Lotus-Evora-400-web
After a year-long U.S. sales hiatus, the Lotus evora returns, and with just about every performance measurement juiced

As the calendar flipped to early January of 2015, Lotus Cars Ltd. had reason for optimism. The previous year saw its best sales since 2008, with 2,015 new cars on the road, but a widespread restructuring had cost the Norfolk, UK-based Company a quarter of its workforce. That challenging piece of PR was spiced by the Lotus Evora failing federal crash test standards—resulting in a suspension of its U.S. sales for the entirety of 2015.

Under new CEO Jean-Marc Gales, however, the 63-yearold carmaker is looking forward to a smooth stretch of road, not least because its new Evora 400 is one of the most thrilling coupes to appear on these shores in the last decade. The model line dates to 2008, but the latest iteration was unveiled in July, and is being offered in the 40-odd U.S. dealerships.

One of Gales’s strategies is to place his model lines squarely against more exalted competition than in years past. At approximately $90,000, the new Evora is competing with the likes of the Porsche 911 Carrera and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 rather than mid-level sports cars—and this is no small bet. Lotus had long hung its hat on two essential principles: a lightweight tradition inherited from its team racing components, and relative affordability, but if first impressions are any indication, what we have here is a true evolution. The new model has been lightened, lowered, and had virtually every performance parameter increased. Built on a new aluminum chassis with composite body panels, it packs more firepower than in years past, equipped with a 3.5 L V-6 supercharged to the tune of some 400 hp, and dashes from 0 to 60 in a mere 4.1 seconds. Top speed is up nearly 20 mph to 186, and the standard six-speed manual is as smooth as silk. Best of all, perhaps, the four-seat cabin marks another leap forward. Lotus interiors have long inherited from their racing brethren a tendency to be somewhat spartan, but this cockpit is gratifyingly refined (love the Alcantara leather), well accentuated, and handsome as all hell.

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