1968 Lotus Super Seven Reviews

But here I am behind the wheel of not one, but two Ferraris, a Lotus, a Lamborghini, an Aston Martin and a Porsche.

It was love at first sight."They were light years ahead of the opposition," says Geertsma, now 70."They were lighter, had four disc brakes, a wheel in each corner, independent suspension and a stiff chassis. Lotus was first in many areas with fibreglass bumpers, Formula 1 ground effects, monocoque chassis and the engine as part of the car itself."During the '50s and '60s, Geertsma saw Lotus founder and engineer Colin Chapman driving an Elise and legendary F1 driver Jim Clark in a Lotus 25 at the circuit. It's little wonder, then, that the Ipswich businessman got into racing Lotuses after he migrated to Australia."I had my leg amputated from cancer in 1957, so when I got into racing in 1994 I went looking for race car drivers," he says."We had a Lotus 18 Formula Junior with several different drivers, but the best was Jerry Perkins, brother of Larry. Terry and Larry raced in Europe. Larry won the Formula 3 championship and Terry had won the Copenhagen race. Terry always put in 10 out of 10 in performance whenever he got behind the wheel and they are both very good mechanics."The racing team folded in 2007, but Geertsma's love affair with Lotus has persisted off the track. He bought his first road-going Lotus, a 1960 Elite he picked up in Melbourne in 1985 for $19,000."I thought, 'What have you done, you idiot?'," he says.The original car with chassis number 1082 was a Lotus demonstrator with a Maxima body which was destroyed in June 1960 in north Wales when Lotus sales manager Ian McLeod drove head on into a bus. McLeod was severely injured while passenger and Canadian motoring journalist Tom Davenport died on impact.The current car uses the gearbox and a few other parts from the original but now has chassis number 1449 with a Bristol body. It is powered by a four-cylinder 1216cc engine with a lightweight alloy head and block.Lotus rated power at a tiny 56kW and torque at 104Nm, but because the fibreglass monocoque vehicle only weighed about 660kg, it was super-quick and nimble.It's now worth about $75,000 and Geertsma wouldn't part with it."I'd sell my family before I'd sell the Elite," he says. "The Elite is Chapman's first road-going car. It's virtually a race car for the road. You could just put a number on the side, race it and be a winner."He also had a 1977 Porsche 911 which he crashed and burnt. In 1990, he replaced the Porsche with a 1967 Lotus Elan SE he bought in Sydney for $17,500. It is now worth about $40,000."It was partly restored, but it wasn't a good job, so I had to start the restoration again from the beginning," he says.He replaced the gearbox with a four-speed box from an MG Magnette, but the rest is standard. It is powered by a 1558cc four-cylinder cast-iron block and alloy-head engine with 78kW and 146Nm.Geertsma says it's not only more powerful than the Elite, but smaller in every dimension and weighs only about 640kg."I'll be keeping these cars for the kids," he says.

Action hero Mickey Rourke, supermodel Naomi Campbell, former Queen guitarist Brian May and actor Stephen Baldwin all turn up to help generate excitement around five stunning new models. Lotus is heading into a new era, targeting a direct confrontation with Ferrari, and it dazzles with a giant event that positions the company as Britain's new supercar maker. But things could change quickly if former Ferrari boss Dany Bahar does not get the money he wants. He already says Lotus will move its manufacturing base to Magna in Austria, taking 1200 jobs from the UK, if he does not get around $100 million in government loans. The total investment in the Lotus plan is more likely to be $800 million, with Proton of Malaysia - owners of Proton - promising to underwrite any losses over the next three years. That's the time it will take to get the Elite, Esprit, Elan, Elise and Eterne into production. All five are shown at Paris - against a preview of the Elite alone in the run-up to the event - but none is a full production car and estimates for on-sale dates range from three to five years. The born-again Esprit supercar was rumoured to be first into action but has been overtaken by the Elite as Lotus positions itself for the future. Still, the question of how a tiny company that currently has only a handful of models and a small budget will now be able to develop so many high performance models is not answered in Paris. It is also odd for Lotus to uncover so many proposed models, revealing so much of its future line-up, so far out from production. The most enticing of the cars presented is the Esprit, which is also the most likely to make it into a showroom