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Lotus Evora roadster to follow 400 coupe to US market

Lotus is in the midst of resurgence, and that includes a renewed assault on the US market. The new Evora 400 is coming to America, and though the new 3-Eleven won't be certified to drive on American roads, the company has confirmed that it will be offered here for use on track. But that's not all. According to Automotive News, Lotus is preparing to follow up on the aforementioned Evora 400 coupe with an additional roadster variant. Instead of a folding roof mechanism, the open-top Evora will incorporate two carbon-fiber roof panels able to stow behind the front seats. Otherwise it's expected to be mechanically identical to the coupe, with a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 packing 400 horsepower and a series of other enhancements over the preceding Evora S. Lotus was forced to withdraw the Evora – the last model it offered in the US – from the American market last year after it no longer complied with federal regulations. Bringing the new Evora 400, and its upcoming roadster variant, to the US will necessitate fitting it with a new smart airbag – something which Lotus confirmed to Autoblog it is preparing to do. According to spokesman Alastair Florance, "the Evora 400 will arrive in the market as a 17MY and will be fully compliant with FMVSS 208, including the smart air bag element." The coupe is expected to arrive here in December, with the yet-to-be-unveiled roadster to follow six months later. The news confirms what we heard earlier about the company's future plans. Those also include a new SUV being designed principally for the Chinese market, and an even more radical 4-Eleven to follow at some point in the future. Related Video:

F1 just got a whole lot quieter, and some people are really unhappy about it

The scene is the front straight of the Albert Park Circuit at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, and what you see on track on either side of the gentleman wearing the orange hat is a Mercedes AMG Petronas being followed by a Lotus. The first major clue, as should be obvious by the nose of the Mercedes, is that this scene was captured last year. The other major clue in the photo is the gentleman in the orange hat: he's wearing earmuffs to silence the noise. We count at least four people wearing them, and that's before the camera pans. Some F1 fans have been pleased with the sound of the new 1.6-liter V6 engines, but it appears that the majority are not; the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix are threatening to sue because of a "lack of sexiness," and F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone has declared he was "horrified by the lack of [noise]." YouTube user krookzeh has posted a video comparing last year's 2.4-liter V8 cars on the first lap at Albert Park with the new turbo V6 cars on the first lap this year. You can compare the sounds and the number of earmuffs in the short clip below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: ESPN F1 [1], [2], krookzeh via YouTube Motorsports Lotus Racing Vehicles Videos F1 australian grand prix

The time Elon Musk paid $1 million for James Bond submarine car that cost a couple $100

Tesla CEO Elon Musk landed himself in court after insulting a diver who criticized his plan to rescue a Thai soccer trapped in a cave using a purpose-built mini submarine. Which reminded us that Musk's interest in submarines started years ago. The story begins in 1989, when a couple from Long Island put every barn-find hunter to shame by paying $100 for a locked storage unit, and cracking it open to find a 1976 Lotus Esprit buried under a pile of blankets. That's a cool find, the S1 Esprit is sought-after among enthusiasts, but CNBC reported they quickly learned their car was modified to star in the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me." Ignoring Colin Chapman's "light is right" motto, the producers alchemized the Lotus into a fully functional submarine by welding in the wheel arches and the underbody, and adding winglets for more stability. Four propellers powered by a battery pack housed in the cabin moved the Esprit under water, and the coupe gained front-mounted missile launchers. The modifications reportedly cost $100,000. The couple had never seen a James Bond movie; they likely assumed it was a mad scientist's kit car, or a science fair project gone wrong. The $100 purchase price represents about $207 in 2019 dollars, so the unsuspecting buyers could have easily sold it as a parts car, made a small amount of money on it, and ended up with a free storage unit. However, they became aware of the Esprit's significance in Hollywood history when truckers identified it over CB radio while they were hauling it home. lotus-esprit-submarine-in-action-1 View 3 Photos They weren't collectors, and storing a submarine is terribly impractical, so they commissioned a cosmetic restoration and asked auction house RM Sotheby's to sell it in 2013. An enigmatic buyer paid $997,000 for the non-running movie prop. Musk later revealed himself as its new owner. "I was disappointed to learn that it can't actually transform. What I'm going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain, and try to make it transform for real," he announced. Even billionaire-owned project cars sit for longer than planned, and there's little evidence the Esprit is in swimming condition, let alone capable of morphing into a submarine at the simple push of a button. If it could, we're certain Musk would have hyped it up on Twitter. But while stalled projects normally draw the ire of loved ones as they take up garage space, Musk's turned into a well of inspiration.