2014 Lotus Evora S on 2040-cars

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Yeah, it's more than 10 better | 2018 Lotus Evora Sport 410 Quick Spin

Doesn't it drive you crazy when you get a new toy and within weeks they announce a new, improved version? That's exactly what Lotus has done with the new Evora 400. Just as this two-plus-two coupe is wowing US buyers with its combination of light weight and old-school ride and handling, those sneaky devils have gone and produced a lightweight, sport version. Your correspondent attended the launch to test the waters, but in the process found that you'll still have time to enjoy your stock 400 model, since the Sport won't be gracing US shores before next summer – Lotus still has to engineer its lightweight construction for US safety regulations. And will you then want to swap for one at a likely price in excess of $105,000? Read on. Not if you plan to carry the kids, since the new Sport 410 is now strictly a two-seater. The vestigial rear perches, along with the air conditioning, stereo wireless, rear bulkhead glass, sound insulation, door trims, and even the mud flaps have been jettisoned to reduce mass. As a result, you can't see much out of the rear-view mirror except carbon-fiber stays. Other weight-saving measures include new carbon-fiber panels for the roof, rear deck, and front and rear panels. There's a new lithium-ion main battery saving 25 pounds and an optional titanium exhaust system that's lighter and sounds saucier. Total weight saving is 154 pounds compared to the 400, which makes the curb weight a feather-like 2,923 pounds despite the addition of a new transmission oil cooler. It pushes itself into the ground harder, too. Aerodynamic tweaks such as the front splitter and rear spoiler increase downforce from 19 pounds to 40 at 100 mph and from 71 pounds to 141 at 150 mph. Lotus has tweaked its inlet-charge-cooled and supercharged 3.5-liter V6 Toyota Camry engine to yield 10 extra horsepower for a total of 410 (hence the name) at 7,000 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. The 410 will hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds with the six-speed manual, or in 3.9 with the six-speed automatic. Suspension adjustments include re-valved dampers and an effective spring-rate increase thanks to the lighter weight. The hydraulically assisted steering and AP Racing brakes with two-piece rotors remain the same, as does the geared Torsen-type limited-slip differential. The Sport runs on specially forged Magnesium lightweight wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 19/20-inch tires front/rear.

Lotus signs Pastor Maldonado to replace Raikkonen

The team currently known as Lotus has had a long string of accomplished drivers behind the wheel, including world champions like Nelson Piquet, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. But Kimi is returning to Ferrari next season, leaving a big question mark over who would fill his seat. And now we have our answer.
Lotus has just announced that it has signed Pastor Maldonado to partner with Romain Grosjean for next season. The surprise winner of the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix has been driving for Williams for the past three seasons, signed after he won the GP2 title in 2010. Though lauded as an emerging talent, Maldonado is clearly not the accomplished champion Raikkonen is, however Lotus apparently needs the money which Maldonado brings with him in the form of sponsorship from the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.
Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean, also a former GP2 champion, has been with the team for some time now, starting as its test driver in 2008, promoted for one season to the race seat in 2009, and returning again in 2012. He's been the second driver at Lotus ever since, achieving career-best second-place finishes at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix and 2013 United States Grand Prix. Whether it will be Grosjean (who gets the higher number) or Maldonado that emerges as the dominant force at Lotus remains to be seen. Scroll down for the complete press release.

Elon Musk buys James Bond's Lotus submarine, wants to install Tesla powerplant

Remember when we reported the long-lost-but-found-again Lotus Esprit submarine used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me had sold at auction in London for $966,560 (well, $863,000 plus a 12-percent buyer's premium)? At the time, the buyer's identity remained a mystery, but Jalopnik has reported and confirmed that the man with money to burn is none other than billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla Motors and SpaceX. What's even more shocking (maybe not for Musk) is that he wants to install a Tesla electric powertrain in it and make it transform into a road-going car.
The story of the submersible Lotus' journey from movie star to prized possession of the eccentric Musk is remarkable. After filming ended in the '70s, the car was shipped to Long Island, NY and placed in a storage container that was paid in advance by the studio for 10 years. After the money ran out, the contents of the container were sold off Storage Wars-style in 1989 and won by an area couple. It was shown in public on occasion throughout the years, but its value remained a mystery until the gavel fell in London last month. While far from the most valuable Bond car to be auctioned off (that honor goes to the Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger and Thunderball, which sold for $4.6 million at auction in 2010), the Lotus submarine is definitely the most unique.
Also worth noting is that the Lotus sub is more than just a prop. Without the aid of CGI, the film's producers needed an actual submarine that looked like a Lotus Esprit, and so they hired a company called Perry Oceanographic in Florida to build it and hired former US Navy Seal Don Griffin to pilot the sub during the film.