near you and is due in 2013. A remake of the former wedge-shaped classic, the new Esprit will take on Ferrari with a mouth-watering and mid-mounted 5.0-litre V8, which is ‘pressure charged’ and even has an optional KERS hybrid assistance system. The combined power output is 456kW. The engine will be linked to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission for super fast shifts. Lotus says the car weighs just 1295kg which means a power-to-weight ratio that allows it to make the dash from 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds. All the other models presented share the Esprit’s sharp front-end styling and wedge body design, including the Elan, another remake of a Lotus classic. It is a two-seater with a pressure-charged 4.0-litre V6 that makes 331kW and weighs the same as the Esprit. It’s due at the end of 2013. The Elite is a grand tourer and has the same engine as the Esprit, but it is front-mounted and the car is due in 2014. It has a retractable hard-top and weighs 1650kg. Lotus also presents a new lightweight Elise, which is not due for another five years, which takes up the same styling cues as the other new concepts. It also rolled out the Eterne, a four-door model aimed at the growing four-seat grand tourer market. Lotus says this model, also five years away, runs the same V8 as the Esprit and Elite, but is also available with an optional all-wheel-drive system. But that's not all. Tucked away at the back of the Lotus stand is a tiny City Car Concept. It's a little like the Aston Martin Cygnet, which means it will be used to offset the heavy CO2 emissions of the supercars and also give buys a little fun for city runs. Meanwhile, Lotus is headed in a new direction in Australia. It is expected to become part of the Ateco empire at the start of 2011 in a major shake-up of sales across the Asia-Pacific region. Ateco boss Neville Crichton is on the Lotus stand at the Paris Show for a champagne celebration, although he refuses to confirm any deal. "We talk to everyone. I talked to a lot of people at the show," Crichton tells Carsguide. Ateco is already the Australian importer for Ferrari and Maserati. The new Lotus family Elite: Set for sales in 2014 at the start of the new Lotus generation. A 2+2 grand tourer to rival the Ferrari F599. Eterne: The first true four-door sedan with a Lotus badge, but also gets a supercharged V8 and F1-style KERS hybrid pack. Elise 2015: The lightweight sports car continues into a new generation with a sexy new look. Elan: Claimed to be the heart of the new Lotus lineup, taking over from today's Evora as both a two and four-seater in 2013. E sprit: Originally intended to be the first of the new-age Lotus models but now pushed back to 2013 with a supercharged V6.

It's the Elite, a long-overdue successor to the Esprit, that promises true supercar performance with a pricetag in the $300,000-plus range. The car is a front-engined 2+2 coupe that is also being developed as a hardtop convertible. Deliveries are not expected until 2014. The Elite was dreamed up and developed by the team of ex-Ferrari staff who now control Lotus, led by managing director Dany Bahar. It's a massive step up from the road racer Elise and part of a plan to turn Lotus into a super-luxury brand to rival Ferrari and Lamborghini. "There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars, but we didn't take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly. It's based on months of careful research and planning," says Bahar, "It's worth noting this sector has been very successful for us in the past, and now the Elite raises the benchmark higher still. Make no mistake, there's a definite market requirement for the Elite - it's the ultimate sports car feel with comfort and space." The Elite is expected to be followed by at least two other new models, also up and beyond the Elise. Lotus is not going fully public with details on the car until the first day of the Paris Motor Show but has released some teaser information. "There's no denying that the Elite is breathtakingly beautiful to look at, but its so much more than that: it's a car that over-delivers in all other aspects as well," Bahar says. "One could say it's a car of perfect contradictions; it's compact yet spacious, high performing yet low emitting, lightweight yet still reassuringly solid.'' The car has a 5-litre V8 engine - perhaps from Lexus - with 450 kiloWatts of power and 720 Newton-metres of torque, good enough for a top speed of 315km/h and a 0-100km/h sprint time below four seconds. There is also a model with an optional hybrid system, using a Formula One-style Kinetic Energy Recovery System, although Lotus says the CO2 emission of the regular car is still only 215 grams/kilometre.

