Evora GT430

[LF1]

We all said there'd be no more cups a year ago. Never say never. 

I suspect there will be more. But this car in my mind is perfect. It's a Lotus GTx basically. 

For Sale; Elise, RS6, Caterham Roadsport and a Friendly 8 Year old Border Collie (house trained)

[Stubox]

Love the specification , power , front end splitter etc and promise of great track performance ( quick as a 3-11 I've read....how? ) then the interior  with 410 seats  ....but....it's the rear wing that I think is making me wince a little. I'm smitten with the elegance of the flowing line on the 410.

However nicely done Norfolk .

[cbaileyuk]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

Look at this back to back comparison with the Ferrari F430 when it was launched back in 2004 the specs where:  

£119,500 launch price in the UK

483 bhp

1517kg curb weight

0-62 in 3.9 seconds

196 mph top speed

 

Makes the GT430 look like a bargain to me:

£112,500 launch price in the UK some 13 years later (the RPI adjusted equivalent for the F430 is £172,000)

430 bhp

1258kg curb weight

0-62 in 3.7 seconds

190 mph top speed

What is there not too like as I guarantee the GT430 will leave behind the F430 on the track.

Well done Lotus! A relative bargain and much more exclusive and usable than any F430.

The Ferrari comparison you make, was that also a plastic tub with a Toyota Camry engine as the powerplant? You really cannot make that comparison, surely? 

If you want to discuss apples and how good they may taste comparatively, then at least bring another apple out.

This bargain comment. I simply don't get it. 

[Philsport300]

I've just been looking through all the views of  the car and must say that Lotus have really got this one so right. It's so well thought out and the new front end is way more sexy and masculine than any current Mclaren. The only sticking point is finding the funds soon enough!!!.

Apparantly only 6 for the Uk and nearly all have gone.

Welldone Lotus.

Phil

[blindside]

18 minutes ago, Stubox said:

Love the specification , power , front end splitter etc and promise of great track performance ( quick as a 3-11 I've read....how? ) then the interior  with 410 seats  ....but....it's the rear wing that I think is making me wince a little. I'm smitten with the elegance of the flowing line on the 410.

However nicely done Norfolk .

+1.  I've missed all the slow reveal social media burlesque over the past few days. The car looks absolutely class outside and in. Apart from the 'bolt-on' wing which looks fine on the Exige, but for for me detracts from the Evora's clean lines. Nevertheless it's a thing of beauty and an engineering tour de force at that price point on a what must have been a very limited innovation/design budget. Great job Lotus!

P.S. I'm a little sceptical about the just 60 cars build limit. It will be interesting to see how many eventually do get made if demand significantly exceeds supply.

[JayEmm]

I for one would love to see them sell boatloats. Making cars on a "limited" basis is what has driven myself, and many others away from the likes of Porsche etc...

[LF1]

Driven away because you can't actually buy them? Or in protest because you are on the list but feel for those who are not?

Do we know if they actually stuck to 60 380 Cup? Is this just a ploy to get lots of interest from the outset. Makes you wonder if there are going to be releases of 60 cars then we'll get something similar on the Elise, back to Exige and so on?

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

Some of these other manufacturers consider 500 or even 1000 units to be a limited edition. I doubt Lotus have ever managed to sell 1000 of all Evora types each year.

[geartox]

concerning the limited edition, the good thing is that all customers will have the "number one" ... 

[Tsimanga]

I wish Lotus would focus on what people really want... A ROADSTER!!!

[NedaSay]

But they make roadsters, two of them actually, they just cannot sell them in the US...

[NW76]

1 hour ago, The Pits said:

Haven't finished the press release yet but it looks amazing. Breathtaking. Better integrated than I had imagined. I don't miss canards or the wide body as much as I thought I might. Wing is gloriously OTT but looks effective and authentically motorsport enough to get away with it, just.

