How safe is an Evora?

[Gareth44]

Apologies in advance for shining a light on something many may not want to think about.

A month ago my wife was involved in a rather nasty accident, a head on collision with another car, with a closing speed of nearly 100mph and then hit in the drivers' side door/wing by the car behind her as she came to rest sideways across the road and shunted into trees.

Mercifully and somewhat unbelievably, she walked away with 'only' a broken wrist from the airbag and a broken collarbone from the seatbelt, plus some minor cuts and bruises, airbag burns etc.

She was in a 14-plate Audi A3 convertible, the door opened, the A-pillar was dead straight and the steering wheel and pedal box were unmoved. We are now replacing that with another Audi, just a bigger and newer one!

Anyway, never before have I really ever considered safety as a car feature (I don't have kids) but for the last month have been thinking about all the miles I did in my 20s in a 1990 plate Escort and an MGF, scary!

I don't think the S1 Evora has been crash tested, if it has I can't seem to find the results, but I wondered if, just anecdotally, anyone knows if it is good, bad or indifferent. My thoughts are that it isn't going to be great but the whole incident has taken some of the shine off the car I've waited a lifetime to own, so any reassurances gratefully received...…. 

[Bruss]

As referenced above with the Evora book photos, of interesting note in the text, Lotus actually saved some money n the testing as they were able to reuse some of the cars. " Of the 19 experimental prototypes built between October 2007 and March 2008, six were crash test cars. In the event only four had to be used because the front structure can be replaced. So, after a frontal impact test, the team mounted a new subframe, new suspension and new front clam, and crashed it again." "The whole car is incredibly strong, we haven't even damaged a tub yet and that includes the 50 mph rear impact test." Dave Tankard (Lotus-Functional Leader for Vehicle Safety)

[Bibs]

1 minute ago, Gareth44 said:

I don't think the S1 Evora has been crash tested,

The Evora is Type Approved so has been through the required crash testing.

I believe the crash in the 2nd image is the USA test where several tonnes of concrete hits the rear of the car at a decent speed and the test is to ensure that the engine doesn't enter the passenger cell. You can imagine how tight this is as the engine is almost touching the firewall as it is! As I remember, the car passed this test and in fact was so intact after that with a new rear subframe and clam and some other parts, the same car was used for more crash tests. I think this was a first, the whole car is usually destroyed so it goes to show just how safe the Evora is in a crash. Safer than most other cars.

[Gareth44]

Thanks @Bibs and @Bruss, that makes me much better about it, very good to know.

[Bibs]

You can see the way the front crash structure absorbs impact in this image, the way it becomes an 's' of metal to dissipate energy. It's incredibly well engineered for safety

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, Bibs said:

It's incredibly well engineered 

I would have just stopped there....

[Ledlights]

Yes, very strong cars.

If I remember correctly, the Evora that the guy rebuilt in B is for Build on Youtube had flipped on its roof after a big frontal impact and he got that back on the road (if I were him I’d have used a new front subframe though).

[freefall_junkie]

I know of several people who have survived huge shunts in an Elise or Exige and of course the Evora is of similar construction. So, agreed a safe car. I always thought it a shame they lowered the sills for the 400 though. That can't have helped side impact protection.

Interesting how we all can ignore this kind of thing until it affects us personally. I am currently stuck at home recovering from concussion - not car related but it does make you a bit more risk aware generally. I have a Caterham sitting in the garage and you really, really would not want to have a crash it that!

[electro_boy]

While at the UK driving academy, was speaking to one of the engineers who said they spent a lot of time and effort making sure the car has good crash safety.  It has the potential to go pretty fast and they need to take that into account to make sure the occupants are safe.  He was very fond of the replaceable crash structures and sub frames also the roll bar which they strengthened and made sure it was fixed in such a way as to provide a higher level of safety than was the norm in the car industry.  It's not as strong a full roll cage but its better than the offerings from a lot of other cars.

[Techyd]

Its well worth a read of the publish book ("Lotus Evora the making of a icon") - it lays out in great detail the development lifecycle of the car and theres a good section on the crash safety as outlined in the above posts.  A must have purchase for any Evora owner 🙂

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lotus-Evora-Supercar-Johnny-Tipler/dp/1902351398

There's a comment about the brakes too - basically it was considered the best braking system fitted to a production car

[TomE]

As others have said, fully crash testing done on the S1 for worldwide type approval, including head on frontal and offset frontal.  The rear impact is the US one that's to replicate what happens if the car is stopped on the hard shoulder and hit from behind by another vehicle at (I think) 50mph.  As well as no intrusion into the passenger cell, there has to be no fuel leakage.

Here are some pics of the crash tested cars on display at Hethel for the 60th in 2008:

I can't find the info but remember reading about two Evoras involved in serious accidents (one left the road into a field) and only minor injuries.  Strong cars!

Here's some info on the safety engineering: http://lotusenthusiast.net/2009/08/crash-management-for-the-lotus-evora.html

[TomE]

I found the info on the one that went into the field.  Flipped and rolled, every panel damaged, roof split at sides, tyres ripped off.  Passenger cell not deformed.  Driver knocked out and then only bruising from seat belt

 

I also just found some other notes on my earlier crash test pictures.  In the offset frontal impact, note that the windscreen isn't damaged at all, which gives you an idea of the passenger cell integrity.  The reason the straight frontal impact car has a broken windscreen is because the car was also used for the pedestrian impact test.

 

[Breeze]

Lotus really ought to publicise this a bit more, it’s a great piece of PR. The fact that the same basic car structure could be used in more than one crash test is pretty outstanding. I never knew about it and I’m a Lotus fan, the sportscar buying public really should have this fact put in front of them.

[JayEmm]

Lotus have form for making very safe cars. @MJK will proudly tell you the Elite won the Don Safety trophy in 1976 - an award so prestigious I don't believe they gave it out on an annual basis - only when a car was deemed worthy enough of it.

The Evora is considerably over-engineered from a safety perspective. Never had any doubts of that when driving mine.

[Techyd]

Amazing really - considering their race cars were considered fragile

[au-yt]

This subject was in the back of my mind when I bought the car, but I have even more confidence in its safety.

[NC25T]

On 22/05/2019 at 11:58, Techyd said:

Amazing really - considering their race cars were considered fragile

I have thought for many years the Elise/exige were fragile not due to how they perform in a accident, but how a small incident (running over a small object in the road or slop speed tap) can cause a very expensive repair bill due to clam replacement.  

Always assumed these cars were well constructed, feel most sports cars who are track focused are designed to protect the driver.  The number of times you see a Ferrari or Lamborghini where the engine is separated from the safety cell shows how they are designed to dissipate energy.  

Great to read/see the evora also falls into this category...  Just totally sucks I have to save up more money before I can get one..... ugh.....

 

Koenigsegg also used the same car for multiple crash tests, they stated it saved them millions doing it this way 

[paranoidandroid]

This was one of the reasons I didn’t return to TVR when looking for a sports car again.

[au-yt]

I just bought a Copy of the book on the Evora, 10 Pages on the crash test pictures story. What they simulated in testing is right upthere 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lotus-Evora-Supercar-Johnny-Tipler/dp/1902351398