The special edition is based on the Evora GTE racecar featuring the same 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine delivering 444-horses, up from the Evora S' 350-ponies.
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The quarter-mile duel was organized by Motor Trend magazine. The eleven cars assembled were worth more than $1.5 million, and featured a combined 82 cylinders delivering over 5,000 horsepower and 4,000 lb-ft of torque.
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The British company announced that one of the new models is the Elise S that replaces the Elise SC with a more capable 1.8-liter supercharged engine delivering 220-horsepower, while also returning lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
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The Mansory Evora comes from the union of two weight-conscious companies; Lotus prides itself on keeping its vehicles trim, while Mansory "provides valuable insights and an intuitive feeling for [high-end customisation]" while also offering "state-of-the-art carbon components".
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Lotus Cars Australia Managing Director John Startari explains: "The government's import duty reduction at the start of 2010 has offered some assistance, whilst favorable foreign exchange rates have been a further catalyst to these announced price changes."
In the States, the 2+2 seater Evora is priced from $73,500. It features a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 producing 276 horsepower that drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.
Here's what Allison had to tell us about her encounter with the Evora and the film crew:
"I'm just on a skiing holiday now in Chamonix in the French Alps and have seen loads of commotion around a film set. I watched an action stunt scene being filmed with tons of crews and papparazzi swarming! I especially noticed a flashy new Lotus Evora being used in the filming. Is there any way that this could be for the new James Bond film?"
The purpose of this 414-horsepower hybrid is to showcase the latest in Lotus hybrid tech, something the 414E does in spades. First off, those 414 horses come from two electric motors powering each rear wheel (at 207 PS / 204 hp each).
The study is finished in a unique water-based white pearlescent paint that contrasts with the carbon fibre found on the roof top, rear-window surround, rear diffuser and front splitter. The diamond cut forged 19-inch alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tires size 235/35 up front and 285/30 at the rear round off the exterior package.
Finished in Epsom Green with a Solar Yellow stripe down the centre, the Evora Cup racing car is powered by a modified version of the stock model's Toyota sourced 276HP 3.5-liter V6 engine enlarged to 4.0-liters. The result is more than 400HP and 400Nm of peak torque.
The mid mounted V6 engine is mated to a Cima six speed sequential paddle shift dog gearbox, designed for international motor sport.
Other tweaks include adjustable motor sport dampers and six piston front brake callipers, with two piece aluminium belled brake discs, while the car also gets electrical cut off, fire extinguisher and traction control.
Lotus says that it has managed to reduce the car's weight to 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs) or 200kg (440 pounds) less than the production model by using numerous high performance parts and materials and deleting parts not required for motor sport.
In addition, the Evora gets a Dallara developed aero package that includes a number of updated carbon fibre parts and is said to significantly improve downforce and cooling.
The British firm said that the final design and specifications of the Lotus Evora Cup Racer will be presented at the Geneva Motorshow in early March 2010.
These days having your car included in a popular racing game like Sony’s Gran Turismo is probably more beneficial than taking part in a real-life race series. The digital version of the new Lotus Evora was unveiled simultaneously with the car at the British International Motorshow in 
Along with the development of the real-life Evora Coupe Lotus has been working with Mattel to create a 1:64 Matchbox twin of its new 2+2 mid-engine performance coupe. The scaled Evora will be available in Quartz Silver, the same shade as the real-life car that was unveiled at the British Motor Show in July (see here). Though Matchbox has yet to release any pictures of the finished 1:64 Evora, Lotus supports that the result of this close partnership is an accurately produced die-cast model that has enough detail to satisfy even the most ardent fan of the British sports carmaker. -Continued
While we would have preferred to show you action photos of the new Lotus Evora 2+2 Coupe (click here for details), for the time being, these live photos from the company’s British Motor Show booth are the best we can do until Lotus completes the final test phase of its new mid-engined coupe. -High resolution pictures after the jump
When we first laid eyes on the new Lotus Evora in silver colour (see here), we can’t say that we were won over by the 2+2 coupe’s styling. And even though we still aren’t totally convinced, we must admit that this new image of the Evora in an aqua-blue colour made us have second thoughts about the coupe’s appearance. 
