New Lotus Evora makes world debut

13 years on from last launching an altogether new model – 1995s Lotus Elise – the Evora 2+2 sports car, bafflingly, only took 21 months to develop. Still, like most things in life, it’s definitely worth the wait.

With Order books now well and truly open, the Evora in case you didn’t know is the physical manifestation of what to now has been carrying the cloak-and-dagger ‘Project Eagle’ name, so as to keep rivals and duplicitous motoring hacks at bay.

The only truth in the matter being that the much hyped new model would begin with the letter ‘E’ as is Lotus tradition.

So now that all the guesswork is over, what do we have?

Well, the world’s only mid-engined 2+2 sports car in production. An agile performer that if priced as suggested around the £50K mark will find itself going head to head with the Porsche 911 sometime in 2009.

Powered by a 3.5-litre Toyota-sourced V6 engine, the Evora punches out 276bhp, although Lotus remains suspiciously quiet about actual performance figures at this juncture. But expect sub five seconds to the 62mph threshold and somewhere over the 150mph rainbow when Lotus finally deems it appropriate to spill the beans.

Lotus like a bit of showbiz, hence a certain razzamatazz surrounding the Evora launch this week. Championing the sports car as ‘a real character in a faceless society’, Lotus is obviously casting aspersions at the competition. Not quite sure who they are mind.

But to emphasise this lawsuit-prompting outburst the Evora was thrust upon us to the backdrop of some spooky music and some even more disturbing jobbing thesps with their faces missing to ram home the contentious message. Don’t fret – they were masks apparently.

Proton says it’s the best Lotus ever made, but it would, given it owns the Norfolk-based sports car manufacturer.

As is gospel for Lotus, weight is key. Or rather lack of poundage. Therefore an all-aluminium body it is then, plus a rear spoiler and splitter so the Evora maintains its allegiance to the asphalt at all times.

Historically, Lotus never really seems to get the hang of interiors, so normally don’t bother at all. However the Evora bucks this kg side-stepping trend, and adds a few creature comforts such as touch-screen multimedia, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod, air-con and electric power-fold door mirrors, previously shunned as contrived and a bit pansy for its hardcore fliers.

Oxygen-sapping adjustable sports seats and a flat bottom steering wheel means that this Lotus still keeps its race car heritage close at hand though.

In a bid to attract a new breed of customer – as well as cement its appeal to its loyal fan base – Lotus have looked to making the Evora easier to get in and out of though. Wider and taller door apertures and narrower sills enable a broader section of society’s non-contortionists to enter and exit. What’s more, tape measures confirm that a couple of 6 feet 5 inch types can both sit comfortably in the front, and a facsimile of them both will be accommodated in what passes for back seats.

The new Evora will be hand crafted and built on a new production line at Hethel, where 2,000 units per year is the targeted output.

Going on sale during spring 2009, exacting tech spec will materialize closer to this approximate release date, with the Evora expected to cost around £50,000.