Lotus Evora 2011 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.

Lotus will give the new Evora flagship its southern hemisphere debut in Melbourne. Expected to go on sale here this year, the Evora has generated extensive interest — and orders — since it was unveiled at the British International Motor Show in July 2008. The mid-engined 2+2 sports car is designed to deliver 21st-century performance with practicality and economy. It will complement the existing four-model Lotus range of Elise, Exige, Europa and 2-Eleven, and embodies the traditional Lotus combination of light weight and high performance. The rear-drive Evora is powered by a Lotus-tuned all-alloy 3.5-litre V6 with variable valve timing mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The car’s aluminium chassis and powerful engine enable it to go from zero to 100km/h in five seconds, with a top speed of around 270km/h. The car is designed to be both a luxury coupe and a practical high-performance sports car. 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 it easier to get in and out of the cabin than it is in Lotus’s smaller sports cars like the Elise, Exige, Europa and 2-Eleven, while the design of the cabin itself will accommodate two tall adults in the front seats. The convenience factor of the Evora extends to less obvious areas of the car. Beneath the skin, the entire front-end structure is a hi-tech aluminium crash box 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 include plans for a convertible. It 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. Because of capacity limitations, Lotus only expects to build 2000 cars a year, which will ensure the car’s rarity and exclusivity. With 2+2 seating, small children can be put in the back. Lotus is not talking price just yet, but it is expected to rival the BMW Z4 and Porsche Boxster.   The 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show...  

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.  

The car called Project Eagle is officially the Lotus Evora, but it will not reach Australia until November next year. The car the British brand has to have — after relying for far too long on the one-trick Elise — is a big deal and cannot arrive soon enough for Lotus Australia. “We've already taken our first deposit. There is a lot of interest,” Lotus Australia boss John Startari says. The Evora was unveiled at the British Motor Show. Preliminary technical details include a claimed top in the 270km/h range and a 0-100km/h time of five seconds. Just as important as the performance are the car's 2-plus-2 cabin and a package that is already being compared with the benchmark Porsche Cayman. “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,” Group Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley says. “The Evora also . . . 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.” But no one is sure about the Evora name. It could have come from a historic Portuguese town, though Startari says the main reason for the choice is “all Lotus cars have a name that starts with E”. The Evora is built on a new aluminium chassis that is longer and wider than the Elise's. It was created from the remains of the stillborn Lotus M250. It has a 3.5-litre Toyota V6 engine and six-speed manual gearbox behind the cabin, rear-wheel drive and fully independent suspension. Lotus says the car will be built on a new production line at Hethel in the UK and is already talking about 2000 cars a year. The first deliveries will be in Britain. Evora will also take Lotus back into showrooms in the US for the first time since the 1970s. Startari says the Evora is a breakthrough, even if it is not the long-promised supercar replacement for the Esprit Turbo and V8. “The most important thing is it's an all-new car, not just a stretched Elise,” he says. “The styling is based on the Elise, but what's wrong with that? It has been a winner and it is a stunning car. They have deliberately gone for a classic Lotus look to give the car longevity.” Lotus Australia is forecasting its first Evora deliveries by November next year, though Startari is keen to get a preview car for the Melbourne Motor Show in March.