Evora Sport 410

[blindside]

@The PitsWhat a great video & review Jonny! Your enthusiasm & enjoyment of the driving experience is palpable.

I covered 300 miles over the weekend. (750 miles total so still running-in). Mainly used B roads, including the scenic coastal route to the Mourne mountains. The car's handling ability at speed on uneven tarmac continues to be a revelation. Encouragingly a 410 also manages to get over fairly aggressive speed bumps without any difficulty at all (at the right speed of course). So a big thumbs up for versatility.

Now itching to complete  the run-in period and get some serious track time!

[Sizona]

Great report and write up JP.

You really are going to have to get one!

[JayEmm]

@blindside You are quite right - it is my opinion too that the 400's ridiculous composure over uneven ground makes it stupendously quick over our very imperfect roads. On a European or Japanese piece of tarmac, maybe there's faster machinery, but with potholes, broken surfaces, duff camber and the like, keeping the car planted is worth more than a few extra ponies and that's where the Evora scores very highly compared with some of the "supercar" competition

[rallyesax]

Thanks for this test. Really good overall view of the 410 capacities.

What is amazing for me in your Split screen videos is really the steering wheel angle differencies as you mentionned in the text. There are a lot of explanations to it (tires are different so are their own slip/drift angle curves, steering ratios, static and dynamic geometry, etc...). But just looking at it from outside makes the Evora looks so much sharp in steering response and precise. I was quite expecting the opposite 

[Trevsked]

Watched it twice now and fantastic info in there for those on the fence. Well done JP.

 

Trevor.

[DJW]

Enjoyed the review in written and video format. Well done that man ! 

[LF1]

Brilliant... thanks Jonny! A real tack review, that's what we all needed!

I was at Combe last week in the Roadsport, it's a bit hairy playing chicken on the brakes with about 4 foot of run off into tower, especially in a 90k car... bravo.

[The Pits]

Thanks to all.

Tom, wait 'til you see what David Pittard did there in the 311! You can almost feel your eyeballs bulging just watching the video!

Racing at CC there next month actually so was very happy to take advantage of some first rate coaching from DP. It's fun lap actually and a real challenge. I literally didn't know what to do with the entry to Quarry at the time of shooting the laps. It will be very interesting to see what a very fast Caterham 7 can do around there. David was doing 1.12's, two-up in the 311. I'll be filming a lap or two to compare.

Just as an aside, I'd value your (plural) opinions on which split-screen you think works best going forward.

cheers

[Bibs]

Now I've seen both, top and bottom works best for me!

[Gadzooks]

On 17 June 2017 at 22:20, JayEmm said:

You know I'll happily provide the 400 for that, although mine is not standard anymore

I will be taking my 410 to a by invitation track day at Castle Combe on 27th July.  If anyone is interested in taking a 400 for comparison purposes let me know.  It is £385. Not the cheapest day but you are pretty much guaranteed to pass the noise inspection as only 6 cars on track at a time.  Also includes breakfast and lunch.

[Gadzooks]

Thanks Jonny for the video - much appreciated.  Having done exactly the same thing in my car a few weeks ago I really liked the comparison and I picked up a few tips as you're a faster driver.  The main one being the greater use of 2nd gear eg in the chicanes.  Interestingly I took the single seater line into quarry which means carrying a bit more speed in but you get most of your braking done in a straight line once you are over the main bump. Downside is that it doesn't set you up for as fast an exit but for me it was worth it to avoid that squirrely feeling as you try to brake, turn and handle the bumps at the same time.

I was on track with a GTR with a comparable driver and the 410 was better under braking but the GTR could get its power down early in the corner and it was faster down the straights. That said - it wasn't romping away from the 410.  It is an impressive piece of kit and as I've said in a previous post I could only make a Ferrari 458 Speciale go a second quicker than the 410 around Castle Combe.

[The Pits]

Interesting comparison with the GTR. Sounds very much as I'd expect. The press like to make a big deal out of small real world differences in performance. I don't imagine he could maintain a fast time for very long though, not if it was standard anyway.

Please don't use any of those laps as any kind of reference. I wasn't joking when I wrote that these are some of the first laps around Castle Combe in 20 years! I will post some laps of a pro driver in a 311 when I get round to it. But I was going 2 secs quicker in the Exige by the end of the day so you are seeing very much exploratory laps. I only drove the 410 in the morning so it was only fair to compare my early laps in the Exige.

I was later advised to leave the Exige in 3rd for the chicanes and Quarry too so this probably applies to the Evora as well. It seemed to me to work well with the peakier 410 engine to use 2nd but it was marginal. You can see in the side by side split screen that gear selection was quite different between the two cars for a very similar laptime.

