What do you do when you’re not having the best time in your (patchy, anyway) history and your new owner has put your new car program on ice? That’s an easy one: you simply roll out a “special” edition of one of your existing models.
The above applies to Lotus that has just launched the “Sports Racer” edition of its Evora mid-engine coupe. So, what is so special about this Evora that makes Lotus claim it’s aimed to serious drivers (sic) that want to get “incredibly excited”?
Um… let’s see. There’s a choice of four colors, namely Aspen White, Carbon Grey, Nightfall Blue and Ardent Red, all of which come with contrasting gloss black roof, front apron, side sills, mirror pods and rear diffuser, as well as black forged alloys with either red or black calipers.
Then there is the standard 2+2 seating configuration, gunmetal-finished dashboard panels, “Premium Sports” leather seats in black with red stitching or red with black stitching and Slate Grey Suede trim on the dash, doors and center console.
The Evora Sports Racer also gets the “Sports Pack” as standard. This includes a sports mode for sharper throttle response, an increased rev limit, a sportier setting for the Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) stability control system, a rear diffuser and cross-drilled brake discs.
Lotus has also thrown in the “Tech Pack” that consists of an infotainment system with upgraded audio, a DVD player, a 7-inch touch screen, Bluetooth, USB and iPod connectivity, cruise control, power folding mirrors, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a tire pressure monitoring system.
UK pricing starts at £57,900 (US$94,100, €71,000) for the 280PS normally-aspirated version and £65,900 (US$107,100, €80,900) for the 350PS supercharged “S”.
If that sounds pricey, consider that, according to the company, the Sports Racer saves buyers £6,450 and £7,150 respectively compared to adding all those features separately on a normal Evora.
By Andrew Tsaousis
PHOTO GALLERY