Unless modern women have changed so much these days that they prefer hopping into a sportscar for an exhilarating drive on the race track or a nice twisty B-road over shopping at the mall, we fail to see the reason why Lotus thinks that its new mid-engined 2+2 Coupe is the “vital accessory for a modern woman” in its secondary press release on the Evora. The only reasonable answer we can find is that the new press release is aimed towards female lifestyle magazines – you know, the kind that believe that Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t look like a starved horse. However, even if that’s the case, we’re still trying to figure out how the Evora is a "cool and eco-friendly alternative to gas-guzzling 4x4’s... -Read the release after the jump
Press Release
The vital accessory for the modern woman is the new, seductive sportscar from Lotus.
The Lotus Evora is sleek, sophisticated and socially aware. Coupling stunning looks and agile performance its impressive green credentials, prove that Evora is a cool and eco-friendly alternative to gas-guzzling 4x4’s. Emissions for the brand-new sportscar are on target to beat the 225 grams of CO2 per kilometre threshold above which
Presenting the best of British design, the Evora is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Combining 60 years of sportscar expertise and beautifully crafted with fluid lines, the Evora has both power under the bonnet and looks to kill. This combination is fast positioning the Evora as a must have item, but you won’t be able to get your hands on one until spring 2009 when the car goes on sale in the
Each car is hand built in Norfolk, UK and with Lotus’s anticipated production of only 2000 Evora’s each year the exclusive and unique nature of this stunning car is rousing extraordinary interest with many A-listers lining-up to drive the car, including Kelly Rowland and Charlotte Church.
Inside the Evora the new Lotus is both stunning and luxurious and provides drivers with high quality tactile materials and thoughtful details. Its elegantly styled cabin is sumptuously trimmed with rich leather and features contemporary brushed aluminium surfaces, whilst the latest in-car entertainment equipment adds comfort to style for optimum driver indulgence. A 2+2 passenger configuration, children can sit comfortably in the rear of the Evora and the boot is large enough for the weekly shop or a couple of overnight bags perfect for a business trip or a weekend away at the latest boutique hotel.
The Evora is not just a practical, ecological, stunning car – it’s a true sportscar with power and speed. It’s a car for girls who want to have serious, sophisticated fun and the instant antidote to the stresses everyday life throws at today’s professional, stylish woman. Driving this car gives you an instant and addictive buzz, the commute has never been so much fun!
As we first informed you a couple of days ago, Lotus’ Project Eagle sportscar will bear the name Evora. Unveiled to the public for the first time at the British Motor Show in 
Maybe even more importantly, the Evora not only features the most inviting interior you’ve ever seen in a Lotus but in the company’s own words, the cabin “will accommodate two 99th percentile (6ft 5in tall) American males in the front seats.” Is there some particular reason that Lotus decided to use American males as an example for the Evora’s spaciousness? -Details and image gallery after the jump
Press Release
With its stunning visual impact, exhilarating all-round dynamic performance, innovative chassis technology and high levels of luxury, packaging and convenience, the Evora heralds an exciting new era for Lotus.
The first all-new Lotus since the iconic Elise made its debut in 1995, The Evora enters the sports car market as currently the world’s only mid-engined 2+2. Powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 280 PS, and weighing just 1350 kg (prototype specification), the Evora promises breathtaking performance. During preliminary testing around the famous Nürburgring, the Lotus chassis engineers report that it is extremely agile and great fun to drive - even when clad with the full development disguise that hid the beautiful lines from the prying motor-industry paparazzi.
