Lotus Evora GT410 Sport 2018 UK first drive

Both a racier version of and a replacement for the 410 Sport, the Evora GT410 Sport wins its ‘GT’ prefix mainly by way of weight savings, added aero and more focused running gear, taking cues from the range-topping GT430.

Carbonfibre parts including the roof and gratifying one-piece louvred tailgate help to trim weight and complement the redesigned composite front and rear panels. But to achieve the maximum 28kg saving over the 410 Sport, you’ll need to spec the 20-click, two-way adjustable aluminium Öhlins dampers and titanium exhaust at £5500 apiece.

What you do get as standard for £85,900 (about four grand more than the outgoing 410 Sport) is up to 96kg of downforce at the car’s unchanged 190mph maximum speed, sports springs (Eibach) and dampers (Bilstein), and features pinched from the GT430 including Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, AP Racing four-piston calipers and an improved version of the Evora’s familiar six-speed manual gearbox.

Superfluous as the prospect might seem, you can still choose a six-speed torque converter for £2000 more, but while it’s 0.1sec quicker to 60mph at 3.9sec, top clip drops to 171mph, weight and emissions go up and it misses out on the manual’s Torsen limited-slip differential.

Don’t let the track-day spec fool you – this is still a Lotus that blossoms in the wild. Tackle a rough, corkscrewing backroad and Hethel’s trademark fluidity remains intact, with our test car’s £2000 ultra-lightweight wheels being relentlessly forced towards the Tarmac. By turns, this lets you exploit the hydraulic steering, which is just sharp enough, ideally weighted and communicative without being busy, the feelsome and reliable brakes and, of course, the 3.5-litre Toyota-derived V6 with Edelbrock supercharger and chargecooler.

With the bi-modal exhaust dialled up, tailpipe noise dominates, but it’s an authentically raucous soundtrack that thrills without artificial augmentation or contrived pops on the overrun. The engine pulls happily from 1500rpm but thrives from 3750rpm to the 7000rpm redline, with a throttle response to embarrass even the most alert of modern turbochargers. The gearbox’s two-step action still lingers, but it’s now a very minor flaw; the tactile aluminium gearknob, short, robust-feeling throw and heel-and-toe-friendly pedal layout are enough to make pleasant work of shifting.

On a dry road – even at near-freezing temperatures – the Cup 2s grip endlessly, allowing confident and committed progress. An on-track stint at Hethel confirmed the loftiness of those limits, with only a concerted combination of aggression and weight transfer unsticking the rear end. But if standing water and countryside muck are more likely to pass beneath your wheels than stripy kerbs, the no-cost touring pack with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and slightly gentler Bilsteins might suit better.