With Evora 400, Lotus goes on a Cayman hunt

Lotus has had its share of troubles
in recent years, but the new Evora
400 – the fastest car in the
company's history – proves beyond
a shadow of doubt that there's life
in t
he old marque yet.
Ahead of an official unveiling at the
Geneva motor show in March, the
British sports car maker offered a
preview of its new top model.
The company claims some two-thirds of
the Evora 400 is new, including a stiff
new aluminium chassis and composite
body panels, which cut curb weight by
about 50 pounds. A supercharged 3.5-
litre V6 produces a stout 400
horsepower. That’s a significant 55hp
more than the very quick supercharged
Evora S and 124hp more than the
standard, normally aspirated car.
As such, this most vicious Evora will
blast from zero to 60mph in 4.1
seconds and press on to a top speed of
186mph — three-tenths of a second
quicker and 8mph faster than the Evora
S. The company claims the new car will
lap its 2.2mi test track in Hethel a
full six seconds faster than the standard
Evora.
No surprise, Porsche's mightiest
Cayman won't be going down without a
fight. The German carmaker claims the
385-horsepower GT4 will reach 60mph
in 4.2 seconds and keep moving all the
way to 183mph.
Production is slated to start this
summer, and the Evora 400 will begin
reaching European Lotus showrooms in
August; deliveries to North America will
commence in the fall. The company has
not announced pricing. In the US, the
Evora S starts at just over $80,000. The
Cayman GT4, which reaches US Porsche
dealers in July, will command $85,595.