Sorry I didn't get another go in the 410 after a bit more circuit knowledge but time was limited as always and I had a 311 to try. I stand by the comparison though, I was trying equally hard in both cars at the time and was equally clueless about the track! Still a good chance to push both cars way beyond road speeds and compare how they react and perform. Really enjoyed those laps in the 410. If only the 311 had been up for a few more laps, I reckon it would have helped to improve the laptime considerably!

[Julian73]

20 hours ago, JayEmm said:

I think this goes to show the excellent work done by Roger Becker, MJK and the team with the Evora - it's no mean feat to keep up with an Exige on track. I wonder if our friends in Australia and the USA probably benefit from the charge cooled engine more than we do too?

In Texas it is only above 100 for a few months a year, and track temps melt your shoes

22 hours ago, TLF News said:

Lotus Evora 410 Track Test

 

love the write up, thanks

[C8RKH]

That black and gold one needs gold wheels too. As @cocopops woukd say there's holes were the wheels should be.

[Arregueti]

@The PitsI just wanted to subscribe to the general view on your "track" review of the 410.

Great write up. Really enjoyed the video + written text interaction. It suits your "communication style". :-)

I also prefer the top/bottom split view.

Keep them coming!

[rallyesax]

Vote for top / bottom also

[Cypriot]

I prefer a bottom... Wait, what are we talking about?!

[JayEmm]

@The Pits I have been offered a drive in a GTR by one of my viewers. In the words of the cars owner "It's very fast, but no fun unless you're driving it like you want to go to prison. Steering is dead and you can't get away from the fact it is very heavy"

[The Pits]

I'm a big fan of the GTR. The world needs crazy-fast Japanese performance cars. Plenty of unique character, feels much more mechanical than electronic and the steering is pretty good for a car of its bulk in my opinion. Still hydraulic for a start, praise be. The car was initially developed at Hethel too let's not forget. It's a great fast daily car for those who like the rice burner image (as I do) and auto gearboxes (as I don't). Main issue for me is they struggle to maintain their one lap pace. Things start getting hot very quickly. The Evora 400 endured a day of near constant thrashing at the Goodwood launch. Just can't see a GTR doing that without protest. Tracking one would get expensive too. RSR run one and say it needs new pads every 12 laps of the Nurburgring. My Exige is still on the original set after 16,000 miles!

[JayEmm]

The reasons you state Jonny are exactly why my friend @N90_SBB is very happy with his Exige. No-one enjoys replacing brakes every time you have a good weekend at the track!

[Bibs]

[JayEmm]

I've seen that car a few times now. It's awesome, but I do prefer the Azure blue one also at Silverstone. Really nice to see Evoras with silver wheels

[M4rk]

That is very nice!  I really like that colour, suits the car well.

[LF1]

Jonny - you are not trying hard enough! Are you on the OEM pads? Ours lasted about 4 track days on the V6 - pretty sure the LF1 had the same setup as the Cup. 

Spent a good hour chatting to Jamie at the FOS B&C stand sat staring at the 410. My desire for that car is not diminishing. Really wish the 380 Cup had been there and either that or the 311 was sent up the hill. I do fancy a subtle 410 - probably that signature silver, but the press car colour combo looks great as does the Silverstone car. 

[The Pits]

I find cars go better down the straights when you release the brake pedal Tom

380 Cup is the most dramatic looking Lotus since the Esprit Sport 300. Going on looks alone I'd have one in a heartbeat. I'm an Exige man at heart. However, I don't think the 380 engine is an improvement over the 350 version for track use. Without any additional cooling the harder-working supercharger is going to generate more heat, the 6800rpm cut-out will mean more gearchanges which can cost you laptime and the noise is far from track friendly. Fortunately there is a fix for the noise now but for £90k it makes the Sport 410 look better value to me. You get the chargecooler, LSD, 35bhp more, 200rpm more, extra torsional rigidity, more sophisticated suspension, quicker steering and some GT ability. I know I'll want a 380 Cup when I see one, a huge appeal for me is the chance to explore the foothills of this whole downforce thing. But trackdays aren't my big thing since taking up racing. The Sport 410 proved to me that it's more than capable of handling the 4 or 5 trackdays a year I'm doing plus is nicer on the way home. It can be uprated with ease too, getting more out of a 380 Cup is another big cheque to Komotec. The Sport 410 can be wound up past 460bhp with a mere remap. A chargecooled Exige must be on the cards, I think Lotus are sand bagging before a last hurrah for the current Exige in late 2018. Heart says 380 Cup, head says Sport 410.