The British sports car brand is planning an upscale push and will reveal the first details - an all-new concept car and two spin-offs from its Evora - at the Paris Motor Show in September.  Lotus is running a countdown clock to the show on its official website under the headline 'The future starts here'.The Lotus concept car is still secret, although inside sources point to a revival of the Esprit supercar as a potential rival to the Ferrari F458.But the Evora updates have emerged through a leaked Lotus email which reveals there will be a go-faster Evora S and an automatic model, which are both already being tuned through track testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.The change at Lotus comes following a major management reshuffle under former Ferrari honcho, Dany Bahar. He has hired a string of other ex- Ferrari executives in a move to boost the brand and provide the talent - design, engineering and sales - to go after the Italian brand.Lotus Cars is having a busy time with limited-edition models of the mainstream Elise, an Evora hybrid concept and even a Formula One-style track car for wealthy owners.In Australia, Lotus is heading for a revamp of the business that will bring it under an Asia-Pacific umbrella for the first time. Details are expected to be announced before the end of the year.

Toyota has bought a significant stake in Tesla, which plans to add a prestige family sedan soon to its Lotus Elise-based Roadster, in a deal which will also revive a dormant factory in the USA. The NUMMI factory in Fremont, California - its name stands for New United Motor Manufacturing, Incorporated - was originally set us as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. But, just like the shotgun marriage between Toyota and Holden in the 1980s in Australia, the deal fell apart and production at the factory ended this year. Now Toyota plans to assist Tesla to establish a giant new manufacturing operation at the NUMMI site as it taps into the American start-up company's expertise in electric-car technology.  It has bought a stake in Tesla costing more than $59 million and Toyota chief Akio Toyoda is bullish about the potential in the deal. "I’ve felt an infinite possibility about Tesla’s technology. Through this partnership, by working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making, and flexibility that Tesla has," Toyoda says. "Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business. By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that ‘venture business spirit,’ and take on the challenges of the future." Tesla will build its upcoming Model S, although it is unlikely to approach the 500,000 cars-a-year production capacity at the factory.  The Model S was unveiled last year and has a target price in the USA of $49,900, a figure helped considerably by a government tax break, as well as a claimed range of 500 kilometres between re-charges. "The Tesla factory effectively leverages an ideal combination of hardcore Silicon Valley engineering talent, traditional automotive engineering talent and the proven Toyota production system," said Tesla CEO, Elon Musk.  "The new Tesla Factory will give us plenty of room to grow."  But Tesla is still in its infancy and has delivered less than 1000 of its Elise-based electric Roadster sports cars to date.

Called Eyesight, the idiot-proof high-tech safety system is currently being tested by Subaru Australia.  It is expected to be rolled out locally next year on high-end Liberty/Outback models. The Subaru device is similar to Volvo's City Safety in its ability to recognise potential road hazards and alert the driver.  However, unlike Volvo's system, Subaru uses two cameras located near the rear view mirror rather than a laser. "The reason it's called Eyesight is because the stereo cameras replicate human eyesight," according to Subaru Australia technical services manager, Derek Ashby.  Its inventors say the cameras are better able to recognise the complex road environment, from white lines, to barriers, people and bicycles. Eyesight can avoid frontal collisions, lane drifting and low-speed impacts.  It is currently available in Liberty, Outback and Exiga models in Japan for about $1200.  Like humans, the system requires clear weather to work properly. In rain or bright direct sunlight its performance is diminished.  "It needs clear vision just as people do," Ashby says. Subaru has been testing a third-generation version here for the past nine months to program more local driving conditions into it.  They have towed a caravan with it and driven the Outback test car extensively on dirt roads. Eyesight's two digital cameras feed information into a micro-processor above the windscreen.  It locks on to any vehicle in front and when used with the adaptive cruise control, will slow, stop or accelerate the car. Like City Safety, it will also apply the brakes in stop-start traffic to prevent crashing into the back of other vehicles.  Other party tricks include lane departure warning and sway warning.  It will also stop a driver from accidentally driving into a carpark wall if they accident hit the accelerator instead of the brake, even if a forward gear is engaged. The system will also beep at inattentive drivers to let them know the vehicle in front has moved away from traffic lights or an intersection.  A pre-crash function will brake the car to a complete stop below 30km/h to avoid low-speed collisions. Subaru also says it will also work at speeds above 30km/h and up to 50km/h with minimal damage.  Eyesight has been developed in conjunction with Hitachi.

