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Stock Miata beats bunch of high-powered cars in wet 1/4-mile drag race

When is a stock, 167-horsepower Mazda MX-5 Miata quicker than a Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Lamborghini Gallardo, Lotus Elise and a Porsche 911? When it's raining. Sort of.
Mazda Canada arranged a unique drag race to show off the fact that the Miata's optional power retractable folding hardtop can go from top-down to top-up in just 12 seconds flat. In this video, all six cars line up for a drag race, and it starts to rain (well, sort of - but you'll have to watch the video all the way to the end to see what we mean). The green flag is waved, and the timer starts as soon as the convertibles begin to put their tops up. But because the Miata's roof mechanism gets the car's roof back up a full 5.1 seconds quicker than the second-place car, the Mazda gets a serious advantage off the line for the actual drag race.
It's a fun video. And while we've spoiled the results (come on, the video was uploaded by Mazda, you knew the Miata was going to win), be sure to see how it all unfolds, below.

Lotus Evora roadster to follow 400 coupe to US market

Lotus is in the midst of resurgence, and that includes a renewed assault on the US market. The new Evora 400 is coming to America, and though the new 3-Eleven won't be certified to drive on American roads, the company has confirmed that it will be offered here for use on track. But that's not all. According to Automotive News, Lotus is preparing to follow up on the aforementioned Evora 400 coupe with an additional roadster variant. Instead of a folding roof mechanism, the open-top Evora will incorporate two carbon-fiber roof panels able to stow behind the front seats. Otherwise it's expected to be mechanically identical to the coupe, with a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 packing 400 horsepower and a series of other enhancements over the preceding Evora S. Lotus was forced to withdraw the Evora – the last model it offered in the US – from the American market last year after it no longer complied with federal regulations. Bringing the new Evora 400, and its upcoming roadster variant, to the US will necessitate fitting it with a new smart airbag – something which Lotus confirmed to Autoblog it is preparing to do. According to spokesman Alastair Florance, "the Evora 400 will arrive in the market as a 17MY and will be fully compliant with FMVSS 208, including the smart air bag element." The coupe is expected to arrive here in December, with the yet-to-be-unveiled roadster to follow six months later. The news confirms what we heard earlier about the company's future plans. Those also include a new SUV being designed principally for the Chinese market, and an even more radical 4-Eleven to follow at some point in the future. Related Video:

Lotus will go public via SPAC with $5.4 billion valuation

Lotus Technology, the electric-car maker owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., agreed to merge with a blank-check company in a transaction that values the combined entity at about $5.4 billion. L Catterton Asia Acquisition Corp. will combine with the EV making subsidiary of the British carmaking group that Geely acquired back in 2017, the two said in a statement Tuesday. The special purpose acquisition companyÂ’s sponsor has ties to Bernard Arnault, the worldÂ’s richest man. Lotus Tech has been looking to go public since at least early last year. Management may have been encouraged by another luxury auto brandÂ’s recent listing: Porsche AG pulled off EuropeÂ’s largest initial public offering in a decade when it debuted in Frankfurt in September. A week later, Porsche overtook Volkswagen AG as EuropeÂ’s most valuable automaker. Rather than go the IPO route, Lotus Tech will merge with a SPAC whose sponsor combined with the private equity operations of ArnaultÂ’s luxury-goods powerhouse LVMH in 2016. LVMH is a passive minority investor in L Catterton, according to a spokeswoman. Arnault overtook Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk as the worldÂ’s richest man last month — the first time a European claimed the top spot on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. While Group Lotus is tiny compared to Tesla, Geely has been steering it away from combustion engines and has several all-electric models planned for the coming years. Lotus Tech sees itself as a competitor to the likes of Ferrari and Aston Martin, and will get a jump on the first electric models from those brands. Lotus unveiled its all-electric Eletre sport utility vehicle last year and plans to launch a rival to PorscheÂ’s popular Taycan EV in 2023. Geely and other owners are expected to retain an 89.7% shareholding in Lotus Tech after the SPAC merger. GeelyÂ’s billionaire owner Li Shufu also controls Swedish carmaker Volvo Car AB and owns stakes in GermanyÂ’s Mercedes-Benz Group AG and the UKÂ’s Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc. Deutsche Bank AG advised Lotus Tech on the deal, while Credit Suisse Group AG acted as capital markets adviser to the SPAC. Related video: Featured Gallery Lotus Eletre View 25 Photos Earnings/Financials Green Lotus Electric Luxury Performance