New AutoCars News: Lotus Evora

Showing posts with label Lotus Evora. Show all posts

Lotus Evora 400 Roadster Version

5:23 AM

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Lotus boss Jean-Marc Gales told Autocar that a roadster Evora 400 is almost ready for production as "the chassis is a tub, so there's no impact with the roof off." This allowed Lotus for a faster development process, with the removable roof to be made up out of two pieces weighing 3kg each, and the ability to be stored behind the front seats. The new model is very important for the brand's commercial success in the US market, as Gales says that half of the Evora's competition there already offers an open-top version.

The new model will use the same 400hp supercharged V6 engine, which allows the hard-top model to accelerate from zero to 60mph in 4.1 seconds and onto a top speed of 186mph (300km/h). Performance of the roadster version is expected close to these figures as the weight penalty of the roof loss will be minimal. Jean-Marc Gales also confirmed the development of new Elise and Exige versions, promising that the new models will also be lighter and faster from their predecessors and also more practical for everyday use.

The Lotus boss who has confirmed that the brand's first-ever SUV model is already underway, also said that the British firm will be cash-flow profitable in this financial year and profitable in the financial year beginning April 1st, 2016 for the first time in 60 years.

10:26 AM

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The special road-legal track-day 2-Eleven (pictured) was not just fast, it was in a league of its own. It could hold its head up against more potent and expensive supercars although it only had a supercharged 4-cylinder 1.8-liter which developed around 252 BHP. But its secret was weight, more specifically, the lack of it.

The future 3-eleven is expected to stay true to its roots and follow Chapman’s philosophy of nimble, lightweight cars. It will feature the same 2GR-FZE Toyota supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, used in the Exige S and Evora S, but boosted up to 420 BHP.

Considering the “old” 2-Eleven had curb a weight of only 666 Kg (1,468 lb), we assume its replacement will not stretch this figure very far - especially if the car will feature the same aluminum monocoque chassis as the Exige S. Even if the 3-eleven will weigh close to 800 kg, it will still have a power to weight ratio of 525BHP – that’s phenomenal.

So phenomenal, in fact, that it will destroy the 2-Eleven's 3.8 second sprint from 0 to 100 Km/h (62 MPH) time and its 241 Km/h (150 MPH) top speed.

We know that because According to Autocar, Lotus’s CEO - Jean-Marc Gales, wants the car to break the 3 second 0 to 100 Km/h sprint barrier and to surpass 290 Km/h (180 MPH). Furthermore, the 3-Eleven is said to be capable of lapping the Nurburgring in just over seven minutes – That’s pretty close to Porsche’s 918 Spyder hypercar (6m57s). But then again, these figures are exclusively for the track-only version of the Lotus.

10:58 AM

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Lotus calls it the Evora 400 after it tweaked the sports car's supercharged and charge-cooled mid-mounted 3.5-liter V6 engine to deliver 400hp and 410Nm of torque, an increase of 45hp and 10Nm respectively over the current Evora S.

With this newly found power, the Evora 400 is 0.3 seconds faster than the Evora S in the 0-60mph sprint at 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.2 sec), and an impressive 6 seconds faster at the brand's test track in Hethel, Norfolk. It also tops out at 186mph (300km/h).

According to Lotus, "over two thirds of the Lotus Evora 400 is new", and that includes the more intricate/fussy styling of the front and rear ends of the car, the redesigned cabin, the extruded aluminum chassis tub, the updated manual and automatic transmissions – the former gets a standard Torsen-type limited slip differential (LSD), new brakes and wheels. In keeping with the brand's tradition, the Evora 400 shed 22kg or about 49 pounds in the process.

"The Evora 400 is the fastest road-going Lotus that we have ever produced, possessing performance that can only be matched by cars costing significantly more," said Lotus Cars boss Jean-Marc Gales. "It delivers supercar looks allied to supercar performance."