Lotus Evora
 

Saw this yesterday in a magazine at the gym :

http://www.leftlanenews.com/lotus-evora.html

Looks like a decent competitor for the Cayman.

( 276 hp / 250 torque for around $65k )

Nick

It uses a Toyota Camry engine, I suppose it won't explode on you but still.

It looks like it'll be a pretty nice car.

But why Lotus didn't just go with the Lexus IS350 version of the same V6 (306hp right out of the box - before the Lotus tuners get their hands on it) is a mystery...
Unless Lotus is avoiding moving the mid-market model too up-market where it would compete with the upcoming new Esprit (similar to Porsche's longstanding philosophy).

The Evora and Esprit will share the same platform (though modded for the Esprit), and supposedly also future Astons - the VVA (Versatile Vehicle Architecture).

Like most things Lotus, it's sure to be something interesting. Probably mid-summer before any are in stateside showrooms.

I would own an Elise if I could fit in one. I hear these are going to be larger on the inside. That would be nice. These look good, but I think the Elise looks a little better. I can't wait to see them out in the wild.

That's a good looking car, kind of has some Ferrariesque lines.

Lotus has tried this before back in 06 with one called the Europa S. It failed straight out of the gates. Admittedly this is a lot better looking car and the Elise craze is slowly dropping off.

Side story, my friend owns an Elise and let me drive it a month or so ago. I am 6'4" and was the most uncomfortable I've ever been in a car and that includes sitting in the back seat of an old 911. But, I had the most fun I've had on four wheels outside of driving an Atom. :cool:

Why does Lotus now use Toyota motors? Are they owed by the same?

Ekam,

Did you get a sex change? Your profile says "M" but that pic is not "M" ;)

Lotus has been using Toyota Celica 1.8L motor on Elise/Exige for quite a while now.

Lotus has a working relationship with Toyota previously:

"Lotus was responsible for the suspension calibration of the Toyota MR2 Mk. I, the Toyota Supra Mk. II and Mk. III."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Cars

Lotus has only produced one motor of it's own in it's 60+ years of existance- the Twin Turbo V8 used in the '96 and later Esprits - the 918 engine.

Understand that for most of it's history, Lotus rarely produced more than 1,000 cars annually (vs Ferrari which produces about 8,000/yr.), and you see that it doesn't make a lot of financial sense to make engines from scratch.

Prior to that, all Lotus cars used someone else's engines.

The Formula Two cars built by Lotus in the late '40's/early '50's used a Riley engine. The Formula One cars used a Coventry Climax FWMV V8.

The Lotus Indy cars used first the Cosworth V8, and also the Turbine 'STP' cars (Lotus Chassis). There was even one Porsche powered Lotus 11 (until the Lotus 'demolished' the Porsche factory cars, whereupon Porsche cancelled their contract to supply engines).

The Sevens and Elites used a british Ford L-head (or side valve) engine later replaced by the BMC series-A motor, or optional Coventry Climax engine.

The Elans and Europas used a Kent (english Ford) based motor. Even the '77-'95 Esprits used an engine, though cast by Lotus, was based on the Kent.

The M-100 Elan of the early '90's used an Isuzu Gemini engine.

Even the 1st Gen Elise used a reworked Kent engine ROW - only with the US Market Elise in '04, was a Toyota engine used because it had already passed EPA (Lotus initially wanted the Honda VTEC engine, but Honda could not meet demand, most of the motors needed for internal use) , and Lotus expected market didn't warrant the expense or work of getting the Kent motor certified.

Now, Lotus often produced the Head and much of the internals, tailored the intake/exhaust, and/or re-mapped the software for each of these engines.

Lotus certainly never lacked the expertise to build their own engines - Lotus designed the famed Corvette LT5 engine (hand-built by Mercury Marine), and it was rumored that GM bought Lotus ('84-'95) specifically for their engine and suspension engineering expertise, which GM used extensively in the both the Fiero and the Corvette projects.

So, it's not at all unusual, rather, it's more the 'norm', for Lotus to source their engines elsewhere.

$65K for 276hp track toy? Good luck with that in this economy for car sales....

Note the number of 911 GT3, GT3RS, (no NA GT2 in 07) and 911 Turbo Coupe sales in 2008 vs. 2007. Sales for the Porsche variety of track toy are down from nearly $500 million to less tha $200 million.

