Evora 400 Roadster

[JayEmm]

I really can't see the Roadster being a 2+2... I'd prefer it as a 2+0 myself but I can't see where they are going to be able to make a decent stowage area for the roof. Unless it's a fabric number, in which case I guess it could fold up and go in the boot. 

[adfer]

its definitely not fabric. Karmann who made the original prototype went bust and Lotus couldnt find an alternative supplier. Two pieces that slot together was the last I heard.

[JayEmm]

That would seem to make a lot of sense. In my experience the biggest issue with making a roof of this kind is making it so that it isn't noisy when the roof is on. Generally, they're fine when the roof's off, but putting it on doesn't always work. The only car I've been in that seemed to do it successfully was the Corvette, that genuinely feels like a Coupe with the roof up.

[Stuno1]

Would they ever make an automated retractable roof? A lot of people won't want the hassle of taking a roof off potentially damaging it, getting dirty, having to rush to put it back on if it rains etc. What I am getting at is it won't attract a wide audience of potential buyers. Unless it is as slick as something like the boxster spyder design.

[JayEmm]

I am reasonably certain such an approach would be both too heavy and way too costly for a company like Lotus.

[NedaSay]

A retractable hard top is costly definitely, but not so heavy, especially if the roof panels are carbon fiber : the system McLaren uses weighs around 40kg. Which is not that heavy if you consider how complex it is. I think a 40kg penalty for the convenience of a fully automated top would be acceptable, the car would remain quite light in its category. When JMG mentioned the 2 panel roof that would store behind the seat I first imagined that the car would use the same RHT system as McLaren uses on the 650S cause it fits the bill perfectly.  I wonder what the car would look like with  a Webasto canvas "Finn roof" system or retractable hard top "1 Part" system  as seen on the Ferrari 458 would look like.

The original plan was for a modern canvas roof lightweight and an investment but back then MJK had the project funded adequately. Lotus commissioned Karmann with the canvas roof top but the project fell thru not just due to Karmann going bankrupt but mostly the Bahar debacle... DB took over pretty much at the start of the Evora "spyder" development and as we know funds were used not so cleverly so much so that the company had very little cash to spend in the months following DB's dismissal and the company was already pretty much at stand still prior to his dismissal. The Karmann roof systems business was purchased by Valmet Automotive in the meantime. So technically they can still get the spyder done if they have the money and if they intend to keep evora around for another 5 or 6 years. 
 

[JayEmm]

Whenever they mention two removable panels I can't help but think of the TVR T350t, which apparently was not a pleasant place to be with the roof panels on

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

JayEmm: I agree. The removable panels were just about acceptable for a low/mid range sports car in the last millennium, but for an 80 grand car today, I can only see a limited market for it outside this enthusiastic forum.

[JayEmm]

I personally really love targa top cars in general, it's a shame they got ditched. Folding metal roof cars can look good, but you do pay a penalty. Lotus are lucky the roof isn't structural, but they really can't afford to develop a mechanism I think. If they did it would definitely take up the back seats of the Evora.

i love convertible cars but frankly most things with fabric roofs look terrible with them up, which is most of the time in the UK. Targa top is the best of both for me. I think most people wanting a folding hard top simply couldn't live with an Evora 400 because it's probably far too Spartan. These are the people they make "air scarves" for.

About the only modern targa topped car I can think of is the Corvette, which is a very big seller so there is obviously a market.

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

I thought the Corvette convertible was a proper job nowadays?

[Ccd]

The Vette is a targa top.  You manually lift the top off and it stores on a hinge in the back of the car which goes up and down and preserves some of the storage space.  Quite a nifty idea.  The top is not at all motorized which means less weight and one less thing to go wrong

[JayEmm]

There is a convertible corvette, but the "coupe" is a targa top. And it's an amazing car. I love them

[hedgerley]

Snippet in today's Autocar.

"Plans to launch a Lotus Evora roadster in Spring 2017 remain on track, according to CEO Jean-March Gales. 'We'll launch it in the US first as that's where the bulk of the sales will be - perhaps even half of all Lotus Sales.' Gales also revealed 'other derivatives' of the Evora remain in the pipeline.

Which is all good news....

[JayEmm]

All sounds pretty positive at Hethel!

[Ccd]

This snippet supports my assumption that new Lotus models will tend to be released at Geneva.  But Lotus needs to take a page out of the Porsche playbook and be ready to accept advance orders at model introduction to take full advantage of the splash the roadster is likely to make.   

