RE: Lotus Evora

[Mr E]

Prolex-UK said:

TOM's in Japan do a supercharger for this engine. I have one fitted to my Lexus IS350. Power is 352bhp torque 400nm.....boost is limited to .4 bar as due to high compression any more will cause it to fail..........makes a lovely whine

Mated to sub 1400kgs with long(ish) gears. Sounds like a decent formula for a GT to me.

[EDLT]

I'm not sure it will compete with Porsche to be honest, alot of their customers buy a badge with a car attached. It might tempt ex-elise owners who need a bigger car though.

[kambites]

EDLT said:

I'm not sure it will compete with Porsche to be honest, alot of their customers buy a badge with a car attached. It might tempt ex-elise owners who need a bigger car though.

Plenty of people buy Porsches despite the badge/image rather than because of it.

[nickpage]

I agree with a lot of you. its way too dear, you might get the purists buying it but your average Jo will go for an M3 or similar.

[bogie]

I like it...and cant wait for the hot 350bhp version in a couple of years ...although I guess that will add at least £5K and then you are at high 60's price wise

...they will be a great used buy in 3 years - pick one up for £25K then spend £5K on a blower - sorted

[DeadMeat_UK]

nickpage said:

I agree with a lot of you. its way too dear, you might get the purists buying it but your average Jo will go for an M3 or similar.

There are an awful lot of purists out there like me who shelled out in Elises a decade ago, but now driving around in grown-up friendly cars (and I don't mean that in a derogatory way!) like 911s.

Look at what you can buy NEW for 50k and I think it's well priced.
It's only when you look at the second hand equivalents you realise you can pick up a 996 turbo for the same cash.

In 2 years+, when there's a healthy used market for these, it'll be in 35k used territory which puts it in a very good spot.

It's image will shout enthusiast rather than "possibly enthusiast, possibly flash salesman" that used 911s and Ms have which will also do it the same good it's done the Elise. I suspect for the same reasons it'll pick up an awful lot of TVR fans who no longer have new shiny models coming onto the market.

[andy_s]

GM182 said:

A Twin test with the Cayman S will be the acid test though...but whatever testers say I will probably still prefer the Lotus

Autocar evora vs cayman

[kambites]

andy_s said:

GM182 said:

A Twin test with the Cayman S will be the acid test though...but whatever testers say I will probably still prefer the Lotus

Autocar evora vs cayman

So pretty much what we'd all expect. It drives better than the Cayman S (although the fact that it's faster in a straight line is something of a surprise, given the stats) but lets itself down in terms of build quality.

ETA: That is, of course, all on the assumption that Aurocar aren't talking bks.

Edited by kambites on Saturday 9th May 10:53

[hidetheelephants]

I think I saw Mr. Suttie and this very motor, parked in a layby near Loch Lomond a few days ago. Looked very nice, the colour suits the shape very well indeed. I had to do a double-take as I'd not seen pictures of it beforehand.

[MacCrae]

Saw three of them the other week at lock fyne, think it was the lotus boys heading for the press day. cars looked ok, but to much at that price. Best wait for 6 months and grab a bargain.

[j123]

Whats so frustrating is that Lotus have shown throughout the 70's and 80's how to make a well proportioned car. And indeed just in case anyone was wondering, there has never been a classic (be it new classic or old) car that was NOT well proportioned- front to greenhouse, to front/rear angle of roof, to rear. Yes, the M250 was well-proportioned, the upcoming esprit is well proportioned. But this evora is a mess.

And this picture is what really put me over...
http://www.pistonheads.com/inc/popup3.asp?pictureU...

...the rear visibility on this kit car amounts to a box about 10 inches tall
and just two feet wide. THATS THE SIZE OF TWO TEXT BOOKS! I'm not sure if there has been a car in recent memory that has had such a meager rear/quarter/rear visibility. Its a very poor design "feature" ("designed" no doubt) indeed.

That the car is made of Aluminum and is actually less rigid AND about the same weight as the steel Cayman- yes I've read each manufactures figures on rigidity, and that you can't see out the sides or back of the car is enough to put me off.

Maybe there could be a market one day no longer just for aftermarket wheels and tires etc, but for entire car bodies? I think the evora would look absolutely smashing with a new body!

Edited by j123 on Saturday 9th May 18:45

[Tuna]

j123 said:

That the car is made of Aluminum and is actually less rigid AND about the same weight as the steel Cayman- yes I've read each manufactures figures on rigidity, and that you can't see out the sides or back of the car is enough to put me off.

Autocar Review said:

..get past the Evora’s one or two static foibles and compare it with the Cayman on the road, and a totally different picture begins to emerge. The Lotus may not sound as throaty as you’d expect but it’s faster than the Cayman in a straight line, and in the mid-range the response from its 3.5-litre V6 can leave the Porsche feeling flat footed by comparison.
...
It also steers more sweetly than the Cayman, which is some achievement, while its all-round double wishbone suspension provides a level of composure that is just breathtaking... What you notice most jumping from one to another is the extra agility and composure of the Evora when you’re really going for it. It changes direction with such precision and immediacy, all the Cayman driver can do is watch in awe. It’s that well sorted, is the Evora, yet at the same time it’s that much more comfortable than the Cayman as well.

