2005 Lotus Elise Convertible-hartop-touring Pack-11k Miles on 2040-cars

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Lotus Exige Sport 410 Quick Spin Review | An unobtainable gem previews an American future

HETHEL, England — You can get the measure of a car brand by the environment in which its products are built. The narrow, bumpy, hedge-lined lanes of eastern England explain a lot about the way a Lotus goes. The character of a company's chief speaks to the brand's intentions as well. Jean-Marc Gales has been portrayed unflatteringly as a Eurocrat bean counter, but his approach has been to strip weight and cost out of the product to the benefit of performance on both track and bottom line, defining brand attributes that Chinese money can hopefully bring to a wider audience. He drives fast, thinks quickly and acts without hesitation. You sense he likes people who do the same, and the speed with which Autoblog posted the story announcing the new Exige Sport 410 is something he commented upon in flattering terms. Despite the fact that it'll never appear on American dealer lots, Gales made us very welcome at the factory to drive it. A quick update on where the Exige is at since it was last seen on American shores in 2011. Though it's still based around what's fundamentally the same extruded and bonded aluminum tub as every other Elise and Exige of the past 20 years, it's gained pounds, cylinders and performance to the point where it shows circuit pace that'll have 911 GT3 owners watching their mirrors. Since going from a 1.8-liter four-cylinder to the Evora-derived 3.5-liter supercharged V6, the Exige has evolved into a proper hot-rod, some way removed from its dainty roots and punching harder with each iteration. And there have been a few. Currently you can buy a Sport 350 or Cup 430 with the uprated, intercooled Evora engine and 430 horsepower, this new Sport 410 related to the latter and benefiting from many of its upgrades but tuned to be more road compliant. And a little cheaper. Unlike the Cup, you can also have it as a roadster, which, in an extreme example of the famed "add lightness" policy, basically equates to removing the roof panel. It's now arguably too much for the local roads, punching hard in angry bursts of acceleration between corners rather than dancing through them. With no power assistance to the steering and fat, grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, an Exige is a surprisingly physical car to drive, bearing in mind it weighs less than 2,500 pounds. A test track built on runways that once hosted U.S. Air Force B-24 Liberators is a better place to appreciate the Exige's talents.

Radford Type 62-2 is rad, a coachbuilt sports car based on Lotus underpinnings

There’s a new coachbuilder out there, and the company calls itself Radford. Today, Radford revealed its first car — the Type 62-2 — and itÂ’s based on the chassis and underpinnings of the Lotus Evora. ThatÂ’s an extremely good place to begin building from. Plus, the company has some big names attached to it. F1 racer Jenson Button is the one who dialed in the carÂ’s driving dynamics. Mark Stubbs, formerly of Bentley, Bugatti, Aston Martin and more, led the design process. And Ant Anstead, now co-hosting "Wheeler Dealers," is handling the build/production work. There may be an Evora underneath all the new bodywork, but this vehicle doesnÂ’t look like one on the outside. Instead, itÂ’s meant to take after the original Lotus Type 62 race car. Take one quick look at both, and it appears as though Radford has done a standup job of getting it there. ItÂ’s even been revealed initially in livery worn by the old Type 62. WeÂ’ll note that there will be two cars with slightly different looks. The first is a “Classic” version without a wing and fitted with staggered 17/18-inch wheels. The other model is called “Gold Leaf,” and it has the Type 62Â’s wings, can be done in the livery you see here and features larger center-locking 18/19-inch wheels. Thanks to the aluminum-intensive structure of the Evora, the Radford Type 62-2 weighs just under 2,205 pounds. Radford saved additional weight by using all carbon fiber body panels. This lightweight body is propelled forward via the 3.5-liter Toyota-provided supercharged V6 used in the Evora. Its base tune in the Type 62-2 offers up 430 horsepower. However, upgrading from the Classic to the Gold Leaf brings an increase to 500 horsepower. Radford says it gets the extra power via upgraded pistons, connecting rods, camshafts and new electronic engine mapping. If you want the extra power in the Classic, Radford says you can still optionally have it. As you may already suspect, a six-speed manual transmission is available on the Type 62-2. Unlike the Evora, though, you can also spec a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. ItÂ’s the only transmission available if you spec the engine up to 500 horsepower, so pick your poison on that front — thereÂ’s no manual available for the high-power version. As for the suspension, Radford says itÂ’s lowered the car more and changed the suspension geometry a bit compared to the standard Lotus design — thanks, Jenson.

Lotus Evora 400 Roadster won't save the brand, and that's okay

There may not be a more disappointing brand in the United States than Lotus. It's not because the British brand can't make a good car. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The big problem with Lotus is that it builds highly compelling cars, but can't actually sell them in America because it can't afford to make them meet the complicated set of safety requirements required by US regulators. That makes us sad. Fortunately, there's one upcoming exception. For 2017, Lotus is bringing the Evora 400 to our shores, and a North American version of the Sport 410 has been promised. We welcome them with open arms and a proper pair of Southcombe driving gloves. But that one model line isn't going to be enough to keep Lotus in the minds and hearts of driving enthusiasts from sea to shining sea, nor will it keep the admittedly small number of US dealers happy. As pleased as we are to see reports that a Roadster version of the latest Evora is on the way, more will be needed. Lotus told Autocar that it expects the convertible to account for half of its sales here in the States, and we don't doubt that. But it's still just another version of the same automobile, and 500-700 additional sales is not going to be enough to reestablish Lotus as a legitimate sportscar contender here in America. For that, it's going to need another model line or two, hopefully at an entry-level pricepoint. A range-topping halo car wouldn't hurt, either. On the bright side, the Evora Roadster sounds like a solid step in the right direction. It's apparently just as stiff and lightweight as the coupe – "It's so simple it makes you wonder why it wasn't done six years ago," says Lotus chief Jean-Marc Gales – and that means its 400-horsepower, supercharged V6 engine will still propel it from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds and to a top speed of 186 miles per hour. Plus, the Lotus name is well established and highly respected. We don't think we're smarter than the men and women leading Lotus in the UK. So, we're sure Lotus doesn't expect the Evora Roadster to completely reverse its unfortunate fortunes in the States. The promise of a new Elise in 2020 ought to help in that regard, assuming it will be more attainable than the $90,000 Evora. In the meantime, we can't wait to feel that familiar wind-in-the-hair excitement we're sure the Lotus Evora Roadster will provide.