Gorgeous, I think its a good competitor for the 911 being its cheaper price wise then it right now. When a supercharged or turbo comes out though, it will probably still be in carrera s, probably lower price range and it will be a MUCH more desirable car in my opinion. I want it now, but will wait.

 

I have had an (N/A) Elise for 3 years, and have now test-driven the Evora twice. Getting in and out is MUCH easier in the Evora, ride is more comfy, but still feels very connected to the road. Brakes were very sensitive, but felt plenty strong. Seats are great in front, unusable in back. It felt reasonably fast, considering it weighs 1000lbs more than the Elise. Low-end torque felt better than the Elise, and the engine, surprisingly, sounded pretty good. I, too am no big fan of radios with 'soft' buttons on the touchscreen, but it didn't sound as bad as my Elise's radio. NAV system looked OK.

You have to see it in person - it's gorgeous, but I've not yet seen a picture that does it justice. I think the racecar livery shown earlier in this post, with the contrasting rocker panels looks good. The special 'Carbon Edition' takes it one step further...

 

I am now in love, where do I sign up? And who do I send the engine to for forged internals and twin turbos? Should be good for about 500 hp!

 

Latest news is that Lotus and Cosworth will be collaborating on engines for both race and street models, so that may be a possibility before long.
Everybody's interested to see what the next step(s) up in power will be for the Evora, since it seems like the chassis will be able to handle much more than the car has now.

--Bob

 

my stepdad got a chance to test drive one at Criswell Lotus. they had one there for 3 days for people to check out. he said it was awesome. he loved how it drove.

 

There is so much left on the table, and when the prices come down some its going to be hard to not buy one of these. I can't imagine why for the love of me the DI 3.5 with 306 hp would not be used. With DI it would make it easier for higher compression and forced induction! And if Cosworth can get 260 hp out of a 2.3 4 cylinder I would think they could get close to 400 out of a high rpm 2GR-FSE.

 

It's been mentioned on a Lotus forum that one problem is that Lotus buys these engines from Toyota esentially without warranty. As a tiny manufacturer, they cannot afford to take a chance on engines grenading, and having to provide a new one under warranty. It would not take too many to cause a big dent in their bottom line. That's one reason they've been WAY conservative on the Exige supercharged engine outputs - started at 220hp, waiting quite a long time before producing 240hp, and now 260hp versions.

--Bob

 

I see.

 

That is beautiful... first one Ive seen that appeals to me

 

You can't even buy one for $75k. That is just the base price, with standard options, the MSRP is $85k and there are no discounts.

You can buy a new 997S or M3 for less (ask me how I know, I bought both).

I would love an Evora, test drove one and it handled great (needed more power) but don't think it will sell well in that price range. Will make a great used buy in a few years when its worth $50k.

 

I'm sure Lotus will do what they did with the Exige.

In a few years there will be a supercharged version. Then a supercharged version with 20 more hp, then next year, another 20hp, etc. etc. Each time the price will go up.

 

Very nice car, I like it a lot.

 

I do love the new Lotus Evora, it makes a good compromise between the lightweight agility of the Elise/Exiges, and a bit of luxury. It has a very nice interior, although not too well put together, and is kitted out with A/C, satnav etc.

However, for £50,000 it does seem underpowered, considering what you can get for the same price. At £55,000 you have the BMW M3, 420bhp, very well made, well kitted out, quick etc. With cars like these in the exact same price range as the Evora, I can't help but think it's a little overpriced.

 

Something about this car reminds of a rehash of the NSX circa 91.

 

I just sat in one at the Americana Concourse today. What exactly do you do with your left foot after you use the clutch pedal? There is no dead pedal and no space between the wheelwell and the pedal. You have to then slide your foot UNDER the pedal and rest it there. Terible design.