You're right, it sounds dreadful.

Before you get too bogged down with torsional rigidity figures, the numbers I've seen quoted are 31,500 Nm/degree for the Cayman's steel monocoque and 26,500 for the Evora's chassis alone. From what I've read the body of the Evora contributes to overall stiffness so you cannot compare the two numbers.

Edited by Tuna on Saturday 9th May 23:05

[j123]

Tuna,
Yes right you are. Thats about 20% in overall rigidity, which is quite a lot. So are you saying in some round about way that because the Cayman's body panels do not contribute to its strength that they act to make the Cayman less rigid as the chassis moves?

I would believe that the thick almost continuous block of Alumium that is the rear bulkhead does help though--- to bad there will be some who will crash because of it. Or do you suggest getting a video camera back there?

JL

[Jasandjules]

There's no shortage of 2+2 cars with little room in the back.. So if this compares to them well, then it's a real option for many people I'd have thought.

Hopefully a convertible option will be out soon too. Let's face it, it's nice to be able to support British car manufacturers.

[Driller]

Sorry, I think it looks .

Singularly passionless and uninspiring. It looks like it should be electric powered. I looks...."safe".

There are sports cars out there which hug the ground in a squat, purposeful way. Cars which look like they're travelling fast even though they're standing still.

These are the cars whose engines growl and bay and urge and roar. Cars which make you smile when you fire up the engine, make the hair stand up on your neck when you rev them.

I have never heard the Evora's engine. I imagine though that it sounds as exciting and full of passion as it looks.

Would you come around a corner, see this car parked up and stop dead in your tracks, uttering "wow" under your breath before slowly walking up for a closer look, having forgotten everything else around you?

Isn't that what a sports car is? Isn't that what they should have made? Next to this the Wildcat looks breath taking.

Maybe I'm just not in the target market for this car, maybe I miss my Griffith too much.

The Evora reminds me of bread dough.

[Miguel]

dral said:

mhoward said:

I may have misunderstood the opening paragraph in the review, but the current Europa was never designed to carry four people. It only has two seats. In which case, carrying four would certainly be an issue...

Edited by mhoward on Friday 8th May 10:06

Unless there's been an edit, the reference is to an Excel, Lotus' 80's toyota powered 2+2.

I like the look of the Europa in most of the the photos, i'm looking forward to seeing one. The interior and build looks much better than my exige. Looks like a really nice, sensible car.

I just read this, but I'd guess the article's been edited. The Lotus Excel, which replaced both the (70's) Elite and Eclat, was Lotus powered. It did not have a Toyota engine, but the non-turbo 2.2L Lotus engine previously used in the earlier models, which had started out as a 2.0L. I believe it was based on a Vauxhall block.

Miguel

[evo4a]

Driller said:

Would you come around a corner, see this car parked up and stop dead in your tracks, uttering "wow" under your breath before slowly walking up for a closer look, having forgotten everything else around you?


Maybe I'm just not in the target market for this car, maybe I miss my Griffith too much.

Did that really used to happen every time you saw a Griffith, surely you could see a few of the people doing wker signs.

[dom180]

j123 said:

Tuna,
Yes right you are. Thats about 20% in overall rigidity, which is quite a lot. So are you saying in some round about way that because the Cayman's body panels do not contribute to its strength that they act to make the Cayman less rigid as the chassis moves?

I would believe that the thick almost continuous block of Alumium that is the rear bulkhead does help though--- to bad there will be some who will crash because of it. Or do you suggest getting a video camera back there?

JL

A video camera is a £300 option on the price/options list I got from my dealer - the initial batch of Evoras get the camera as standard.

[kambites]

j123 said:

Yes right you are. Thats about 20% in overall rigidity, which is quite a lot. So are you saying in some round about way that because the Cayman's body panels do not contribute to its strength that they act to make the Cayman less rigid as the chassis moves?

I think the point was that the Evora's figure doesn't include the rigidity added by the roof. If that's right, I suppose it would be fairer to compare the Evora chassis to the Boxster rather than the Cayman and assume that the Evora and Cayman both gain similar strength from the roof.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 10th May 11:10

[LotusACBC]

I don't know...I want to have a good feeling about the Evora's future.It doesn't seem like a car that will sell properly in the US either, exception only to the die hard hippie 70's Europa fans haha The interior just looks awfully 80's especially the squarish theme of the deash and flat bottomed steering wheel. Can we not agree the light switch panel to the left of the steering wheel looks so misplaced-what person in charge of the go ahead looked at that and thought it was "aces!" The pic of the rear seats is laughable-they aren't seats, it looks like the firewall is the back support and Lotus draped a piece of leather over it and stamped the shapes of two seats--they look like cutouts-they are hardly 3 dimension.The same fellow who okayed the light switch housing up front must of looked at how flat the rear seats were that he came up with the second ace idea to add an "earth worm" band across the leather in some attempt to add some depth to it. The rear window from the same shot of the back seats also looks ridiculous--in fact the whole area surrounding the rear window from inside looks barren-see "cheap". Any one remember that movie "The Wraith" The Evora could star in the remake. . But look, I am hoping that in the flesh it leaves me coming back to this thread with my tail between my legs. It is true that Loti don't especially photo well--so I'm keeping my hopes high.