The whole car is a massive two fingers to Porsche, Chris Harris and the whole Porsche GT scene which I absolutely love. Audacious in the extreme. Shades of the Turbo Esprit going on sale at £21k in 1980, more than the Ferrari 308 at the time. If it can whip the new GT3's fat backside with 70bhp less that would be just a magnificent achievement. That will be very hard to achieve not least because Porsche will make it their business to prevent that, through fair means and foul. In any event it's a massive 'if', the gen 2 GT3 has even got Porsche wondering if they've over done it. Yes for anyone not on their loathsome 'preferred customer' list it will cost a whole lot more than £112k but it looks like the Evora will be gone in 60 seconds too, so they can't use the 'at least it's available' card. For the PR story to have a happy ending the GT430 must beat the gen 2 GT3. Getting close to it would be a sizeable achievement in reality but then the story goes, '2 blokes in a Norfolk shed have a go at the GT3, do alright'. This time Project Eddie the Eagle needs to bring home the gold medal and just shut everyone up.

All the wheels seem to be at extra cost, what wheels do you get for the base price?

Love so much about this car. Was fearing it would be over £100k. Was steeling myself for £98k basic. £112k will take some adjusting to. Especially when it's done nothing to dent my enthusiasm for the Sport 410. Then again if the numbers of RHD really are that tiny it should hold its value better than a 410...

By the time I get my head around it all they'll all be gone. Probably just as well!

Nice package but ...

Would be cool to do a comp against a 991.2 GT3 but I fear it wont stand a chance ... my EX460 driven by a pro can just keep up with a 991.2 GT3 driven by the same pro ... I just doubt that the GT430 can get anywhere close to this ... 

Also the claim of it beating the 311 ... seriously?! Did the 311 have an engine problem? Too much marketing BS that will not hold up on track ...

PDK and 4Wheel Steering really make a difference ...

Anyway ... 60 units will be gone quickly ...

[C8RKH]

40 minutes ago, cbaileyuk said:

The Ferrari comparison you make, was that also a plastic tub with a Toyota Camry engine as the powerplant? You really cannot make that comparison, surely? 

If you want to discuss apples and how good they may taste comparatively, then at least bring another apple out.

This bargain comment. I simply don't get it. 

Surprisingly it too (the F430) was made of composites ( the bodywork not the tub) and had an aluminium chassis. No the engine was not a Toyota one, but 13 years later, for a cheaper price (than 13 years ago without rpi) and better performance then I think the comparison is fair.

Sorry if I've knocked the halo off Ferrari for you but actually I believe tgat as a package, the GT430 is the better car.

Of course. You can have a different view. But on an A road or a track, I knoe which car I woukd prefer to be in.

Thank you for your input.

[Hellers]

Well it's been quite a day hasn't it?! 

Fell asleep and missed the 'promised' 00:01 release from @Bibs 

Woken by a cocker spaniel's nose in my face at 8am (not a euphemism). What, no release?? 

Had a deadline to show a new very senior employee around the plant at 11am before their official start on Monday. Nothing at 8.30.. 9... 9.30... teased with Lotus biscuit pics (who knew they existed) until well gone 10.30...

Article appears at 11-ish a.m. on the Lotus website as I'm going up in the lift, already 5-ish minutes late eek.. and then disappears again shortly just when I excuse myself for a comfort break, gah! New important person wonders what I'm up to and I'm torn whether to tell her or as I did, I just said I'd had a few beers and a dodgy ruby murray the night before, but hey as I'm the owner I think I got away with it...

God it's a beautiful motor and having only just bought my first ever (brand new too) Lotus two weeks ago tomorrow (a mighty-minnow Elise 250 SE) I feel that one day something like this 'could' be in reach. Can't wait to see vids etc.

Now I know why Ian Parkin at Murray's would like to keep in touch with me. 

Well done Lotus for a focussed and yet so well-resolved package. That's a very difficult thing to carry off. Bravo!

Edited July 20, 2017 by Hellers

[Malcolm Feth]

I just wanted to say, I really like the look of new GT430. It would be nice to have one in a garage, next to GT350
Well done Lotus... I hope I will have a chance to take it for some pics (@bibs, hint hint...)
 

[NedaSay]

1 minute ago, Hellers said:

Well it's been quite a day hasn't it?! 