When you're the sort of carmaker that goes 15 years without a fresh model line, then the wheels you eventually roll out are going to get a lot of scrutiny. So it is the Lotus Evora, which went on sale here in January. The Evora moves Lotus away from sole reliance on the Elise in all its guises, and means the British brand has something up-market and comfortable to offer.Unlike the tiny track-focused Elise (and hardtop Exige variant), the Evora is sufficiently civilised for the daily commute: a rival for the class benchmark, the Porsche 911, only more exclusive. Or at least that's the theory. The reality is a bit more complicated.The good news about the Evora is that it feels utterly like a Lotus. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that it feels utterly like a Lotus. The Evora is Lotus's first proper crack at a luxury model since the Esprit was finally deleted nearly a decade ago.I have never so much as sat in an Esprit, so I've no idea what the Lotus track record is like at the elite end of the market. However, it's immediately obvious that the Evora has the same non-mainstream feel that distinguishes the Elise. There are compromises here that volume carmakers have long since left behind.For example, in supercharged versions of the Elise and Exige, rear vision is almost nonexistent thanks to the engine plumbing. It can make life awkward, but oddly it's also part of the charm.I didn't expect to find a similar problem in the Evora, in which half the tiny rear window is obscured by the engine. At this level, that doesn't feel good enough. It adds a layer of difficulty to the usual problems of seeing out of a coupe which here, as usual, involve reflections off the dashboard on to the front glass.To solve the rear vision problem, the Evora can be fitted with a rear camera and parking sensors. These come bundled into one of the three options packs, and the test car -- in common with the first 1000 Launch Edition cars -- was fitted with the lot.On a normal Evora, that would nudge the price up to almost $200,000, where the alternatives for buyers get really interesting. Desirable performance cars from all the German brands would leave you with change.Of course, you could buy the Evora without all the trimmings. A stripped-out Elise is still an appealing prospect because it's essentially a toy. However, I couldn't imagine buying an Evora without most of the goodies. And then the problem becomes that some of the goodies aren't very good.Chief among them is the premium Alpine satnav and audio system, which looks after-market and has poorly resolved graphics, screen-saver aside. It's part touchscreen, part button-operated and simple things -- adjusting volume, for example -- are a pain. The buttons are minuscule and the system logic inscrutable. This $8200 option is bundled with cruise control, parking sensors and Bluetooth for the phone, all of which would be difficult to do without.Something I could probably do without are the rear seats, which cost another $7000. They are useless for adults or children larger than infants, and even then I wouldn't want the job of installing them. They work for luggage, although cargo space is what you get anyway if you don't tick the box.It's certainly handy to have space behind the seats because other storage options, boot included, are small. Supposedly, the boot has aircon channelled through it to prevent the engine cooking your shopping. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.The luxury option pack adds more leather to the cabin and it's offset by good-looking metal dash trim plus one or two classy ingredients, such as the gearstick. But many other bits, such as the pedals and vents, appear to have been carried over from the Elise and the quality of finish still trails the mainstream, with a poorly fitting passenger airbag cover in the car I drove.Unique to the Evora is a steering wheel that adjusts in two directions and aircon with settings other than hurricane and off. The seats adjust only for distance and backrest angle, but these Recaros are comfortable all day.The main driving position problem involves the pedals, which are offset towards the centre of the car in a way most makers can avoid these days. The clutch has a fairly strong spring, the gearshift action is mechanical and the brake pedal has extremely short travel. But they are nicely grouped and pleasing to use with a little familiarity.The steering wheel is suitably small and hydraulic assistance means that, unlike the Elise, the Evora doesn't have to be wrestled into a parking spot.However, the instruments are awkward to read, with speedo increments at 30km/h, 60km/h and so on, then a halfway mark between. Does this indicate 45km/h? Tiny red display panels on either side of the dials are difficult to see in any light conditions and the trip computer functions they display are rudimentary. Also irritating are windows that don't drop all the way into the doors, or auto-up.Getting into an Elise is impossible for many and, although the Evora sills are narrower, ingress will still be a challenge for some because it's so low to the ground.One big lift over the smaller Lotus cars involves interior refinement, with much less engine noise in the cabin. There's tyre roar and thump and occasional metallic thunks, but fewer of them and they're less noticeable.Ride is another advance, with a sophisticated feel that's on the acceptable side of brittle for a sports car.  