Motor Show: Lotus Evora

Project Eagle's production name announced...

The new £45,000 2+2 mid-engined Lotus coupe will be called the Evora, the company has confirmed. The name was revealed this morning at the British Motor Show and replaces the 'Eagle' codename.

It is the first all-new Lotus since the Elise in 1995 will be powered by a 3.5-litre V6 producing 280bhp and has an innovative lightweight chassis. Lotus is predicting a 0-60mph time of less than five seconds and a top speed of over 170mph and hopes to take on accomplished sports cars such as the Porsche Cayman with the new car.

Lotus boss Mike Kimberley unveiled the new car at the British Motor Show this morning but would not reveal any specific performance figures. 'The A to B times are phenomenal,' he said. Lotus is calling the Evora the 'best car it has ever built' and says it is the only 'true 2+2 transverse and mid-engined sports car on the market'.

Kimberley said the car is the 'logical next step for owners of the current range' and claims the car will be both comfortable and focused. The company's engineers took it from a clean sheet to a finished design in 21 months.