Type 130 - Lotus Evija

[Dan E]

Personally I think the Valkeryie is hideous! 

[The Pits]

Anyone here is completely free to dislike the Evija or any other Lotus. If they dislike all Lotus cars and people I would suggest that there are better places to spend their spare time.

Criticism is welcome here. I particularly dislike the way that Porsche GT products are completely beyond criticism from car journalists and in general online. So I wouldn't like to see that with Lotus cars, if anything the people who believe they are the voice of reality should be making sure that balance is brought there I would have thought. The imbalance is far greater.

As you can see anyone is also free to nitpick and try to undermine the posts of some very well informed people here too. But they have to accept how it looks to reasonable minded people. Twisting what has been written to suit a personal gripe, agenda or strange assumption about someone is not OK and very different from carefully thought out criticism.

TLF will never be negative enough for some and that's fine as there's another website for them. It's going too far to make it your mission to change the tone of this place too based on some pretty extreme and unfounded assumptions. For anyone else who subscribes to the narrative that TLF is for blinkered, deluded, fawning fanboys they might like to know that a lot of posts have been removed to the benefit of the more critical posters on here.

I don't like everything about the Evija, I'm not very keen on the name or the square shaped steering wheel for a start but the bigger picture here is utterly astonishing. To be arguing about by how many seconds the Evija will be the fastest car with number plates on is hilariously missing the point that it's set to be the fastest ever accelerating car with number plates on. Chapman was hugely audacious and ambitious. He didn't know his place in F1. But the 'garagistes' had the last laugh. It's great to see Lotus showing that kind of audacity again. Let the naysayers scoff! It's all part of the great Lotus tradition.

[electro_boy]

I echo all the comments above about the negativity.  It's a prototype / preproduction car its not the final item, its just so potential buyers know what they will be getting and have some confidence in putting down their deposit.  No one has said its a final finished product, there will be many tweaks and changes along the way before its finalised.  Eg take the Carfection video where Russel Carr says they are still working on making the carbon badge with metal inlay ready for production, they are not quite happy with the results they have at the moment.

Also some of the comments I've read on other forums about it being pointless and not practical.  FFS its a hypercar! Non of it makes sense, its not supposed to!  If did make sense it wouldn't be a hypercar.  Its simply about turning all the dials up to max, putting a massive smile on your face and turning round to your mate and giving them a nod that says "Mate! this is freaking awesome!".  and from what I've seen I think the car delivers on this front.  The Evija is not an Elise replacement, just once more for those that haven't worked it out yet ... the Evija is NOT a replacement for the Elise.   Its whole new thing to generate new interest and excitement for the brand and a nod towards what we might be seeing in the future.  It's not designed to sell like hot cakes and have one on each person's drive.  Its special, rare, aspirational car.

Also the "will it really happen" comments.  OK we had the Bahar days with promises of multiple new cars etc ..  but Lotus is a very different company now, a lot of the senior management and board are new faces from big established and very successful business, they have new owners who are actually investing int he company and investing serious amounts of money.  There are already signs of the new investment with new buildings and facilities and new staff, so its not a fake promise of investment, its actually happening.

So why don't we just give Lotus the benefit of doubt and congratulate them on what is a very exciting and beautiful car.  Come 2020 and "if" production hasn't started then feel free to engage your moan generator but I really don't think that will be happening.

[oneshot]

15 hours ago, fmxa said:

That certainly is a beautiful looking car and kudos to Russel and the guys in Hethel for pulling this off.  Anyone know if this is a "real" ie drivable car, or a model, and the car with the real engine and batteries is "coming soon"?

Need to see it on the track!

I have it from a reliable source that the car was able to move under it's own power. Whether it had the full drivetrain or simply a cut down version to move it I don't know.

[scotty435]

What makes me happy is thinking about all the smiling faces on the shop floor at Hethel the day after the launch, they must be some of the happiest people on the planet at the moment, after some difficult times for them over the last few decades thinking it could be there turn for there P45. Well the future looks very bright for them now and good luck to them they deserve it.👏👏👏

[F1_Chris]

I am very impressed with the Evija, everyone at Lotus should be very proud. As an EV - its so far away from what i would have concidered a typical Lotus, but somehow it still seems very Lotus to me. The shape, the weight - the minimalist approach. If this handles anything like a Lotus. Wow. Gj.