Despite this, the Evora would be frustrating to live with day-to-day and the difference between it and an Elise is a matter of degree, rather than kind.Of course, that's also the good news. Take the Evora on a long country drive and you won't want to get out. On the right road at around the legal limit, the Evora comes alive.The chassis is gorgeous and seems to respond intuitively to small inputs from the throttle and steering. It quickly adopts a balanced stance for fizzing around bends without any effort from the driver.There's a delicacy to its movements that's every bit as engaging as an Elise, only the Evora has more poise and feels less frenetic.  The Evora is also less inclined to transfer kickback through the steering wheel or get bumped off line.The Evora's aluminium chassis is derived from the one developed for the Elise, and it also has double wishbone suspension all round.  The Evora is heavy by Lotus standards, at 1380kg, but light by the standards of everyone else, thanks to aluminium panels and a composite roof.The Evora continues Lotus's association with Toyota engines, only this time it's the 3.5-litre V6 from the Aurion and Kluger. It lacks the feistiness of the four-cylinder units supercharged by Lotus for the Elise/Exige, as well as some of their pace, with a 5.1 second time to 100km/h against low fours.However, the engine sounds really sweet when given its head and pulls in a nice linear fashion to a maximum speed of 261km/h, according to the company.  Opt for the sport pack, and there's a switchable sports mode that sharpens the throttle response, increases the rev limit and sets higher thresholds for the electronic intervention systems. It also brings sports tailpipes and an engine oil cooler, plus cross-drilled discs for the four-piston AP Racing calipers.The exterior design is pure Lotus, with Coke-bottle sides and a wraparound look to the glass. The rear is wide and houses 19-inch alloys against 18s at the front, giving the car a great road stance. It's unmistakeable. It will be much rarer than most of its rivals with a production run of 2000 a year and just 40 destined for Australia.  The Evora is too desirable to fail, but as a grand tourer it makes a great sportscar. Even by elite standards, it's a bit rich putting things such as power mirrors on the options list and some of the compromises, and letdowns, are unavoidable. Which makes a 911 the sensible choice. Only now, having driven the Evora, I'd have to have one of each.

Green is not just a theme at Geneva. Like chocolate and watches, the Swiss are turning an automotive fad into a phenomenon at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.It is one of the first international motor shows to dedicate a “green pavilion” that is allowing carmakers and specialist automotive environment companies to exhibit their wares under one roof.Production ready hybrids, electric concept cars, the electric Mini, the battery powered HydroGen 4 from Opel, a Kia hybrid electric and natural gas car and a city car powered by the latest generation batteries developed by Croatian company Doking are on display. Other companies and some Swiss universities are exhibiting high-tech refueling and recharging stations for tomorrow’s cars.It is the type of ingenuity that is attracting mainstream carmakers too.Two sportscars, the Twenty-4 Le Mans race developed by the same Swiss company, which built the GreenGT electric racer, and the 3.3-litre V6 Quaranta hybrid sportscar developed in 2008 by Italdesign-Giugiaro are also on show. The Twenty-4 Le Mans racer is powered by two electric motors with around 298kW and 2000Nm and weighs less than 900kg. It is expected to hit 100km/h in less than four seconds and has a top speed close to 300km/h.But the green theme is not isolated to one pavilion.Apart from its Quaranta, Italdesign Giugiaro has introduced a family of low environmental impact cars created with Malaysian carmaker Proton. The first Proton concept, uses a hybrid drive system. It is designed to maximise available interior space and ergonomics in a four-seater, five-door hatchback that is just 3.5m long.