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 elegantly 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 (the Elise, Exige, Europa and 2-Eleven), while the design of the cabin itself will accommodate two 99th percentile (6ft 5in tall) American 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 planed, these including amongst others, 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
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 sportscar, which will meet global safety and homologation standards”
Mike 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. We all have an environmental responsibility to future generations and the Evora is another example where Lotus is seen to make significant steps towards improving the efficiency and sustainability of the motorcar keeping
THE EVORA IN DETAIL
Style or function? Have both…
Designed ‘in-house’ by Lotus Design, the sleek and athletic form uses fluid forms and crisp surfaces to communicate velocity, agility and sophistication. Low and wide with modern cab forward proportions, muscular rear haunches and function optimised hip air intakes this is clearly a serious mid engined sportscar that skilfully hides the practicality of its two plus two capability.
Russell Carr, Head of Lotus Design, led the Evora’s design team with Steven Crijns, Design Manager responsible for the exterior and Anthony Bushell, Senior Designer, responsible for the interior.
“A cornerstone of the design's success was working closely with the technical team to develop a package that allowed us to get the proportions correct,” says Head of Design Russell Carr, “The asymmetric wheel sizes, the short rear overhang, long front overhang and cab forward visor screen all contribute to giving the car visual movement and an agile stance. This is incredibly important to us because we want the car's aesthetics to communicate its driving characteristics".
Lotus products have always embodied a perfect balance between form and function and the Evora successfully continues this heritage. “We never lost sight of the fact that, although this car must provide real world useability, sportscars are emotional purchases and that you have to seduce the customer through beguiling looks and exotic persona. We are, therefore, very proud that we have been able to use technical and user functionality to positively drive the design in key areas and create some of the car’s most distinctive features”. says Carr.
Ingress and egress, for example, dictated a minimal “step-over” to get into the Evora. We simply cut away the surface under the door and created a unique and dramatic piece of sculpture that enhances the stance of the car as well as its useability.
Elsewhere, aerodynamic considerations for drag, down force and cooling had significant but positive influence on the overall form and details such as air intakes. A desire to create balanced down force, that increases cornering performance, led to the adoption of, the now, “signature” top exit radiator vent, race car inspired diffuser and “floating rear wing”. Drag limitation, drove the dramatic tear-dropped cabin layout and the curvaceous plan view has given the car a more muscular rear shoulder and conveys a level of sophistication appropriate to this market segment.
“We believe that our designs should be honest as well as dramatic and so we are really pleased with the fact that these iconic features all do a real job” says Steven Crijns, Design Manager.
This inherent understanding of the relationship between the technical and the aesthetic paid dividends the first time a full-scale model of the Evora was wind-tunnel tested – only minimal adjustments were required to the car’s aerodynamic package to meet the targets for downforce and stability.
Steve Crijns continued, “Overall the design language shows a clear DNA link with its Lotus siblings, whilst establishing its own distinctive and contemporary theme. The undulating shoulder line is brilliantly mirrored in the lower part of the bodyside by the cut -away sill that creates a torseau-like muscularity.”
“The front three-quarter view is really powerful” Russell Carr continues, “Your eye is drawn effortlessly, from our signature mouth, rearward by fluid surfaces and fast lines that create a sense of speed even when the car is stationary. From this angle you can also see how dramatically the visor screen sweeps around the teardrop form of the cabin and the gently waisted plan shape perfectly accentuates the muscularity of the rear fender. This is unmistakeably mid engined language and the Evora is unmistakeably a Lotus.”
The view from the rear three-quarters is just as striking and the one that many will become familiar with as the car passes them on the road. The tapered cabin, diffuser, floating wing, centrally mounted twin tailpipes and distinctive engine bay vents all combine to create a completely unique look.
Moving right inside…
The design language of the interior reflects that of the exterior – simple, fluid surfaces, soft forms and crisp feature lines wrap around the cabin cosseting the occupants. Unlike recent Lotus products that use a race car inspired, technical minimalism, the Evora employs a softer approach that utilises premium quality materials and finishes to create a contemporary but luxurious ambience that is unique to Lotus products.
