The new Lotus Evora GT arrives in the Middle East

For years, motoring aficionados and ardent race car enthusiasts have hankered for b and compact sports cars which offer lunatic levels of grunt at a shoestring price compared to the eminent brands which pacify the need for speed like inkhorns but command exorbitant levels of money which only the aristocrats can manage to outlay. There are some mainstream brands which have managed to combine the traits of exclusivity, high performance and sheer thrill of driving at prices that don’t exploit one’s standard of living. One such brand is Lotus. The British sports coupe and GT maker has established quite a lineage for requiem through tantalising and ridiculously fast models such as the Elise and the Evora.

As the brand nears its objectives of having a fully-electric product portfolio in the coming years, it is offering the best of its ICE cars in the Middle-East region with the latest addition to the family, the Evora GT. Call it an attempt to goad more enthusiasm to evoke the spirit of agile driving or the last shot until these cars go kaput, the Evora GT is the best of the Evora series superseding the Evora 400 and the GT 410 Sport models and there’s a plethora of reasons to be in wholehearted conformity to that.

This car with its 2+2 seating layout and automatic transmission makes it an enviable package as the family can relish the thrill and experience palatial levels of zest at the same time while the automatic transmission ensures quick shifts to attain acceleration times that breach records. Adding to its performance mettle is featherweight carbon-fibre body elements as standard, downforce of a solid 64 kg and a massive crank of 3.5-litre 6-cylinder engine which churns out 416 hp and 450 Nm of torque for limping ahead with so much thrust leaving almost everyone behind in the rear-view mirror. While such figures are whopping, equally intriguing is the nix to 100 km/h time of just 4 seconds.

Geoff Dowding, Executive Director, Sales and Aftersales, Lotus, commented: “We know Lotus fans in the Middle East appreciate the very best performance cars, which is why we are launching the Evora GT. The car has received universally outstanding reviews in North America, and the enhanced specification means we’re confident it will do the same in this region.”

Its augmented downforce is the effect of the deep front splitter and a novel motorsport-imbibed rear diffuser located beneath a feather-weight mesh grille. Curved and lower A-pillars make the air flow suave and reduce drag in addition to the wheel arch air louvres and carbon-fibre ducts behind each rear wheel emanate high pressure air from the wheel arches to make sure the downforce is poised between front and the hind portion of the car.

Its carbon-fibre elements bequeathed to the rear bumper, A-panels, rear wheel exit ports and side sills all make the car look surly and bequeath the performance it’s got. Optional carbon-fibre elements on the front access panel, roof panel, one-piece tailgate with attached spoiler and diffuser surround are available. 

Such clever engineering curtails the weight at just 1,361 kg making it bantamweight and nimble enough to cross 300 km/h. For those who gourmand even more and are the epicures in performance cars, can fit an optional titanium exhaust which will further shed 10 kg.

Really light-weight forged aluminium wheels keep from adding lot of mass to the car while ventilated disc brakes ensure great deceleration power for coming to a standstill from ecstatic speeds. Special Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 XL tires as standard, 6-speed manual gearbox and aluminium pedals for complete control provide a surreal driving experience when embarked on a drag strip or a race track. Emboldening the frolic are ESP modes ‘Drive,’ ‘Sport,’ ‘Race,’ and ‘Off’ the last one of which provides bonkers acceleration right from the start pinning one against the Sparco race seats which also flank carbon paddings. 

Its interior can also be touted for magnesium aluminium wheel for excellent look and grip, dashboard, door panels, transmission tunnel, centre console and instrument binnacle, all of which feature black Alcantara®. There is also a discrete dual-tone colour stitching for the dash atop which the presence of a touch-screen infotainment screen with Bluetooth®, satellite navigation and reverse parking camera can be felt. 

The car debuts in the Middle East today to leave its buyers awe-struck with just how much a not-so-exploitative sports car has the audacity to oblige to the demands of its buyers and more.