“This is the outcome of several years of study,” Italdesign chief Giorgetto Giugiaro says. “The solution allows interior spaciousness on a par with that of a D segment car despite maintaining the exterior dimensions of an A segment car.”Finnish electric carmaker Valmet is showing off its Eva 2+2, which it claims can travel up to 160km on one charge and Swiss specialist electric company, Protoscar has the Lampo 2 sportscar. Based on the General Motors Saturn Sky and Opel GT, the Lampo 2 uses two electric motors and a lithium-ion battery pack that deliver 300kW/640Nm that enable the light-weight two-seater to hit 100km/h in just 5 seconds and top speed of 200km/h. The car has a range of 200km.Apart from the Europeans, Japan is also showing off some quirky concepts.The Honda 3R-C is a revolutionary one-person battery electric vehicle concept that is making its world debut alongside the EV-N concept, being displayed for the first time in Europe. The three-wheeled 3R-C concept looks to a future when consumers want commuter vehicle for one with zero emissions. The 3R-C uses a battery electric drivetrain mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis. Honda says this allows a low centre of gravity and improved stability.It has a clear canopy that covers the driver’s seat while it is parked and not in use. On the road, the canopy becomes a wind-blocker to protect the driver. The design has a high sided safety shell that provides excellent crash safety as well as protection from the weather. In front of the driver is a lockable boot area, which gives significant secure storage for luggage or other items. The 3R-C study was created by European designers working at Honda’s Research and Design facility in Milan.Despite the green tinge to Geneva, petrol power still reins.Porsche’s new Cayenne made its world debut, along with a hybrid version boasting a V8 with the economy of a V6. The car has a parallel hybrid drive system that can deliver fuel economy of 8.2 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 193g/km, making it the cleanest Porsche in history. Apart from the hybrid, the new petrol Cayennes are expected to be more than 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than the previous model.BMW and Lotus are also showing off hybrid models, the ActiveHybrid 5 hybrid  - essentially a very lightly disguised new 5-Series - and Evora 414E hybrid. The Evora shares its 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine with the Proton concept. The sportscar also gets two electric motors to drive the rear wheels, delivering 304kW and 800Nm via a single-speed transmission that can mimic upshifts and downshifts of a seven-speed dual clutch transmission. The BMW ActiveHybrid 5 is the third hybrid model unveiled. It follows the ActiveHybrid versions of the X6 and luxury 7 Series sedan.Opel, the European division of General Motors, is showing off its number one prototype of its version of the Chevrolet Volt, called the Opel Ampera.

Only 40-odd lucky Australian buyers will get the chance to slide into Lotus's most ambitious new model in years, the Evora 2+2.  Globally it will be the company's most desirable car, with just 2000 being built this year.Some cars already have names to them and Lotus Cars Australia general manager sales and marketing, Jonathan Stretton, says anyone ordering now will have a six-month wait.The newest Lotus, which flew by the codename of Project Eagle during its development, is the company's break-through car.  Its brief is to go head-to-head against some fancied German rivals, particularly the benchmark Porsche Cayman.Stretton wants the Evora to attract new customers to the brand.  "We're hoping to lure buyers across from other premium brands," he says.  The car's small production number is a key component important for the car's image, he says.  "It is a low-volume car so it is something that will stand out from the crowd," he says.  The cost of that exclusivity is $149,990 for the two-seater and $156,990 for the 2+2.Although the Evora is more than sum of its parts, some the pieces that go into the mid-engine sportscar are not so exclusive.  The engine is a Japanese 3.5-litre V6 that will be familiar to Toyota Aurion drivers.However, Lotus has tweaked the V6 so it now pumps out 206kW/350Nm with the help of a remapped engine management system, freer flowing exhaust and Lotus designed racing flywheel and AP Racing clutch.  Unlike the Aurion, the car gets a six-speed manual gearbox from a UK-model Toyota Avensis diesel.  A six-speed sequential automatic with paddle shifters is not due to arrive until later this year.Sourcing a well respected drivetrain has its advantages.  The car's light weight and composite bonded body panels helps deliver a combined fuel economy figure of 8.7 litres/100km from the V6.  Even the flat bottom steering wheel is made from forged magnesium to reduce weight and the interia of the wheel.As expected of a sportscar the suspension uses light-weight forged double wishbone suspension, Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers tuned by Lotus.  Engineers have also stuck with a hydraulically assisted power steering setup in favour of an electric system.Stretton says the Evora will also allow existing Lotus owners to upgrade into a bigger, more refined car.  "It will also help broaden the audience," he says.  Initial cars will come fully loaded in "launch edition" specification which includes tech pack, sports pack, bi-xenon headlights, premium audio system, reversing camera and electric mirrors.The tech pack is normally $8200 and the sports pack $3095.  