Lightening strikes again, Lotus launches the new lighter, faster and more powerful Evora Sport 410.

• 0-60 mph in 3.9 secs and a top speed of 186 mph
• 70 kg slashed from the weight of the Evora 400
• Comprehensive carbon fibre package as standard
• Increased power, reduced mass, sharper handling
• Total production limited to one-hundred and fifty vehicles per year

In a move that should surprise no one, Lotus has raised the bar once again by lightening the Evora in order to develop the sensational Evora Sport 410. Following on from the recently announced Elise Cup 250, and the Exige Sport 350, Lotus’ famous Lightweight Laboratory has been hard at work cutting the weight of the Evora 400 by a massive 70kg. 

With a host of high-performance carbon fibre components as standard, and sharing the 410 hp supercharged engine with the track-bred 3-Eleven, the Lotus Evora Sport 410 clocks 0-60 in 3.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 186mph.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented, “We couldn’t help ourselves, and many may have guessed what were were planning following our recent announcements. We wanted to make the Evora even better: lighter, faster and sharper, but our team has exceeded our expectations. Lotus has distilled what makes the Evora so special into something that’s even more focused. The result is dynamically excellent and nothing short of superb.”

This new, top-of-the-range Evora has been thoroughly re-evaluated, with every component assessed, optimised and reengineered as required. This covers every aspect of the car, including a drastically simplified carbon fibre tailgate (combining five separate elements into one), new lighter-weight door trim panels and the liberal addition of carbon fibre across the entire car.

The Sport 410 builds on the excellent work undertaken in the development of the Evora 400, itself a massive enhancement over the first generation of Evora. However, far from a stripped-out special, the Evora Sport 410 retains excellent road manners, being refined and composed during everyday driving.

The significant drop in mass, and a power boost, means the Evora Sport 410 is capable of lapping the company’s Hethel test track in 1 minute 28 seconds* - an impressive 3 seconds faster than the Evora 400. Reflecting what Lotus does best, it demonstrates the company’s principle of ‘adding lightness’.

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 is the result of Lotus’ philosophy of continuous improvement. With a lower centre of gravity, and a kerb weight slashed to just 1,325 kg, the car provides an impressive 309 hp/tonne.

In addition to boosting straight-line speed, the significant reduction in mass has allowed sharper, more agile and intuitive handling - with even greater accuracy and feel. Jean-Marc Gales added, “The Evora chassis was already the best in the business – the Evora Sport 410 takes it to a whole new level”.

Complementing this is a higher-output version of the supercharged, 3.5-litre 6-cylinder engine, developed through the Lotus 3-Eleven project which has beaten Nürburgring records. As a result, the car boasts 410 hp at 7000 rpm and 410 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm.

The high-performance, carbon fibre components have played the single biggest role in the evolution of the Evora Sport 410. These include front splitter, roof panel, tailgate, and rear diffuser as well as race-derived sports seats and a revised front access panel. The one-piece carbon tailgate incorporates a louvered section, inspired by some of Lotus’ most-famous heritage models, and together with carbon rear quarter-light panels help provide the car with a sleeker, fastback-style trailing roofline. These changes have also improved the car’s aerodynamic downforce by 15% with no increase in drag.

The car’s reduced kerb weight has allowed the recalibration of the suspension, with improved geometry and completely revised damping, as well as a ride height 5mm lower than the Evora 400. As a result, handling is sharper, along with better body and roll control, yet ride comfort and composure is retained. Ultra light-weight, 10-spoke forged aluminium wheels, and optional Michelin Cup 2 tyres, complete the car’s dynamic revisions.

Appealing to purists, the Evora Sport 410’s manual gearbox features a low inertia flywheel, to help ensure swift changes, while a Torsen-type limited slip differential (LSD) gives better traction, and faster exit speeds when cornering. Available as an option, the automatic transmission offers gear selection via lightweight aluminium paddles mounted to the steering wheel.

The new Evora Sport 410 also features Lotus’ Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) which, selected via a dashboard switch, provides ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings. Proportionally increasing throttle response, lowering traction slip thresholds and removing understeer recognition, it allows enhanced control before the system intervenes.

As standard, the Evora Sport 410 comes with carbon fibre sports seats trimmed with Alcantara®, along with the steering wheel and centre console. An integrated touch-screen entertainment system can also be specified, including iPod® connectivity and Bluetooth® functionality.

The rest of the Sport 410’s cabin has received attention as part of its development. Weight saving measures includes attractive one-piece door trim panels finished in Alcantara®, with contrast stitching, the deletion of door arm rests and stowage pockets, the relocation of tailgate and fuel filler release buttons and the removal of speakers - if an entertainment system is not specified.

As well as the standard paint selection, the new Evora can also be personalised through the recently launched Lotus Exclusive programme. Combining traditional British craftsmanship with modern design, the service inspires customers to spend time tailoring the character of their Lotus with a comprehensive array of options.

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 will be limited to a global production run of one-hundred and fifty vehicles per year and will be available in all major markets from June 2016.

A specific North American version of the Evora Sport 410 will be announced later in 2016.

*Lap with optional Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres

USA - The game changing Lotus 3-Eleven reaches 180mph, 0-60 in under 3 seconds and is very limited get it now.

• One of the quickest road cars in the world
• 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds, 0-100 mph in 6.0 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (Race version)
• Deliveries of Road and Race cars from March 2016 with production limited to 311 cars worldwide

The Lotus 3-Eleven is the most powerful road car to wear a Lotus badge and Hethel’s quickest ever road car. It joins the ranks of those rare cars that can reach 60 mph in under three seconds and 100 mph in six seconds. 

