Evora GT410 Sport launched

[C8RKH]

8 hours ago, Bibs said:

I should be getting mine in a week or so, I'll take all the pics you like

Looking forward to it @Bibs. The GT410 has really turned my head and I actually think it is a great value choice.

[cobwatch]

Online today Autocar reviewed their top 10 best sports cars....911 won out of course, with the Evora third behind the F-type. A quite remarkable summary...the Evora is so compromised that it can only ever be a second or weekend car, and is then just too expensive, except for the handling obsessed purist. Evo have a gt3 "picture of the week" online, and invite you to once again read their review of the supreme modern sports car.

 Both of these English publications seem to have collapsed into nothing more than Porsche propaganda. Wonder how that upcoming test on Evo will go? The case for the impending Porsche victory is laid out here. Seems you can only beat Porsche by making a better Porsche. Different just won't do.

Which is why i love the new GT410 Sport. An alternative emphasis. But will that continue under Geely? I believe that under JMG it will. He has recently said quite a lot about future strategy, the Lotus hybrid is coming, along with a Chinese built SUV, principally for the Chinese market. I am happy with that if it allows Lotus to keep production secure in Norfolk. Raiding the Volvo parts bin will open up numerous options, i just hope Geely don't choose to send Lotus down the Porsche facsimile route. Talk by JMG of improved utility has me a little worried about a dilution of the Lotus ethos. Time will tell.

 

[Bruss]

Some genuinely good news from Lotus is that they are working on a carbon tub sports car for one of the 2 next new cars to be released. That excites me, its moving forward at last. 

[C8RKH]

It excites me too though it will likely just be a poster car for me as I can imagine the cost.

However, not being negative as this is Lotus moving in the right direction and for those who can afford one, I am sure the next gen Lotus cars will be stunners.

[hosscartwri]

Top 10 best sports cars 2018

Here is the definitive top ten list of the best sports cars currently on sale, each with a compelling reason to take top spot, but who can lay claim to the throne?

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

by Autocar

29 January 2018

By the standards of criticism levelled at Lotus in some articles, what Autocar online has to say is glowing! Extract below. Mind you, when you look at some of the cars in their top 10 you have to wonder at the criteria they have used. Similarly if you look at their top 10 Super Sports Cars there are some odd inclusions and amazing omissions!

I too stopped buying Evo well over a year ago as some very good people had left and it had become even more of a Porsche mouthpiece. 

3. Lotus Evora

Lavish the Evora is not and even in a car of such undoubted ability, we think today’s customers demand more. That said, there’s no car on sale today with superior dynamic ability.

The Evora is a benchmark and an object lesson in how to make a car handle, ride and steer. It could even take a lot more power than the 410bhp it’s currently allowed.

[Bruss]

I don't know what their criteria for best sports car is, but I agree with their comments above. The Evora really is an outstanding car for handling and ride comfort combined, imo the best out there at any price. The interior lacks a certain finish though.  I've upgraded mine with various bits because of that. 

 

[Spinney]

22 hours ago, cobwatch said:

Online today Autocar reviewed their top 10 best sports cars....911 won out of course, with the Evora third behind the F-type. A quite remarkable summary...the Evora is so compromised that it can only ever be a second or weekend car, and is then just too expensive, except for the handling obsessed purist. 

 

Very ambivalent though I am towards the Porsche marque, and for no real reason always have been, I can quite understand why they have placed a 911 in first place, but to put an F Type above the Evora???? Come on Autocar, is that really a credible placing, especially when they say an Evora is so compromised it can only ever be a second or weekend car?  

I've driven a couple of F Types and a few Evoras and even acknowledging I am a Lotus fanboy, I really do struggle with the statement that the Evora is compromised. The Jaguar has a miniscule boot and very little cabin space while the Evora does at least have stowage space behind the front seats, so I would regard the Lotus as much more of a practical daily than the Jaguar. 

I really do wonder what criteria they have used to compile this list. The F Type is a very good car but to suggest it's a better sports car than the Lotus is, frankly, completely risible.

[The Pits]

I'd much rather have an F-Type to a 911 personally but its compact dimensions disguise the fact that it's really more of a small GT car, something it's very good at. Not many F-Type owners getting up early on a Sunday morning for a blat I wouldn't think. It's closer to an XK than an Elise really. I certainly don't consider the Lexus or Maserati as sports cars, nor the i8. Whereas the 4C couldn't really be called anything else. If the catagory covers everything from a Morgan to a Lexus LC 500h then I think it's due for a rethink.

[Likuid]

While obviously subjective. I will say out of those 10 cars the GT430 is the best looking IMO.

[Ccd]

Pitts is on to something.  The concept of what is a sports car in the modern age is no longer clearly defined.   Personally, the Jag F-Type,  the Maserati and certainly the Lexus are GT cars, not sports cars.  The GTR I would classify as a Japanese muscle car and the i8 is in a category by itself.

To me, a true sports cars is closer in weight to 3000 lbs, certainly under 3500 pounds, on the smaller size, probably RWD or AWD with a RWD bias (and yes, I know my car is AWD with a FWD bias), and offers driver engagement.  But there is no longer generally accepted definitions of what a sports car is.

[JayEmm]

A GT-R is a sports car in the same way a machete is a great replacement for a scalpel. I  still have something of a fondness for it though.

I'd personally take the Corvette over an F-Type. With 911 prices becoming increasingly greedy, I continue to be amazed that GM don't give the RHD Vette a try.

[Bibs]

[tim_marra]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

I love the Recaros. So much so I even have a spare set in charcoal.

Are you going to BBQ them this summer 

19 minutes ago, Bibs said:

Yours? A factory demo car for your personal use? You lucky, lucky boy. Congrats 

[Snoopy1969]

@Bibs great! First impressions? Speccccc? 

[C8RKH]

27 minutes ago, tim_marra said:

Are you going to BBQ them this summer 

Only if I can find two healthy vegans to strap in them first!

[Dan E]

@bibs Git! 

 

[Bibs]

4 hours ago, Snoopy1969 said:

First impressions?

Brutal acceleration, ridiculous lateral grip, other-worldly mid-corner stability.Oh, and that noise! Looking forward to enjoying the car more  

[hosscartwri]

Brutal acceleration - already 'run-in'!!!???

Just ordered one - now for the hard part - waiting for it.

[Bibs]

It is thankfully, by very experienced Dynamics Engineers too. I was literally exiting corners I know well carrying an extra xx+ mph and thinking it needed more speed and these are already fast corners. Looking forward to exploring more of the cars performance over the next couple of weeks. A lot. 

[hosscartwri]

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with exploring the car's capabilities and how you find it behaves when doing so.

[C8RKH]

Lots of piccies please @Bibs especially the interior etc...

[Bibs]

[Barrykearley]

Not even one teeny bit jealous......

 

 

argh 

[M4rk]

Great looking car, I like that a lot!!  

Enjoy every minute, excellent that it is already run in too.  Did you get to have a quick spin around the test track before you left?

I like the colour, what is it?

[C8RKH]

That's lovely @Bibs - interior shots too please as these are in very short supply even from lotus!

Is there a price list anywhere for the GT410 and the options - as usual, cannot seem to find one anywhere.  Enjoy the ride. Unlike @Barrykearley I'm totally fookin' jealous!