The old saying is true-Timing is Everything. Mentioned in the press release for Evora pricing was a brief paragraph that two Lotus Evoras had been brought to the US that wold be shown briefly at select dealerships. Glancing at the schedule, my eyes nearly fell out of their sockets-one of those two Evoras was 15 miles away from my house, right now. A quick e-mail, and a prompt response from Lotus that they would be happy to give a personal tour of their newest sports car was all the motivation I needed.
Arriving at Premier Lotus in Branford, Connecticut, Lotus Cars USA’s Jim Carter would be my tour guide of the Evora. As an ambassador of sorts for the Evora, Jim has the enviable task of driving the car, but piloting a nearly impossible to replace Euro-spec Evora from Boston to Connecticut in the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida is best left to someone on Lotus’ payroll.
Parked safely in the showroom, any hope of driving the Evora went up in smoke, so the only impressions I can offer are from walking around, and sitting in the car. First of all, the pictures do the car no justice. Even in the subdued Graphite Grey, the Evora’s curves are a total knock out, and elevate the car from sports car to exotic. You would never guess the Evora is a 2+2, even standing next to it. Attention to detail is evident everywhere, and the more time you spend looking at the car, you gain a true appreciation of the effort the designers expended. Definitely on par with Ferrari. Yes, it’s that good.
Stepping inside the Evora is easily done, and the Recaro seats felt firm and supportive. This is quite the civilized Lotus, but don’t think they went all “Olde English” on the design. Quite the contrary-this is a very modern, contemporary car inside. Fit and finish was excellent. Every surface your hand touches felt of exceptional quality. No busyness or distractions, the cockpit is ready for the serious task of transporting you and your passenger from Point A to B quickly, with no fuss. I had plenty of headroom for my 6′1″ frame, and enough left over for a helmet. I’d call on the backseat for emergencies only, and for very compact friends.
During my half hour with Jim Carter, it is clear Lotus is excited about the Evora. I speculated that the Evora would compete against the Porsche 911, or possibly the Jaguar XK. Lotus themselves aren’t sure who their direct competitors are, but I was pleasantly surprised that Aston Martin owners are interested in the Evora (it’s a bargain!). Just as important, owners of current and vintage Lotus’ have expressed their approval. In the US, Lotus expects to sell between 800-900 Evoras in 2010, compared to about 500 Elise/Exige’s sold this year.
Without driving the Evora, it’s tough to give a full assessment, but in looks and feel, the Evora is the real deal, and should keep current Lotus customers happy while bringing in new buyers to the brand.
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Unlike the Exige, it looks like I could get in and out of this one without assistance!
One is coming around my place shortly too. Ever since Top Gear did their test of it I’m intrigued. The Elise isn’t really my thing, but the Evora looks incredible. I’m going to try and smooth-talk my way into driving it.