Will the new Evora 400 be the hit Lotus needs? - Gizmag
Lotus, builders of some of the most iconic and sublime cars of all times finds itself, yet again, approaching dire financial straights. It needs a hit, a palpable hit, and it has chosen to update, up-rate and subtly alter its Evora sportscar for even more bang throughout the performance envelope. How you can squeeze more go, stop and turn out of a car as capable as the already impressive Evora is a hard question to answer, but Lotus answered it, and it seems to have done so most definitively. Lotus was founded by one of the all time great automotive and racing engineers, Colin Chapman, who had one of the all time best personal and professional mottos: "To go fast, simplify and add lightness. A lot of people edit that down to "To go fast add lightness," and that works just as well. It can be so obsessive about weight that on the legendary Lotus 7, paint is optional. Which is why, in some ways, when the Evora first rolled out, it was a bit of a puzzle. Yes, notional as it was, the Evora is a 2+2. Chapman had made other 2+2s in the past, most notably the Elite and Eclat (they even squeezed a +2 into an Elan as well), but normally, a Lotus is two seats, no waiting. A lot of this added puffery found on the first iteration of the Evora can be laid squarely at the feet of former company head Dany Bahar. Source: www.gizmag.com
