Lotus has revealed the Lotus Evora GT430 as its most powerful road car yet, with 430bhp on tap and a top speed of 190mph.
Only 60 examples will be built, and each carries a price tag of £112,500, making it one of the most expensive cars that Lotus has yet made.
The GT430 is powered by an updated version of Lotus’s 3.5-litre supercharged V6, which produces 325b ft of torque from 4500rpm. Wider tyres help to put down all of its power, and Lotus claims that at full chat, 250kg of downforce is produced.
The Evora GT430 benefits from stringent weight-saving of 26kg over the standard Evora in addition to the bolstered power, with extensive use of carbonfibre inside and out. This includes the additional performance parts adding 9kg to the weight of the car. As a result, it weighs 1258kg dry; 82kg less than the Porsche Cayman GT4. Some body panels have been specifically designed for the limited-run GT430.
The GT430 can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.8sec, which is 0.6sec quicker than the Cayman GT4. Lotus claims that the GT430 is the quickest car around its Hethel test track since the 454bhp track version of the 3-Eleven, matching its lap time.
Upgrades to the Evora's performance come from an air-to-liquid gearbox cooling system and a titanium exhaust, as well as other gearbox upgrades including a low-inertia single-mass flywheel, while elsewhere an upgraded limited slip differential aids traction.
Inside, the seats are finished in leather and Alcantara, but can be specced fully in one or the other at no extra cost. Red highlights are the only colour about the carbonfibre-clad interior.
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Will be fun for a few rounds
Lotus is becoming a self-parody at this price point.
Caymen GT4?
I had to look it up. They're comparing a £ 113k car to one at £ 65k. That's a huge jump!
Surely it would be better to compare with the 911 GT3 at £ 100k?
Although I'll admit I haven't checked to see if the 911 GT3 is still available or not.
Symanski wrote:
porsche fans buy Porsches, Ferrari fans...ditto, Lotus fans......yep, they will buy this too,if you can afford to pay £80,000 of your wealth the stretch to £112,000 won't be that much of an um or er moment,you'll buy it because it's got Lotus stamped on its backside!
Autocar, not lotus?
Unless I am reading it wrong, those comparisons are by autocar not lotus. But agree it is a daft comparison.
Geely to get its finger out....
I assume this is an unintended exercise in making the Porsche 991.2 look superb value ?
Note to Lotus:
1. Stop frigging about with all the upgrades and 'specials'. It makes potential customers VERY nervous: ie. between order and car's arrival there's always another 'latest & greatest' addition which makes their 'new' car instantly outdated. Very, very silly marketing. Stop it.
2. Make the standard Evora look like the GT430.
3. Invest in underbody aero, so buyers can 'option delete' the 'Ring rear spoiler.
4. Lop off £ 20-30 K.
I know it's going to be a long wait before Geely's good work (see Volvo ) is going to take effect but the Evora is clearly a good enough platform to create a sensible range structure with well timed developments to keep the market interested.
The way Lotus (even with Jean-M Gales at the helm) is churning these 'new models' out just reeks of desperation...and that is not a good look.