CNBC Business | LOTUS REGAINS POLE POSITION

LOTUS REGAINS POLE POSITION

Though pricey, Lotus’ latest road offering is sure to get pulses racing, says Richard Lofthouse

When US TV star and car nut Jay Leno recently drove a prototype for McLaren’s forthcoming supercar he paid its designer the ultimate compliment by saying that it “was the kind of car [Lotus founder] Colin Chapman would have made.” Despite referring to the a McLaren, Lotus could easily be forgiven for thinking the compliment applied to its recent road car – the Lotus Evora, which exemplifies the same traits, namely light weight, striking good looks and an extraordinary feeling of being right even before you flick the ignition switch.

So special is the Evora that on paper the car is too expensive at around €60,000. For now only available with a hard roof (the cabriolet is expected early next year), it costs more than the just-launched Porsche Boxster Spyder at around €50,000, let alone the cutting edge BMW Z4 35i at around €47,750 – and they both offer topless thrills. Not only that, but throw in options such as metallic paint, a sport pack, a short–throw gear shift and some tasty anthracite wheels, and suddenly you’re straying into entry-level Porsche 911 territory.

However, none of this appears to matter in the marketplace, where Evoras have been exchanging hands at a premium to list price, confirming that this is a very special car indeed.

Chapman is credited with saying, “power makes you faster down the straights, lightness makes you faster everywhere,” and the same philosophy defines the Evora. Weighing just 1,382kgs, it feels lithe at the wheel; it’s as if the dainty, entry level Lotus Elise has flowered into a fully-fledged supercar.

Firstly, that means a wonderful soundtrack from the Toyota-derived, six-cylinder engine. Mid-mounted, it makes pure mechanical noises that modulate for every fraction of throttle movement from tickover to red line; resonance, dissonance, resonance, dissonance – you can play with it indefinitely. Secondly, the Steve Crijns/Russell Carr design for this car has won almost universal praise. The reverse kink in the lower rocker panels, combined with the three-quarter view from behind is quite breathtaking.

Out in the real world, meanwhile, the car exudes a practicality that Chapman himself would have appreciated. Instead of a heavily raked windscreen we get Lotus’ signature visor screen, an upright affair. Instead of strange hydraulics to raise the chassis over awkward obstacles (think Lamborghini), ground clearance is excellent. Instead of Gran Turismo style gear shifters and do-it-for-you transmission, this car has a six-speed manual gear box and three pedals. It’s all utterly brilliant and almost retro in 2010.

But the real magic is in the combination of a very strong, stiff, extruded aluminium tub-chassis and sensitive yet compliant suspension. Lotus is the acknowledged king of the chassis, and its consultancy business has saved countless cars from bad handling, most recently the outrageous Dutch supercar, the Spyker C8. All the Lotus magic is deployed on the Evora, which communicates with the road like a racing bike but without the bone-jarring consequences. Hit a nearside pool of standing water, and the car barely flinches; hit the brakes in the face of a stumbling badger, and the car simply stops – from 100km/h to zero in 2.5 seconds. Such competences explain why the car is so rewarding to drive, fast or slow.

Criticisms are few but not insignificant. Pulling up at an oblique junction means dealing with a terrible blind spot to the side, while fuel consumption is nothing special on account of the big engine. We didn’t think much of the flimsy, misfiring sat-nav either. But the larger question potential buyers will have to answer is whether they want the familiar prestige of a Porsche or BMW, or are willing to take a punt on a brand that remains a very rare sight on European roads – even in the UK where Lotus is based.

Unless not having a convertible is a deal-breaker, we know which we’d choose. The reality is that nothing comes close to an Evora for driving purity, and lots of drivers are apparently happy to pay a premium for this secret sauce – the X-factor that so few cars possess.