Lotus Evora 400

[100th_Idiot]

Been mulling this over and would need to see it in the flesh. As others have said I think the back is a little too fussy and it loses the flowing lines.

 

Performance sounds good and of course I hope they sell lots of them.

[mdavies]

Really surprised at the concentration of most comments on the restyling and hardly a mention of what is important in a performance car!

What about the better acceleration and top speed, reduced weight, increased downforce (6 seconds faster round Hethel - six seconds, count them and imagine), new clutch and better gearchange, LSD, bigger brakes, better aero, better lighter seats, easier access, better standard kit. (And a proper handbrake!)

 

Well done Lotus!

 

The exterior looks ok to me, especially in the pics on that link from Bibs. http://www.lotuscars.com/e400/
Anyway it has to be seen in real life colours instead of that harsh artificial grey.  Clearly the preview pics are not chosen for UK buyers as LHD and perhaps the red interior will go down well in some parts.  But not with me: it looks swollen, fat and protuberant, something for an old man’s Merc.

All IMO of course!

[chipp]

I caught a glimpse of something yesterday morning not far from the factory with a rear wing similar to this but thought it could have been the new BMWi8. Although not sure if there are any on the road yet.

 

I do like the look of the new 400, definitely moving in the right direction for a Lotus in the current environment of styling.

 

Why would they release this now and not wait for Geneva?

Maybe there is something else on the way as well.

Another variant may be.

 

chipp

[Bibs]

Nearly all manufacturers release their cars prior to the show rather than a big reveal at the event.  

 

People go there to view and buy the cars and need to see if beforehand to help make their minds up. You'll notice the new R8 has been peeking out from under some covers in the last few days, and they're will be plenty more of this over the next couple of weeks before the show.

[Bee]

Personally I'm kind of digging the facelift!

 

The performance sounds epic: the Nissan GT-R (2012) was 8.1 seconds quicker around the Top Gear Dunsfold track than the NA Evora and this is 6 seconds faster around Hethel than the Evora S; therefore, Gales' comments about it being the fastest thing around a track for under £100,000 seem to be justified (if you ignore track day apparatus such as the Ariel Atom).

 

Going back to the visual front, I'm really wanting to see some video: pictures never quite give the full impression.

[The Pits]

I really hope it's a great success and sells well.

All I'll say is that my ideal Evora would have the 400 chassis and powertrain under a GTE body (and interior) but, as ever, final judgement must be reserved for a real life encounter. Then again I thought the Evora's styling was aging very well, looking better than ever in SportsRacer guise. For me, it wasn't broke. But there are some very nice new details on the 400, in particular the wheels.

What excites me most is the thought of this engine and LSD ending up in an even lighter Exige, hopefully sooner rather than later, but please, leave the styling well alone. Some new forged wheels, the CupR aero kit and a 400 sticker will do just fine. That would force my much loved current car into the classifieds!

[Suddabym]

Should hit the front pages of the car mags, with a pre release this early too.  That would be nice and unlikely to happen during the Show.

 

Flippin' 'eck Bibs!  I woke up this morning and you'd emailed me twice!  First at 0500hrs and then again at 0520hrs.  Made my early 40 minute tube rides today fly by.  Interestingly, no one in the office seemed that bothered when I showed them all the lovely Evora 400 pictures.  Philistines!

 

Luckily I am strong enough for the whole building.

 

I think there are door pockets too.  I like a nice door pocket.  No cup holder though.  And a start button.  And a race setting.  And the auto box seems to be able to handle the new power and torque (I thought it was maxed out with the S model).  And the rear seats are much much thinner which will make a noticeable about of extra room (if you're really small).  And how did they make the door sills so much thinner and lower without reducing rigidity?  That's amazing.  Kinda makes you wonder what the guys were doing back in '07.  Unless they've built it into the roof, in which a rag top will be a challenge.  Isn't the rear all about airflow, hence the angled lines.

 

Bring on the '3-Eleven', the convertible, the soft-roader, the Cup and the entry model.

 

Maybe they'll do an Apple and keep the old model running in parallel.

 

I wonder if you can get it with the Alpine unit removed as a no cost option?  It's 2015 FFS!  Carplay, Android something.  No one has DVDs anymore.  Danny will be livid.

 

Sudders

[Bibs]

I broke the link in the first email so thought I'd send it again working. I hoped no-one had noticed

 

It's worth noting that the seating position is now perfectly ahead. No more offset pedals!! 

[Suddabym]

do you sleep?

[Bibs]

I'm too awesome for sleep

[Advantage]

Loudly. You sleep loudly.

[Suddabym]

true.  now is not the time for sleeping.  we can sleep when the Esprit is launched

until then we must continue to spread the message far and wide.  Lotus are back!

Bibs, you need to put more stuff on FB so that I can like it and annoy all my friends 

[Bibs]

I'll get the hairspray ready

[Suddabym]

and I'll get the scrotum balm

there's some of Dany's old jars around here somewhere

[DJW]

Noticed monkey Harris hasn't been too complementary of the car on Twitter.

Just hope he changes his mind once he drives it. He gave some decent publicity for the Exige V6 when he drove that

[Stephan90]

Sleep is for old people. I guess like you guys. Hehe

[Bibs]

That's because it's not a Porker. He worships at a Germanic church... 

Noticed monkey Harris hasn't been too complementary of the car on Twitter.

[Suddabym]

then he'll like the Evora 400 if the interior is as Germanic as people seem to think.  

[cdl]

Not sure about that rear end at all, but will reserve judgement till i see it in the flesh. However i still think the current evora shape looks spot on, which clearly isnt a widely held view based on numbers sold.

Totally agree though that the underlying changes sound like a big step on!

[DanR]

I like the new front a lot. The former one reminds me of Porsche ala Sally Carrera...

 

[DJW]

Whereas now

[chylld]

It's worth noting that the seating position is now perfectly ahead. No more offset pedals!! 

 

Good point with this... for LHD cars it means a better dead pedal, for RHD cars it means the accelerator isn't where you expect the brake to be Which gave me a bit of a surprise on my drive out of the dealership....

[Bloke79]

Love it!!!!  Would definitely buy one if I hadn't just bought my Exige.  Always thought the Evora was a bit weak and this has certainly satisfied that concern.

 

Bibs - The article suggests that it's the same motor as the old model, with the addition of a new larger supercharger (Guessing it's gone from a TVS1300 to a TVS1700 or whatever the model) and an intercooler as a packaged unit.

Do you have a view as to whether that's "retrofittable" to older models?

 

Cheers,

matt

[chylld]

Quick photoshop from the Facebook Evora group to 'tweak' the front bumper

 

[NedaSay]

Yup that does it!