It is, according to Head of Lotus Design Russell Carr, “A huge departure from what people might expect based on Lotus’s recent past. We wanted the Evora’s cabin to feel special and to be surprising as well as sporty. Precision engineered metal inserts and quality edge-lit switches are brilliantly juxtaposed against soft hand-stitched leather surfaces to give a modern interior with a classic twist.”
Russell Carr continues, “The flat bottomed steering wheel, figure hugging sports seat, contemporary instrumentation and ergonomically positioned controls provide an intuitive environment that instantly forms a connection between driver and car ensuring that it becomes an extension of his or her body.“
Anthony Bushell Senior Designer explained about the choice of materials in the Evora’s interior, “Tactile quality is incredibly important within this segment and so we wanted the interior to use honest premium materials. Much of the switchgear is bespoke, and every metallic component is actually metal.”
Focused courtesy lighting is used throughout the interior, giving a spectacular illuminated feel to the sculpture design feature of the cabin.
The extensive use of handcrafted, premium leather differentiates The Evora from other Lotus products and such is its importance to the character of the car that an entire new trim shop has been built at the Lotus Headquarters in the
Even the entry level versions of the Evora will feature leather-upholstered seats, upper door trim panels and facia, but it is expected that most customers will opt for the full hide treatment. With a range of leather colours available, customers will have the opportunity to personalise their Evora.
High-tech treats
Contemporary technology also features in the Evora’s cabin. A newly developed Alpine multi-media system with a 7 inch touch-screen provides advanced audio, satellite navigation, video, Bluetooth® hands-free telephone and iPod® connectivity functions; the screen also serves as a monitor for The Evora’s optional reversing camera. The satellite navigation element of the system is removable, allowing you to programme it from the comfort of your home, or take it with you to continue your journey in an unfamiliar pedestrian location.
The Alpine audio set-up is one of the most sophisticated automotive systems in the world. Called IMPRINT and using MultEQ sound enhancement technology, it is able to cancel out sound imbalances, caused by the cabin window glass, for instance, creating echoes, while carpets suppress mid-range frequencies – resulting in amazingly crisp, clear, undistorted sound reproduction wherever you are seated in the car.
A bespoke air-conditioning system developed by Bergstrom is standard on all models, and has been designed for the hottest climate or the closest humidity to help provide maximum occupant comfort. Lotus traction control and on-board tyre pressure monitoring will also be available.
One size fits all
The front seats themselves are very supportive and leather clad with a lightweight manual adjustment mechanism for fore and aft, rake and lumbar, designed to give a supported driving position.
The rear seats of 2+2 versions of the Evora –are intended for children and smaller adults. There will also be a two-seater derivative with a luggage shelf in the back. To maximise comfort in the rear, there’s a decent amount of foot-room under the seats in front, while both back seats feature ISOFIX mountings for secure child seat fitment.
When unoccupied, the rear seats provide a convenient stowage area, adding to the Evora’s appeal as an everyday car. The 160 litre boot, which ingeniously features a fresh air cooling system to reduce the effect of any heat ingress from the engine bay, will also accommodate a full set of golf clubs.
Easy in, easy out
With the Elise and its derivatives, the no-compromise character of the car makes getting in and out across a wide sill and through a comparatively narrow door/window aperture part of the charm of ownership. For the Evora and its remit for the serious daily driver, and to attract newcomers to the Lotus brand, greater convenience and practicality is provided.
As a consequence the sill is now lower and slimmer (80mm wide compared with 100mm in the Elise), and the whole door aperture taller. The doors open wider than on the Elise and its siblings, while the height of the front seat is raised by 65mm.
But while The Evora is undeniably more ‘lifestyle’ in respect of its everyday practicality, once you’re seated behind its flat-bottomed steering wheel, it feels every bit as exotic and sporting as you would expect a Lotus to be.