[cobwatch]

The Tesla Roadster performance claims are remarkable. top speed beyond 250 mph, 1/4 mile under 9 seconds (similar to the Evija), a 600 mile range...and the one that floored me, 7,400 lb/ft of torque! Musk says this performance "is already being achieved by the prototype..." If Tesla can pull this off with a base price from $200,000 all bets are off. Incredibly, Musk has also said that higher performing models of the Roadster will be available later, as this only references the base model. 

[Simon Bateman]

34 minutes ago, cobwatch said:

The Tesla Roadster performance claims are remarkable. top speed beyond 250 mph, 1/4 mile under 9 seconds (similar to the Evija), a 600 mile range...and the one that floored me, 7,400 lb/ft of torque! Musk says this performance "is already being achieved by the prototype..." If Tesla can pull this off with a base price from $200,000 all bets are off. Incredibly, Musk has also said that higher performing models of the Roadster will be available later, as this only references the base model. 

That's all well and good, but does it have a letter T that lights up when you put it into reverse 😉

[Advantage]

Tesla have trouble producing a simple Mondeo competitor. I wouldn't be doing any breath holding for a sportscar from them.

[Nathan Pitman]

Just now, Advantage said:

Tesla have trouble producing a simple Mondeo competitor. I wouldn't be doing any breath holding for a sportscar from them.

To be fair to them, when they revealed the v2 Roadster it was a fully operational car and they did media drives that very night to demo acceleration. That said I doubt we'll see the Tesla Roadster on the roads anytime soon, Tesla are too busy trying to keep their head above water with production of the Model 3.

[Techyd]

I'm still trying to get my head around the 0-300kph time and then I remembered this from a while back....The Evija is being designed to be faster than this, so I have no doubts that this is achievable from the power train being touted.  My hope as well is that the aerodynamics the Evirja will have will allow the car to be stable and therefore simply astonishing on a track - and in a way that has never been seen before for a road car.  I wonder as well whether the aero being designed will actually better that of a formula one car?  The acceleration is absolutely going to rival them (https://fastestlaps.com/models/ferrari-f2004)

 

 

 

[Jeanvm]

I would like to know if this prototype is going to make a tour through Europe? (next motorshow at Frankfurt)

I want it really see it in the flesh.

[AK70]

1 hour ago, Jeanvm said:

I would like to know if this prototype is going to make a tour through Europe? (next motorshow at Frankfurt)

I want it really see it in the flesh.

Had the same thought!  Where can we see it?

Or will it be shown in London?

[Giniw]

In the true Lotus tradition I hope they will go the French Alps to test it

(not that I am living there unfortunately!)

[NedaSay]

I don't know if there's any point in Lotus going to Frankfurt this fall. I would hasard a guess and say that the next time will see the car will be in production validation mule guise in March 2020 in Geneva.

However, Lotus still has one car to introduce soon, the new sport car which is supposed to enter production before the Eviya does, as it will slot on the regular production line while the Eviya will christen the new atelier.

The question being will they want to unveil this car new sport car later this year or early next year.  If they choose to unveil the car this year I do think a US focus launch in LA or NY following a digital unveil and press drive in southern Europe would make more sense especially if the car is ready to enter production right away. But that is pure conjecture on my part.

[LotusDan]

I very much doubt you will see the new sports car this year for real, perhaps renders or a teaser, but it's not production ready.. Deliveries of the Evija will happen before the new sports car.

 

The pre-production Evija we saw will be doing a 'road-tour', but not sure about where and when.

[PAR]

They aid they were hoping to show the new car in March (ie Geneva) so I guess this is pretty clear cut timing next year 

[LotusDan]

Yeah, from what I've seen, anytime this year is far too early. (Though I don't want to derail the topic lol)

[21gg]

Im sure there is a good reason that they arent doing factory tours for the rest of the year. So one would presume a new prodution car? 

[tim_marra]

Its all the building work Gav, according to the CTL website.

[NedaSay]

Well that did not take long: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/lotus-evija-to-target-nurburgring-record/40613

[au-yt]

Any one know who penned the design?

[Techyd]

Of the car?  Russel Carr and his team 🙂

 

[ramjet]

It is this sort of thing that will bring other work to Hethel. Engineering etc.

[au-yt]

26 minutes ago, Techyd said:

Of the car?  Russel Carr and his team 🙂

 

The reason I ask is he made the comment "when I saw the sketch" which mean to me their is a person resposible