The first all-new Lotus since the Elise made its debut in 1995, the Evora enters the sports car market as currently the world’s only mid-engined 2+2. Powered by a Toyota sourced 3.5-litre V6 engine and weighing just 1,350 kg (prototype specification), the Evora promises breathtaking performance. During preliminary testing around the famous Nurburgring, the Lotus chassis engineers report that it is extremely agile and great fun to drive - even when clad with the full development disguise that hid the lines from prying eyes.

In addition to its excellent performance and exemplary handling, the Evora offers a more refined ownership experience than Lotus’s existing smaller four-cylinder models. Its cabin is elegantly trimmed and its equipment list includes contemporary features such as a touch-screen multi-media system and electric power-fold door mirrors.

Because one of the roles of the Evora is to attract new customers to the Lotus brand, much attention has been paid to its ease of use. Wider, taller door apertures and narrower sills make getting in and out of the cabin a less athletic undertaking than it is in Lotus’s smaller sports cars (the Elise, Exige, Europa and 2-Eleven), while the design of the cabin itself will accommodate two tall people in the front seats.

The ‘convenience factor’ of the Evora extends to less obvious areas of the car. For instance, beneath the 'skin' the entire front-end structure is a high-tech aluminium sacrificial modular unit, attached to the main extruded aluminium tub. This modular unit is designed to deform for maximum safety and to reduce repair costs in the event of a frontal impact.

The Evora has been designed with global automotive regulations in mind and future derivatives are planed, these including amongst others, a convertible.

The Evora will be hand crafted and built on a dedicated new assembly line within Lotus’s manufacturing facility at Hethel in the east of England; capacity limitations will restrict production to approximately 2,000 cars a year, ensuring the new sports car’s rarity and exclusivity.

Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc, has this to say about the exciting new model: “The Evora is the biggest milestone Lotus has achieved since the Elise was 'born' 13 years ago and is part of our bold five year strategic plan, which includes the introduction of new cars and technologies to many more markets around the world. The Evora also represents Lotus core values of performance through light weight and efficiency and proves that you can have phenomenal performance, fuel efficiency elegant design and practicality all in a class leading mid-engine 2+2 sportscar, which will meet global safety and homologation standards”

Mike Kimberley continues, “Looking to the future, we will continue to research, develop and produce lighter, more efficient vehicles which are linked to our extensive and well-regarded work on all aspects of future fuels, alternative engines and electric and hybrid vehicle solutions for the future. We all have an environmental responsibility to future generations and the Evora is another example where Lotus is seen to make significant steps towards improving the efficiency and sustainability of the motor car keeping Britain at the forefront of the high technology motor industry.”

By the time the Evora reaches the Lotus showrooms from the northerm spring in 2009 onwards, it will be the most thoroughly tested Lotus car in the history of Lotus. It will also be one of the company’s great milestones.

The order book is now open in the UK and across continental Europe, with markets around the world (including Australia) to start taking orders in due course. Final specifications, options and prices of the production Lotus Evora will be published closer to the sale date in the many Lotus markets around the world.