evora will be hand crafted and built on a dedicated new assembly line within Lotus's advanced manufacturing facility at Hethel in the east of England; capacity limitations will restrict production to approximately 2000 cars a year, ensuring the dynamic new sports car's rarity and exclusivity.
Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc, has this to say about the exciting new model: "The Evora is the biggest milestone Lotus has achieved since the Elise was born 13 years ago and is part of our bold five year strategic plan, which includes the introduction of new cars and technologies to many more markets around the world. The Evora also represents Lotus core values of performance through light weight and efficiency and proves that you can have phenomenal performance, fuel efficiency elegant design and practicality all in a class leading mid-engine 2+2 sports car, which will meet global safety and homologation standards."
Kimberley continues: "Looking to the future, we will continue to research, develop and produce lighter, more efficient vehicles which are linked to our extensive and well-regarded work on all aspects of future fuels, alternative engines and electric and hybrid vehicle solutions for the future.
source:BW