Not sure what other iterations of the Evora there could be, but Lotus should be continually refining the car.  Like it or not, they are competing on some level with Porsche and that is a moving target.  This is particularly true since the sports car market in the US has been relatively static which means you can only grow by taking sales from someone else.

But, as an American, I agree with Gales, the roadster could be a big hit in the US

[NedaSay]

Lotus will attend Geneva to reach the international audience, and Goodwood for a more british and "summerish" event. But they may need to up their game with either L.A or N.Y autoshow representation. They don't have to do it all by themselves, they can entrust cars to dealer and get JMG and a few higher ups to be there on media day and at the same time they can organise a corporate event for their North American dealer network. Lotus should also get ready for Shanghai or Beijing autoshow as they SUV should be unveiled next year.

[Ccd]

There are 3 big auto shows in the US: North Am Auto Show (Detroit), NY and LA.  Lotus needs to be at all 3.  BTW, the websites for many of their dealers are just pathetic.

[NedaSay]

Uh that's very unlikely to happen for various reasons. Detroit is mostly for big manufacturers and arguably it is loosing steam...  Logistically having a corporate stand over there would make it too costly to have the stand rebuilt in Geneva 2 months after even thought Lotus stand at Geneva has been all about lightness for the past two years.

L.A and N.Y are regional shows, the US market being a big one, and California alone being very important for Lotus having a presence over there would be interesting but again I can already tell you that Lotus Cars will not attend this year L.A Autoshow as a bona fide manufacturer, I checked the list of exhibitors and they are not on it. 

 

It doesn't mean they will not feature in L.A though, but it's a more  than likely both the Evora 400 and the Evora 410 US edition will be featured at Galpin Auto Sports which is the biggest L.A Lotus dealer. The roadster should be unveiled this year more than likely if they do it, it will be at Goodwood like they did for the 3 Eleven, so it could be in the  showrooms in february 2017 so NY 2017 would be possible if Manhattan Motorcars wants to display the car.

 

 

[EuropaSman]

I hope it's not too long before the roadster is launched. Rumour is that Audi intends to launch a "R6" to fit between the TT and the R8, to launch around 2018.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/2019-audi-r6-rumors-specs-performance/

The article stated "Tentatively called R6, the sports car will be offered both as a coupe and as a convertible. It will share its basic platform with the next-generation of the Boxster and the Cayman, but it won’t look anything like its Porsche-badged siblings. Instead, it will receive a sharp, muscular-looking design that will borrow styling cues from the bigger, V10-powered R8.

Audi will further differentiate the R6 from the Boxster/Cayman by replacing Porsche’s newly introduced turbo four engines with a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder mill tuned by Quattro, the company’s go-fast division. Entry-level variants will get about 280 horsepower, mid-range models will up the ante with 340 ponies, and the range-topping version will use a 400-horsepower evolution of the engine. Additionally, the R6 will come standard with Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system, while the Boxster/Cayman will remain rear-wheel drive in the foreseeable future."

There was also talk of a sport-focused Audi sub-brand called Audi Sport (not very original I must say).

280, 340 and 400 horsepower sounds unnervingly familiar (give or take a few horses). It will handle like an Ooodi of course and not like a Lotus .

[Evo400]

It will also look pig ugly just like Porsches. 

I genuinely do not understand how Porsches and the Audi R8/TT sell so many cars.   The rear of a car is supposed to curve upwards,  not curve downwards and look symmetrical. 

[Barrykearley]

The new retro Audi or Porsche of tomorrow is unveiled

[JayEmm]

I don't understand where an R6 would fit into the range. A TTS starts around £40k, probably closer to 50 once optioned. There isn't presently a TT RS but you'd imagine there will be. The R8 starts around £110k, the sensible thing surely would be re-introduce the V8 R8 at a £85/90k price point?

The TT and R8 already look extremely similar.

 

[C8RKH]

Let's not talk about friggin' crap Oooooodi's on a Lotus Forum, and a topic for what will be the wonderfully sublime and far superior 400 roadster.

I have no interest at all where this new Oooodi will fit in the range, I just know it will never fit on my drive or in my garage and will probably be just driven by hairdressers and accountants (not wishing to cause offence to anyone in these professions - just an observation). Anyone got any interesting news on the 400 Roadster?

[Bravo73]

Yes. 

Nobody seemed to notice (or care) that the release date has slipped from 'November 2016' to 'Spring 2017'. If I was a betting man, I suspect that it will slip even further...

[CocoPops]

Oh really? I thought it was "almost there"