Thursday 7th July 2011

Spotted: 2010 Lotus Evora

Fully loaded, 6000mls, £38k... it all adds up

---

A mate went to look at a 2010 Porsche Cayman 2.9 a couple of months ago. They're not the quickest car out there but he liked it and asked me if there was anything else he should look at. I suggested one of these, but before he'd even driven one he got impatient for a new toy and forked-out for the Porker.

Obviously it's not as simple as picking one or the other because each has a different focus. But a year-old Evora like this one with both the Premium and Tech packs fitted is very much removed from the raw, pared-down, carpet-less image that has accompanied Lotus since the Elise was launched, and might have proved to be a viable alternative (and - say it quietly - a quicker one too...)

The Tech Pack gives you upgraded stereo, speakers, and amps as well as DVD, MP3, USB, cruise, parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring which would have been a £2700 option, and the Leather Premium Pack (you guessed it - leather on the console, door pockets, footwell panels, oh, and the Recaros) weighed in at a hefty £1800. All-told this car would have retailed at about £55,000 a year ago.

Since then it's done just over 6,000 miles and has just had its second service carried out by the main dealer who has also had the door handles painted (...since the pics were taken) in Starlight Black to match the body colour. They've just knocked over a grand off the price too, from £39,551 to £38,853.

I haven't driven one myself yet but colleagues tell me they're extremely good, and of course with a Toyota engine out-back it's reasonable to expect reliability along with a fair degree of comfort, although of course some will argue that a Lotus should be more of a visceral, sense-bombarding experience.

Either way, this Evora looks like interesting value, and how good does it look in that rear-three-quarter shot?

[AdamPT]

I personally wouldn't spend 38k on this let alone 55k...it just doesn't look special enough.

[Mafioso]

I have to say that it does look nice, but not at £38k!

[Schnellmann]

Black suits the car very well IMO. But 17k loss in value in a year quite painful. Probably got quite a lot of depreciating left to do. In two or three years will possibly be a good buy and as I don't think they are selling many it will be something different.

[kambites]

Personally I wouldn't pay 39k for an Evora or a Cayman. Cars this new just seem ludicrously expensive to me.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to their value. Elises tend to level out at about half their new price but the Evora is being pitched into a much more image conscious and hence much more age conscious market.

Edited by kambites on Wednesday 6th July 18:11

[PhilboSE]

Article said:

They've just knocked over a grand off the price too, from £39,551 to £38,853.

<pedant>
Knocked £698 off, in fact.
</pedant>

Even as someone who ran and loved a Lotus for many years, I wouldn't take it over the Porsche. Too much depreciating still to be done, I'm afraid, and there is always the nagging doubt about WTF the factory is up to these days...

Owning a Lotus model in which the factory have lost interest isn't the most rewarding experience...

[g7jhp]

Looks nice but at £38k you could get some nice alternatives:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Porsche 996 Turbo
Porsche 997C2S
Porsche 996 GT3

[ivantate]

Bought to enjoy over the next 5-10 years I cant see a problem with this!! as a changed quick toy I can see the second owner getting hit nearly as hard as the first.

Not driven one but one like to think I would go for this over the competition.

[g7jhp]

Looks nice but at £38k you could get some nice alternatives:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Porsche 996 Turbo
Porsche 997C2S
Porsche 996 GT3

[g7jhp]

Looks nice but at £38k you could get some nice alternatives:

Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Porsche 996 Turbo
Porsche 997C2S
Porsche 996 GT3

[Honk]

PhilboSE said:

Article said:

They've just knocked over a grand off the price too, from £39,551 to £38,853.

<pedant>
Knocked £698 off, in fact.
</pedant>

Even as someone who ran and loved a Lotus for many years, I wouldn't take it over the Porsche. Too much depreciating still to be done, I'm afraid, and there is always the nagging doubt about WTF the factory is up to these days...

Owning a Lotus model in which the factory have lost interest isn't the most rewarding experience...

True.....would look at one at c 20K in a year or two.

[soad]

Mafioso said:

I have to say that it does look nice, but not at £38k!

Will make a decent buy few years down the line though

[R.P.M]

Having just had a conversation with someone who just paid 35k for an Audi S3 I don't think the lotus is bad value.
If it's anything like my exige it should be super reliable as well.

Bargain.

[soad]

How does top gear/evo magazine rate these?

[Honk]

soad said:

How does top gear/evo magazine rate these?

iirc very well as there wasn't a 911 nearby.

[Goodfella 555]

I'd buy it for £38k i think it is stunning, but only if i intended to keep it for a long while (determined not to mention the 'd' word!)

[kambites]

soad said:

How does top gear/evo magazine rate these?

Evo did a group test between the Cayman S, Evora and Farbio with this conclusion:

Evo said:

The Farbio is essentially right but when compared with two cars of such high calibre, the need for some concerted fine-tuning is clear. It especially needs this in its dynamics, to tie down its damping and dial in a bit more straight-line positivity, but it’s a big-hearted car that’s not short of character.

In the end, though, this is Lotus versus Porsche, and even though they are both global cars and remarkably similar on paper, it seems they can’t help reflecting where they come from, the Lotus excelling on demanding, give-and-take roads, the Porsche coming into its own at speed.

The Lotus is an impressive achievement given the budget. It’s refined, it’s comfortable, it’s fast and it’s economical, just like the Cayman. But what Lotus has added is everything that’s good about an Elise – particularly the clarity of steering, the supple ride and the effortless agility and precision – and allowed them to headline in a bigger, higher-quality package. And suddenly the Porsche feels like its wheels are made of lead.

The Cayman is still a great car but the Evora, well, the Evora is irresistible.

[justin220]

soad said:

How does top gear/evo magazine rate these?

EVO had it as their Car of the Year in 2009. That car is an absolute bargain.

[M666 EVO]

Beautiful but the only worry is how much more will it have lost over the next 3 years?

[jackal]

you buy this car for the ride and handling, the chassis, the gorgeous damping, the magical, mystical, epiphanic way it glides through a rough bumpy british B road .... it has no peer in this respect, cayman, 911, R8, whatever ....

[jbforce10]

Living in Norwich I see a lot of Evoras, from subtle metallic greys to bright orange and even green & yellow "team lotus" style paint jobs. I've yet to see a colour that this car doesn't look great in. Given £40k to spend on a car I'd certainly have it on my shortlist alongside a v8 vantage and GranSport.