2010 Lotus Evora Arctic Silver / Black / Premium, Technology & Sport Packages on 2040-cars

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Lotus to layoff a quarter of its workforce

Lotus has issued a press release to day, wherein it indicates that a "need to both reshape its organisation and to reduce costs" may result in the loss of "up to 325" jobs. That's a fairly significant number of layoffs for any company, but considering that Lotus currently employs 1,215 people (per the company's bio in the same release), it could mean a full 25-percent of the automaker's workers could soon be sharpening their resumes.
CEO Jean-Marc Gales says in the statement that Lotus has "worked very hard to avoid the need to make this proposal," but admits that it is now "essential" to the future of the company. The chief indicates that post-restructuring, he expects Lotus to be a "leaner" and "more competitive" organization, one which - and we can all see a little silver lining here - is focused on "producing class-leading sports cars and innovative engineering."
The 325-job number appears to be soft at this point, with the statement indicating that some negotiation about which and how many posts will be cut is yet to come. Further, the company may "redeploy" some employees, and may even recruit new blood for "key roles," all with an eye toward running the strongest possible team going forward. Though, we imagine that the recruitment bit won't fly well for those employees getting the sack.

Lotus Evora GX to race in U.S. Grand-Am series

The Lotus Evora has taken many forms as a race car over the past few years, starting in 2009 with the Type 124 Endurance Racer built for the FIA GT. Since then, Lotus has developed a GT4 Cup version designed for a one-make series, the Evora GTE that currently competes in the GT class of the ALMS and the recently introduced Evora GTC.
Now, Lotus has released the Evora GX, a variation of the GTC tweaked to specifically meet the requirements of Grand-Am's new GX class that will launch at the start of the 2013 race season. While the two cars are very similar, using the same lightweight carbon fiber and plexiglass bodywork, the GX version gets a thicker U.S.-spec roll cage, a revised front splitter and bumper, a standard Grand-Am rear wing, yellow headlights and a new fuel filler system. ABS and traction control have also been removed per Grand-Am regulations.
Pricing for the Evora GX is listed at $335,000 with each one built to order, and one customer has already taken the plunge. McMahon Raceworks has placed an order and should have the car on the starting grid at the first race next year.

Lotus pulled 55 pounds out of the Exige and added power to create this Sport 380

The hard-core Lotus just got harder. Or maybe corier? Anyway, the Lotus Exige Sport 380 is the most extreme iteration of the Elise and Exige yet. It hits 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, has even more downforce than the Sport 350, and weighs a full 55 pounds less than that car if you opt for the lightweight exhaust. With a curb weight of 2,425 pounds, that weight reduction means something. Mass was pulled out of a variety of places on the car, including the front splitter, front "hood" insert, wing, and diffuser surround, all of which are rendered in carbon fiber and save a cumulative six pounds. Swapping the rear glass to polycarbonate reduces weight by two pounds, a lithium-ion battery in place of the standard one removes 23, the carbon racing shell seats cut 13, and lighter wheels and brake discs lower the total by 22. Lotus even messed with the lights on the back, going from four big ones to two and making do with smaller fog and reverse lights, saving just over half a pound. That optional titanium exhaust saves an additional 22 pounds. And it's not like the Sport 350 was a porker. As the name suggests, there's more power coming from the supercharged and heavily massaged 3.5-liter Toyota V6. The Sport 380 makes 375 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque, up from 345 and 295 in the Sport 350. The 380 accelerates to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds (down from 3.7) regardless of which transmission you choose, but we highly recommend the six-speed manual over the auto, if only for its fantastic and beautiful exposed linkage. Tweaks to the aero package keep drag in check while increasing downforce by about 60 percent over the Sport 350, for a total of 309 pounds at top speed. Which, if you're curious, is 178 mph for the manual, 170 for the auto. So another vote for the three-pedal version. We'll have to remain curious, though, because sadly the current Exige is still not available in the US in any form, nor will it be. But Lotus is working on a new one that should arrive in a couple years to join the rejuvenated Evora lineup – the fantastic Evora 400 and upcoming, fantasticker Evora Sport 410. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Lotus Exige Sport 380 View 14 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Lotus Convertible Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance