2010 Lotus Evora: The New Porsche 911 Challenger in Super Car Style

I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of small sports cars and even more a fan of Porsches in particular. However, in recent years I have found myself drawn to the mid-engine super car like sports cars of the Lotus Brand (think Elise). Lotus now has something new to capture my interest, a mid-engine Porsche 911 challenger for 2010—the Lotus Evora.

You may remember that our partners over at TheCarConnection.com reported the latest news on the Evora back in March including the press release directly from “the horse’s mouth.” Now that it is May I thought we should revisit the newest road hugger from Lotus. Most of all we need to answer what we can expect from the Evora and when it is to arrive here in the States. So lets jump in.  According to the latest first drive review by Car and Driver, the new 2010 Lotus Evora is 21.9 inches longer then the Elise—making it five inches shorter than the Porsche 911. The competition for Porsche market share doesn’t end there; the Evora also has larger brakes than the 911 and weighs 100 pounds less.

I know what you are thinking: What about performance, right? Well have no fear, the 2010 Lotus Evora has plenty of punch with the 211 cubic inch 24-valve DOHC V-6 (courtesy of Toyota) and will run 0-60 in an estimated 4.9 seconds. So to quote Car and Driver, “think Ferrari F430, only with better steering.” Still need to be convinced that this is a bona fide Porsche competitor? The 2010 Lotus Evora, based on the European specs, is estimated to return near or better the 19/28 mpg city/highway of the Porsche 911 and should fall near the $75,000 mark. That will place it smack dab in the middle of Porsche territory, yet the Lotus will have the exclusivity and availability of super cars three times its cost. Be on the look out for the Lotus Evora to race into the U.S. for 2010 because not everyone will be able to get their hands on one.

Bottom line- Given the choice between a Porsche 911 that everyone can have and the precision handling and exclusivity of the Lotus Evora, I might have to stray from my faithful Porsche loyalty—what about you?

 

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 [Source: Car and Driver]