New 2012 Lotus Evora Ips 2+2 Ardent Red Over Ebony All Options! on 2040-cars

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Lotus Emira V6 First Edition Road Test: The most fun for $100,000

You really couldn’t script it more perfectly. The Lotus Emira is a dream sports car. ItÂ’s good that we all recognize that here and now, as far too often in the super- and sports car world, the market doesnÂ’t realize what an astounding thing it has until sales have gone cold, and the manufacturer kills it off. Cough, Acura NSX. In a way, the Emira is a love letter to everything enthusiasts desire about driving. Lotus is in a state of transition – the EVs are coming! The whole automotive industry is changing, and cars like the Emira are the ones weÂ’ll point to as high-water marks for this era. Not because it has a 0-60 mph time that can embarrass competitors. Not because it pioneers any particular technology in general. Truthfully, itÂ’s not remarkably pushing any boundaries on paper, but IÂ’d argue, who cares? It has an aged 3.5-liter supercharged V6 borrowed from Toyota that makes a fine – but not eyebrow-raising – 400 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s actually less horsepower than Evora variants like the GT and Sport 410 made, which is the opposite direction sports cars typically go in for a new generation. It has hydraulic steering, and there isnÂ’t a single driver assistance nag in sight (donÂ’t worry, it still has cruise control). You pick your suspension setting from the factory: Tour or Sport. It does have a few drive modes, but they donÂ’t adjust the suspension or steering. An automatic transmission is available, but please skip that to enjoy one of the best-shifting gearboxes in the world. And oh yes, you can watch the exposed linkage work its mechanical joy. Same goes for the visible throttle actuator that can be seen in the rearview mirror through the glass separating driver from engine. Yeah, Lotus gets us. If youÂ’re salivating and frothing at the mouth by now, then youÂ’re just the sort of person Lotus has in mind for the Emira. Of course, the catch with anything wearing a Lotus badge in the past was the uncertainty around buying a car from a low-production British outfit and the accompanying lack of modern amenities. Even though the Evora was a step toward Porsche in so many ways, it still felt and acted like a classy kit car with its Alpine head unit, borrowed parts and general lack of polish. The last Evora GT test car we had leaked from both A-pillars with the windows up while driving in a rainstorm. Would a factory-fresh 718 Cayman ever do such a thing? I would think not.

UK car output falls 14% in March, may get worse with no-deal Brexit

LONDON — British car output fell for the 10th month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said. The forecasts were produced for SMMT by AutoAnalysis, a consultancy. Prime Minister Theresa May has secured a delay to the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31, giving her more time to try to break an impasse in parliament over the terms of Britain's departure from the EU. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt traveled to Japan earlier this month to try to persuade the Japanese government and Toyota, which has a big presence in Britain, that London was determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce 2 million cars by 2020 — a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. "All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry." (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)

Lotus marks 20 years of the Elise

Lotus was a very different company 20 years ago. For starters, it wasn't owned by the Malaysians: it had just been sold by General Motors to Romano Artioli, the same man behind the revival of Bugatti EB110. It had discontinued the Elan, Excel and Carlton, which left the Esprit – by then already 20 years old itself – as its only product. Then the Elise came along and everything changed. The Elise arrived in 1995, based on a lightweight aluminum chassis that was ahead of its time and cloaked in composite body panels to make it incredibly light in the spirit of Colin Chapman's ethos. Its name was taken from Artioli's granddaughter, but stuck around long after he sold the company. The Esprit was eventually retired, and with the exception of the Evora, the Elise served as the basis for every other new Lotus that has followed in the two decades since: the Exige, Europa, 2-Eleven, 340R, and so on. It even lent its underpinnings to a wide array of sports cars for other automakers, including the groundbreaking Tesla Roadster, the all-conquering Hennessey Venom GT, the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220, and more concepts cars and niche products than we can count. Now 20 years since its introduction, Lotus is celebrating the milestone with the Elise 20th Anniversary Edition. It's based on (and effectively replaces) the Elise S Club Racer, and trims a further 22 pounds off the curb weight. It's got matte black forged wheels and trim, a retrimmed interior and of course all the special badging. UK customers will be able to pick one up for GBP39,900, but as the Elise hasn't been offered Stateside in a few years now, we'll just have to admire – and celebrate – from afar. Lotus Elise celebrates 20 years - Celebratory 20th Anniversary Special Edition Elise - Special edition, based on the Elise S Club Racer, including classic Elise colour schemes - Pioneering and iconic Elise continues to innovate and evolve - Weight reduced by 10 kg The Lotus Elise 20th Anniversary Special Edition celebrates the unveiling of the iconic sports car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1995. 20 years ago, the Lotus Elise revolutionised the sports car world, setting the benchmark for handling, purity of the driving experience, lightweight and efficiency. Its pioneering and advanced bonded aluminium chassis was a market-leading technological innovation at the time and over the years has improved and evolved and remains core to the Elise's exceptional performance today.