The Lotus Evora shows its pedigree fending off tough competition from the world’s best driver’s cars to become Autocar’s favourite for 2009.
The competition included rigorous road and track assessment, using the stunning roads around the South Downs and the fantastic high speed corners at the Goodwood race circuit. The feature included driver’s cars from Aston Martin, Nissan, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Jaguar.
Read on below for the full story with videos and more photos.
Chas Hallet, Autocar Editor said about the Evora,
“The best here. Brilliant on the track. Nimble, delicate and forgiving. Even better on the road.”
Autocar magazine in summing up the competition added,
“Decisions don’t come much more clear cut than this, with nine out of 10 judges placing the Evora first. This contest is about finding a car that is not only technically capable, but also thrilling and engaging wherever you drive it, and the Lotus nails those criteria”.
The unique mid-engined 2+2 Lotus Evora combines a super stiff extruded and bonded Aluminium chassis with decades of vehicle dynamics knowledge employed to tune its race car derived double wishbone suspension. The result is a great driver’s car that offers exceptionally high levels of ultimate grip, with performance and braking to match.
Roger Becker, Vehicle Engineering Director said,
“The dynamic ability and driving experience of the Evora were the foundation of the engineering process and we are delighted that Autocar has recognised this by giving the Evora this accolade. The Evora offers the great Lotus driving experience in a very comfortable, practical, refined and efficient package, and with only 205 g/km of CO2 it shows that the Evora is a supercar for the 21st century.”
Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars commented,
“We are really pleased to win this title as it not only demonstrates the engineering expertise and brilliant manufacturing at Lotus, but also asserts our position in this very exclusive and competitive sector. There is huge global demand for the Evora and to cope with this high demand we are taking on over 150 manufacturing staff, which is roughly a 30% increase.”
Lotus Evora: 205 g/km CO2
32.5 mpg (8.7 litres / 100 km) – Combined Cycle
22.8 mpg (12.4 litres / 100 km) – Urban Cycle
43.5 mpg (6.5 litres / 100 km) – Extra Urban Cycle
Autocar tester Matt Prior’s notes on how the Evora clinched victory.
Video of the Autocar team discussing “What makes a great driver’s car?”
[Photos courtesy of Autocar]