Good thing Porsche is a hedge fund that happens to sell cars on the side.
Not sure if Lotus has the same thing going.,,

You can really tell that they build the bodies for Tesla.

Looks like a great car.

I'm not sure I agree. :)

I doubt the Evora will be a significant track toy. That's not Lotus intent, that's what the Elise and Exige are meant for.

The Evora is designed to be mostly a performance street 2+2. A gentleman's GT as it were.

Lotus doesn't need to sell a lot of cars to break even and that's really all their parent, govt.-owned Malaysian car giant Proton, cares about. It's mostly a vanity marque to them and they've owned them since '95, through much leaner times than these for the co. Proton also benefits greatly from R&D at Lotus to apply to their own model lineup.

Lotus has always made most of their revenues outsourcing their engineering expertise to other car cos. such as Toyota, Honda, Jaguar, Aston-Martin, Peugeot, Opel, Tesla, even Ford and GM.

It does it for me! I love the looks and that it looks like it could fit us bigger people. It also looks more civil for driving on the highways.

Too bad it costs so much... :(

I'm on the Lotus mailing list - this is the latest "Buy an Evora" email. It was entitled "How many Porsches did you see today?"



The new Lotus Evora marks a return to the sports cars you dreamt of when growing up. Porsches are nice cars, but they're everywhere these days, whereas with only 400 available over the next 12 months†, you definitely can't say that about the new Lotus Evora.

Along with 60 years of sports car heritage, the 3.5-litre V6 Evora comes with a 3-year manufacturer's warranty and residual values comparable to those of Porsche††.

And to show you exactly what we mean, we'd like to invite you to contact any of our authorised Evora dealers (you'll find their details inside the downloadable brochure) and experience what it feels like to drive a sports car with true character.

Click here so you don't miss out on your chance to own an Evora. However, if you're too late, we're sure you'll have no trouble finding something at www.porsche.com

Yours sincerely,

Luke Bennett
Operations Director


Roger Becker
Vehicle Engineering Director








Terms & Conditions
†12 month forecast production for the UK. †† Forecast trade-in residual value by CAP (October 2009) based on 30,000 miles over 36 months - Lotus Evora Coupe 3.5 V6 2dr 48%, Porsche Cayman Coupe 2009 3.4 S 2dr 50%, 911 [977] Carrera Coupe 2008 2dr 49%. This e-mail has been generated automatically. Direct replies are not possible.


http://one.taomail.co.uk/emails/web/100305/419/419/116/2/11095/3192545a7d8e2099792c021fdd98ddcc/

For a while we were thinking of trading the Boxster off for an Elise. We went so far as to test drive a couple super charged Elises. While they are VERY nice cars, beautiful to look at and handle like a dream, we decided to stick with the Boxster for now. My wife (the accountant) figured that even in the event of an engine failure, we'd be money ahead to stick with the Box, then to swap out to a Lotus.

I'd love to get an Exige. Can't justify it to the accountant yet. I guess it'll have to wait until she blows more money on redecorating. :)

The beauty of the Elise, which no other manufacturer has done and not even the Evora does, is provide you with what a sports car needs most, the absence of weight. It's what Lotus is known for, that and poor quality. The 1st gen Elise was even 300 pounds lighter than the car we get.

You have to buy either a very old car, or a kit car to get what the Elise offers. Truely unique.

I agree and salute the notion of less is more when it comes to weight. For my tastes, what kept me from an elise is the looks. From the front it looks like a praying mantis, way too many vents, this new car has a more appealing body, a move in the right direction.

Lots Of Trouble - Usually Serious.

This will not dissuade me from owning one. :D

Sat in the Evora today. Very unpractical if you ever decide to get one. 2+2 configuration is a selling point on paper only. You do have to chop their legs off to fit in the back. No trunk space as usual for a Lotus and you still have to be a contortionist to get in and out of the car. Forget about bringing a date with you if she wears a skirt.

That being said, the full leather interior is gorgeous and Lotus is trying very hard to get in to the GT market. It's a unique car and no doubt it'll be a hit.

Not forgetting the 1470cc Renault engine used in the Series 1 and Series 2 Europa.

The Evora was awarded 2009 Car of the Year by evo magazine. It looks fantastic, but the weight (1,350kg, 3,000lbs) is disappointingly heavy for a Lotus.