Despite its compact dimensions - it's 559mm longer than an Elise - the mid-engine 3.5-litre V6 is a true 2+2, with rear seats large enough to accommodate smaller folk in the back and soft luggage in a 160 litre boot.  "It also has a proper boot and is more accommodating that some of its competitors," Stretton says.Visually the Evora takes some design cues from the Elise but at the front has a more modern take on the Lotus grille and headights.  Lotus executive engineer, Matthew Becker, admits there are elements of the famous Lancia Stratos rally cars in the Evora's design."One of the key elements was not to make the car too big," he says.  To ensure it has enough room for four, the Evora is 559mm longer, slightly wider and higher and sits on a 275mm longer wheelbase than the Elise.  The chassis uses the same structure as the Elise, which is extruded aluminium but is longer, wider stiffer and safer."The Elise chassis was designed 15 years ago," Becker says.  "So we've taken the good bits of that chassis and developed it."  The car is the first example to use Lotus's low volume versatile vehicle architecture and is expected to support more models in coming years.It uses removable front and rear subframes so they can be replace and repaired easily after an accident.  Three other new Lotus models, including the 2011 Esprit, are expected to use a similar platform over the next five years.Lotus has always held aspirations beyond just being a small niche sportscar carmaker. And while we love driving the Elise and Exige they will never crossover into the mainstream.  They are pure sportscars for hard-core enthusiasts. Weekend warriors.The Evora is a very different proposition.  It has been designed with comfort in mind without sacrificing the Lotus pedigree for performance and handling.  Every aspect that marks the Elise and Exige down for occupants has been addressed in the Evora.  The sills are lower and slimmer and the doors are taller and open wider, making entry and exits less of a contortionist's nightmare.It looks like a serious sportscar but Lotus recognises that to compete against the likes of a Porsche Boxster, it has to be more user friendly.  They have succeeded.  Slipping into the Evora is like putting on a well-tailored Armani suit. It fits very well yet in a snug, reassuring way.Once seated in the hip-hugging sports seats there is still plenty of leg and headroom without any sense of claustrophobia.  That's the first hurdle overcome.  The second hurdle is the hugely variable quality of past Lotuses and their "kit-car" reputation.  The Evora goes a long way to dispel such preconceptions.Design-wise it feels different to a thoroughly efficient and Germanic Boxster. Probably our only gripe about the interior is that some of the minor switchgear still feels as if it's come for a Toyota parts-bin.  But the quality is the best we've seen from the British carmaker for ages, from the headlining to the well-crafted leather seats.All is forgiven though when you turn the key and hit the road.  The steering is sharp, there is a good balance between ride and handling and the mid-engine V6 has a sweet note.  Like some of its rivals, the Evora gets a "sports" setting, which heightens driver involvement by limiting some of the in-built safety nannies.Lotus has wisely stuck with a hydraulic steering rack, rather than an electric system, for better feel and feedback.  Like the Elise, the Evora benefits from lightweight high-tech manufacturing technology, which is the key to the car's sparkling performance.At 1380kg the low-slung sportscar is on a par with average Japanese hatch, yet the worked over Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre six provides plenty of grunt.  The six is efficient and smooth, delivering seamless power and plenty of low-down urge that builds quickly once the revs go beyond 4000 revs.On full song, the engine has a wonderful note yet at highway speeds it is composed and quiet.  For some enthusiasts, the V6 might not have a big enough soundtrack to identify it as a car that hits 100km/h in 5.1 seconds or reach 261km/h but the crispness and urgency of the six's delivery is still impressive.Equally impressive are the massive brakes - 350mm front and 330mm rear - and grip from the Pirelli P-Zero tyres.  The V6 is mated to a Lotus-tweaked Toyota-sourced six-speed manual gearbox.  At first the gearshift feels a little notchy between first and second but familiarity helps smooths the changes.Once mastered, you can confidently push the Evora well beyond normal handling threshholds.  We didn't get anywhere near the car's very high dynamic limits.  Yet even without sports mode activated, it remains utterly entertaining.There is no doubt the Evora feels like a more grown up Elise.  It might just have enough cache to lure some performance buyers across from the more established German brands.  It is an every day Lotus you can finally live with.