Safely does it
In common with the Elise and its derivatives, The Evora’s bonded extruded aluminium chassis tub has incredible inherent strength, particularly in regard to side impacts. Additional torsional strength is given to the whole structure by the tubular steel seatbelt anchorage frame that also acts as a rollover structure.
Deformable sacrificial aluminium front and steel rear subframe modules are attached to the tub using joints which are designed to minimise damage to the tub, protecting the main passenger cell in the event of an accident.
Driver and passenger airbags are standard. The airbag on the passenger side is cleverly engineered to deploy vertically and then be deflected rearwards by the windscreen, to provide protection for children as well as adults.
Anti-lock brakes are standard on all models, as is Lotus Traction Control (LTC); these systems have been specially developed in co-operation with Bosch and enable up and coming drivers to consistently exploit the braking and acceleration capabilities of the Evora, whilst allowing skilled enthusiasts the freedom to enjoy the full Lotus driving experience.
The chassis: Production Low Volume Versatile Vehicle Architecture
The Evora’s chassis is an evolution of the Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) from the Lotus APX concept vehicle previously showcased at the Geneva Motorshow, and allows for the development of a range of vehicles up to a gross vehicle weight of 1,900 kg. This architecture has been designed to be more applicable to mid-volume applications by utilising our low capital investment manufacturing processes. The Evora structure progresses the Lotus ‘bonded and riveted’ technology used in the Elise family of vehicles with unique extrusions and folded panels, whilst providing contemporary ease of ingress/egress, build modularity and improved, lower cost repairs.
The Low Volume VVA architecture has been designed so that it can be extended in width, length and height. The strength and stiffness of the low volume VVA chassis can be modified cost effectively by varying the wall thickness of the extrusions, without altering the exterior dimensions. The ability to lengthen or shorten extrusions with the option to tailor the chassis stiffness, vastly increases the number of vehicles that can be developed from this vehicle architecture. Front and mid engine installations have been considered, as well as hybrid and Electric Vehicle (EV) applications.
The Lotus Evora employs a composite roof as a stressed structural member to give an exceptional vehicle stiffness of 26,000 Nm per degree, thanks in part to the seatbelt anchorage frame’s secondary function as a roll over structure, and partly because the high-tech composite body panels are stressed items. However, despite this high stiffness, the complete chassis and modules weight just 200 kg (prototype weight), helping to keep the weight of the whole car to just 1350 kg (prototype weight).
To deliver this high performance structure, bonded and riveted high grade aluminium extrusions and simple and elegant folded sheet elements are used in the lower structure, building upon award winning research projects in this field. Lotus pioneered the technology of bonded aluminium extrusions for use in road vehicles and has successfully developed high performance cars for other car companies around the world.
The central tub is attached to an extruded aluminium subframe at the front and a lightweight welded steel subframe at the rear. These subframe modules also offer advantages in terms of convenience and low cost of repair, and during manufacturing can be brought to the production line fully assembled, ready to be attached.
The high technology Lotus Evora chassis will be manufactured at the new Lotus Lightweight Structures facility in
Suspended & animated
The Evora suspension wishbones are forged from aluminium to reduce the unsprung mass. These are similar in weight, and stiffer than the steel items found on the much smaller Elise, Exige and Europa vehicles, and have a far higher vehicle weight capacity. They are attached to the front and rear modules via bespoke bushes. The Evora will use Bilstein high performance dampers and Eibach springs with unique dual path top mounts for optimised vehicle refinement. Hydraulically assisted power steering is provided by a Lotus tuned TRW steering rack.
All in all, the Evora delivers. It has incredible Lotus handling and provides unsurpassable driving pleasure. In fact, word from the ride and handling team is that the new car is likely to become a class standard-setter for speed and agility.
Stop right now…
Vented and cross-drilled brake discs – massive 350mm items on the front and 332mm at the rear – and high performance bespoke Lotus AP Racing 4 pot callipers ensure impressive stopping power.
