920 Mile Evora! Premium Sport Tech Pkg's Sport Ratio Gearbox Navigation on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lotus reveals new LMP1 at Le Mans

Lotus is at Le Mans this week where it has unveiled its new LMP1. Only it's not racing at Le Mans. And it's not really a Lotus, either.
The prototype belongs to an independent German team that ran a Lotus chassis in the LMP2 category last year, but was granted license by the FIA and ACO to step up to the top-tier LMP1 category to dice it with the front-running hybrids from Audi, Porsche and Toyota this year. Unfortunately, the team - which licenses the Lotus name from the automaker, much as the F1 team does - faced some setbacks. Not the least of those delays resulted from a mid-stream switch in engine suppliers from the Audi-sourced, naturally aspirated V8 it was originally set to use to a new turbocharged V6 from Advanced Engine Research.
As a result it wasn't ready for the Silverstone race that kicked off this season's World Endurance Championship in April. Nor was it ready for the second round at Spa in May or not for the headline event this weekend at Le Mans, but it aims to be on the track at the next round in Austin.

Lotus Evora 400 shows the new face of progress [w/video]

Lotus may have scrapped all the grandiose plans of the preceding administration, but don't think for one minute that it's going to just sit on its finely honed laurels. No, the British automaker plans to revitalize its existing lineup, starting with the new Evora 400. Based on the company's existing 2+2 sports car, the new Evora 400 features a revised version of the Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that now produces 55 more horsepower than the Evora S for a titular total of 400 hp and 302 lb-ft of torque. With revised aero, bodywork, electronics, differential, gearbox and brakes, the new Evora 400 debuting here at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show will now run to 60 in 4.1 seconds, reach a top speed of 186 miles per hour and lap the company's famously grueling test track six seconds faster than the previous model. If that's what resting on laurels looks like, we'll be taking our next vacation in Hethel, England. Featured Gallery Lotus Evora 400: Geneva 2015 View 15 Photos Related Gallery Lotus Evora 400 View 9 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2015 Drew Phillips / AOL Geneva Motor Show Lotus Coupe Performance Videos 2015 Geneva Motor Show lotus evora 400

Lotus Evora update coming, new models still on hold

The trials and tribulations at Lotus over the past several years haven't put the company in best financial position, and after the dismissal of Dany Bahar as CEO, the automaker seemed rudderless. Jean-Marc Gales (pictured above) is the new captain at the helm of the British sports car brand, and he seems like the complete opposite of Bahar. Where the former boss was hugely ambitious (perhaps overly), the current CEO has crafted a plan for a gradual turnaround under what he called a "logic-based" recovery in a recent interview with Autocar. The most logical part of Gales' plan is focusing on what Lotus can actually do. Instead of launching new products, he wants to continue to refine the current lineup. "We won't have the funds to build all-new cars in the next few years," he said to Autocar. The biggest of these updates includes a heavily revised Evora with more power and less weight to debut at next year's Geneva Motor Show. An even lighter-weight Cup model is planned for later. The Exige will get a revision in 2016. Gales also hints that a future, feather-light model like the 2-Eleven is on the docket, and a crossover is on the drawing board, according to Autocar, though not yet green lit. North America is also a priority. Lotus is forever linked to founder Colin Chapman's axiom to add lightness to the brand's models, and Gales is continuing that history with the Lightweight Lab. According to Autocar, in this huge room the company's models are completely disassembled with each part labeled. The entire staff is invited to come in and make suggestions on places to reduce weight and lower costs. "This brand is like a sleeping princess, but I believe she is starting to wake up," Gales said to Autocar, but he's keeping sales projections modest. Gales wants annual numbers to increase from about 2,000 units this year to 3,000 in 2015 with his streamlined workforce but intends to keep figures at that level for a bit, while the company stabilizes.