Fell asleep and missed the 'promised' 00:01 release from @Bibs 

Woken by a cocker spaniel's nose in my face at 8am (not a euphemism). What, no release?? 

Had a deadline to show a new very senior employee around the plant at 11am before their official start on Monday. Nothing at 8.30.. 9... 9.30... teased with Lotus biscuit pics (who knew they existed) until well gone 10.30...

Article appears at 11-ish a.m. on the Lotus website as I'm going up in the lift, already 5-ish minutes late eek,.. and then disappears again shortly just when I excuse myself for a comfort break, gah! New important person wonders what I'm up to and I'm torn whether to tell her or as I did, I just said I'd had a few beers and a dodgy ruby murray the night before, but hey as I'm the owner I think I got away with it...

God it's a beautiful motor and having only just bought my first Lotus two weeks ago tomorrow (a might-minnow Elise SE) I feel that one day something like this 'could' be in reach. Can't wait to see vids etc.

Now I know why Ian Parkin at Murray's would like to keep in touch with me. 

Well done Lotus for a focussed and yet so well-resolved package. That's a very difficult thing to carry off. Bravo! 

 

 

 

 

 

For the record that was my bad i said 0.01 but Bibs promised nothing...

[Bibs]

1 minute ago, Hellers said:

Fell asleep and missed the 'promised' 00:01 release from @Bibs 

I never said that mate, not at all. Please don't misquote me. 

[Hellers]

Sorry I misread mate. Thanks to you and @NedaSay for setting the hazy record straight. Im sure it's been a very hardworking rollercoaster for you today and glad you like the tone of my excited post. 

[Bibs]

I'm just hoping 'cocker spaniels nose' isn't a euphemism!

[Hellers]

Well done ??

[The Pits]

So, on spec,

Are any wheels standard? Looks like they cost another £900 whatever you do. No magnesium alloy option listed, is that still to come?

My ideal spec would be AC, sound insulation, wheels!, interior colour pack, alternative metallic paint, titanium harness bar and harnesses.

Sparco seats, stereo and the cup holder can all 'do one'. Love the Lotus carbon probax seats with a passion. £3500 for Sparco to make the driving position worse? Nein danke.

Spec comes to £120,800. 

Could lose the harnesses I guess but it's titanium so would probably rather lose the wheels! With the grip that car is going to make, interia reel seat belts aren't going to cut it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NedaSay]

Uh is there a photoshop artist in the assistance? Could somebody talented put some colors on the car : motorsport green and the blue used on the Cup 380.  

[cbaileyuk]

34 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

Surprisingly it too (the F430) was made of composites ( the bodywork not the tub) and had an aluminium chassis. No the engine was not a Toyota one, but 13 years later, for a cheaper price (than 13 years ago without rpi) and better performance then I think the comparison is fair.

Sorry if I've knocked the halo off Ferrari for you but actually I believe tgat as a package, the GT430 is the better car.

Of course. You can have a different view. But on an A road or a track, I knoe which car I woukd prefer to be in.

Thank you for your input.

I clearly have a different view. You've ducked over the powerplant comment by telling me a Camry block has more performance, 13 years henceforth from the comparitor you offered. Surely you can't be comparing the two still? 

I currently drive a 350 after many Lotus but this current direction of pricing has entered a cut throat and dangerous sector.

[Bibs]

Does it really matter where the engine is from? Isn't it about the package it's a part of and what it does now? Many performance cars have engines from humble origins, but is it really that big a deal?

Jalopnik are cementing their 'Lotus fanboy' status as usual...

http://jalopnik.com/lotus-debuts-new-hey-were-still-trying-special-edition-1797092029

[cbaileyuk]

For a car that is sitting in a sector where the competition builds its own performance engines and powertrains, to me, it certainly does matter. When the competition is 100k away,  I fully accept the use of others parts to assemble, their engine, switch gear, gearbox, etc. When the competition is 30k away and the competition design and build everything themselves it seems as if one is pushing the price boundary more than the other.  

Edited July 20, 2017 by cbaileyuk