Everyone connected with the brake testing programme, conducted on the punishing corners, climbs and descents of the Nürburgring, has described the brakes as ‘phenomenal’ with excellent thermal performance and outstanding feel even after extended sessions of extreme use.
Part of that testing programme was to finalise settings for the ABS system being developed in conjunction with Bosch. The system is set to very high thresholds and operates so progressively that drivers are often unaware that they have actually triggered the ABS.
Safe. Fun. Lotus Traction Control
The Switchable Lotus Traction Control (LTC) system has been developed simultaneously with the ABS and works through the engine management system to reduce power when required to maintain traction. Unlike many traction control systems, LTC has been tuned to complement the skills of the driver without taking over. The Lotus LTC is active above 5 mph (8 km/h) and operates much more quickly than many brake based systems. The system can be deactivated completely, giving no traction control intervention.
Keeping a grip – 18 inch at the front, 19 inch at the rear.
Lotus’s long-term relationship with Yokohama was swiftly rewarded during development when initially the front tyre size did not generate the Lotus required lateral grip, the Japanese grip gurus went away and developed bespoke tyres especially for the Evora – a 225/40 ZR18 at the front and larger diameter; 255/35 ZR19 at the rear. Both have carcass construction and a rubber compound unique to Lotus and are identified by the letters ‘LTS’ on the sidewalls.
The V6 Engine - dual VVT-i (‘intelligent’ variable valve timing)
The exceptional working relationship that Lotus has enjoyed with Toyota over several decades, combined with the overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception for the company’s four-cylinder power units in the Elise and Exige, guaranteed the Japanese giant’s inclusion on the shortlist for the Evora engine supplier.
The final choice was
Changes to the engine management and exhaust systems also allow the V6 to rev more freely and provide rapid throttle response; feedback from the development team suggests that the strength of the engine’s mid-range torque means that gutsy performance will be easily accessible without having to thunder through to the redline. This makes the Lotus Evora a thoroughly satisfying car for everyday road use and a rewarding one when you just want to drive.
The 2GR-FE V6 engine is mated to a manual six-speed gearbox, again Toyota-sourced. A close-ratio version of this gearbox is also currently under development for the even more sport-focussed driver.
Many Lotus owners enjoy the blend of unique performance and efficiency that the brand’s cars offer. True to the Lotus value of “performance through light weight” CO2 emissions are expected to be a class leading sub-225 g/km (prototype figures) while testers report fuel consumption in the region of 30+ mpg (pending formal homologation testing).
What’ll she do?
At the time of its unveiling, full performance figures have yet to be compiled on a production specification Lotus Evora, Lotus has another 6 months development to conduct.
While for Lotus top speed is of less importance than stability at speed, early indications suggest a maximum speed of 160 mph; the 0-60 mph sprint from standstill is estimated at sub 5 seconds (prototype figures).
Test. Test. Then test some more
It’s a global car, so the Evora has been tested around the world. From the icy wastes of the arctic to the heat of the desert, the high altitude of the
It has spent hours howling around the Nürburgring and endlessly lapped Lotus’s test track at Hethel. By the time the Evora enters production, prototypes will have travelled for hundreds of thousands of miles along some of the worst public roads in the world and been tortured for as many miles on some of the toughest proving grounds the motor industry has to offer including extreme pave tests, to
It has been flung into barriers at low and high speeds, at a multitude of angles, including head-on; it has even had its roof compressed!
By the time the Evora reaches the Lotus showrooms from Spring 2009 onwards, it will be the most thoroughly tested Lotus car in the history of Lotus. It will also be one of the company’s great milestones.
The order book is now open in the
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus plc sums up, “This year Lotus celebrates its 60th anniversary and it is fitting that 2008 is also the birth of the Lotus Evora, a fantastic addition to the Lotus range. The Lotus Evora represents Group Lotus, a company that is at the forefront of the automotive industry, in a changing world where priorities of efficiency, economy and environmental impact go hand in hand with performance, design and individuality. I think Colin Chapman would have approved.”
