Lotus Evora 2010 News

... at the world's leading classic and performance car event, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in the US. Lotus says the concept is a road-going version of its planned entrant into the new global motorsport GTE category, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours. The hot Evora runs a 315kW-plus engine that mates to a sequential AMT racing gearbox. Wheels are ultra-lightweight forged alloys with centre-lock hubs shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres. "The Evora GTE Road Car Concept isn't merely a paint scheme or homage to a race car - this is a serious race car that makes for a very serious road car,'' says Lotus. The GTE Concept will this week be shown within the Lotus exhibit at Pebble Beach this week before being moved onto the Concept Car Lawn for display throughout the remainder of the weekend. It's black and mean and not coming to Australia. The Exige Matte Black Final Edition - which does exactly that: marks the end of an era of Exige production - has a power upgrade to 190kW, an exclusive matte-black paint finish, black Alacantara sport seats and a higher level of standard equipment. Only 25 examples of this Exige will be built, each with their own numbered plate, which Lotus says will help make these cars instantly collectible.

And the show will go on. A battle over the future of Australian motoring shows has not affected plans for the 75th running of the Melbourne Motor Show in March. Lotus has already committed the first high-profile newcomer to the event and organisers have begun a search for a catalogue from the first show, which was run in 1925. The show will open on February 27 and organisers are expecting a strong event, despite the global new-car slowdown and decisions to cancel motor shows in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth next year. “We are most definitely going ahead in 2009. We've got the majority of brands on the market,” says show organiser Russ Tyrie, of the VACC. The future of motor shows in Australia is likely to be decided by a joint taskforce set up by the Melbourne and Sydney organisers, who are aiming for a single event and perhaps a new shared date in the middle of the year. “We're just trying to get a result that works for both us and the motor industry,” Tyrie says. While planning for a single show alternating between Melbourne and Sydney continues, Tyrie and his team are pushing ahead on their 2009 plan. He has already locked-in the Lotus Evora for its Australian debut. It is a mid-engined, two-plus-two sports car that sits above the Elise and Exige, complete with a 3.5-litre V6 engine. The Evora has rakish looks and a list of available equipment which runs to driver-adjustable suspension and an active noise-cancellation system for the cabin. Lotus Cars Australia will reveal full details, including the car's price, on the opening day of the show. That is also when Tyrie hopes to have a copy of the catalogue from the original show. He is offering a reward package as he looks to complete the history display for the 75th show with a full spread of catalogues. “We have them for all but five of the 74 shows to date,” Tyrie says. The 2009 Melbourne Motor Show, at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, will be run from Friday, February 27, to Monday, March 9.