To complement these figures, the Lotus 3-Eleven possesses a purity of the driving experience and the benchmark handling for which all Lotus cars are renowned, enabling a lap of the challenging Hethel circuit to be completed in 1 minute 19.5 seconds for the Race version.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus commented ”The Lotus 3-Eleven is a game-changing car, not only in terms of what has come before it from within our own rich heritage of sports cars, but also in terms of anything else comparable brought to market by any other manufacturer. 

Extreme, focused and phenomenal are all words that have been used to describe the 3-Eleven. This is a car that exists within an extremely rarified performance envelope – it offers both hypercar performance and handling. Nothing else provides a sensory overload of this nature, and all packaged under £100,000.”

With the standard lightweight carbon composite bodywork, the Lotus 3-Eleven has a dry weight of 890 kg and maximum power of 460 hp (Race version). It has an enviable power to weight ratio of 517 hp per tonne, and is capable of sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and boasts a maximum speed of 180 mph (290 km/h). 

The Road version with a dry weight of 925 kg and a maximum power of 410 hp reaches 60 mph in 3.3 seconds before reaching a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h).

Jean-Marc Gales continued, “I know that anyone who is fortunate enough to drive a 3-Eleven will be blown away by the performance that only adding lightness and power can give. However, to say that this car is the fastest road car that Lotus has ever produced only tells half the story. There are few cars on the market that can match the 3-Eleven, in looks, speed or lap times - it will reward those that are prepared to take the reins of the highest performing Lotus road car ever.”

Marc Basseng, Lotus 3-Eleven driver stated, “The 3-Eleven is the perfect car for a fast lap at the Nürburgring and is a sub 7 minute car in favourable conditions; a time like this puts the 3-Eleven firmly into hypercar territory and I cannot wait to drive the production version in a few months.”

Unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2015, the 3-Eleven will soon be entering production with deliveries of cars to customers from March 2016 onwards. The 3-Eleven will be an exclusive car with a total production run limited to 311 vehicles. 

Prices start at £82,500 for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £97,083 excluding VAT for the Race version (£116,500 including VAT). The 3-Eleven will be sold in all markets as a Race car and in Europe and Asia as a Road car.

The Lotus 3-Eleven Race and Road Versions in more detail

The aggressive stance and dramatically sculpted body in lightweight carbon composite, standard on both Road and Race versions, perfectly balances the competition focus of a track car with the surface refinement of a road-going supercar. In keeping with performance orientated design, an optional Carbon Tonneau Cover is available for both Road and Race versions. In either left or right hand drive configurations, removable aerodynamic cover efficiently smoothes the airflow over the cockpit and turns the car into a competition inspired single seater.

As expected for such a focussed and extreme a sports car, the Lotus 3-Eleven delivers high levels of aerodynamic downforce from the sculptured bodywork, rear wing, front splitter and flat floor and rear splitter. At 150 mph (240 km/h) the Road version produces 150 kg of downforce; the Race version with its twin front canards mounted on both sides and its adjustable rear wing produces 215 kg.

Not only does the Lotus 3-Eleven possess giant slaying straight line performance, it also generates a lateral acceleration of 1.5 g steady state whilst cornering.

A lightweight Lithium-ion motorsport battery is fitted on both the Road and Race cars saving 10 kg over a typical lightweight battery.

The new colour TFT instrument cluster can be switched between road and track modes, with numerous user customisable screen pages available to scroll through. An option for Road and Race versions is a Road to Track Logger and GPS Unit with a further opportunity to upgrade this logger with professional data analysis software.

The Race car has a high level competition spec Xtrac 6-speed sequential transmission with a semi-dry sump, oil cooler, cassette-type plate limited slip differential and paddle shift. A close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox with a Torsen-type limited slip differential, featuring a performance clutch assembly and oil cooler, is fitted on the Road version. The manual gearshift mechanism uses light weight machined and cast aluminium components which are so technically aesthetically appealing they are exposed through an open-gate design, further reducing weight.

The Lotus 3-Eleven’s suspension features lightweight, double-wishbones front and rear, with an adjustable anti-roll bar as standard on the Race version and an option on the Road car. The 3-Eleven uses Öhlins dampers, with 2-way Öhlins dampers as standard on the Race car (a cost option on the Road car). The adjustable dampers and anti-roll bar allow owners to fine tune the vehicle’s handling characteristics.

The 3-Eleven utilises a bespoke chassis based on the proven Lotus design of extruded and bonded aluminium sections. The roll-cage on both cars incorporates twin side bars for side impact protection, whilst the FIA compliant cage, optional on the Race car, only has additional bars to meet international requirements for motorsport. A competition specification fire extinguisher, battery isolator and motorsport towing eye are fitted as standard to the Race car and are offered as an option on the Road version.

Ultra lightweight forged Aluminium wheels are fitted together with Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres on the Road version, with the track focused Michelin Cup 2 tyres optional on the Road car but standard on the Race car. At the front 225/40 ZR18 tyres are fitted, and to help transfer the 3-Eleven’s considerable power and torque to the road, the rear tyres have been specified as 275/35 ZR19.

In order to deliver the stopping power required for such a quick car, AP Racing four-piston calipers are complemented by two-piece grooved and vented brake discs (332 mm front and rear). Upgraded brake pads are fitted to the Race version. 

The Road car has a Lotus HANS compatible composite driver’s sport seat and 4-point harness as standard with an opportunity to upgrade to the lightweight FIA Carbon driver seat as fitted to the Race car. A removable steering wheel fitted to the Race version is an option on the Road car. 

Passenger seats with a 4-point harness can be fitted to both cars with two versions available: either the Sport seat which weighs 7 kg, or the lightweight carbon seat which weighs just 5.3 kg.

The exterior of the 3-Eleven will have the standard base paint with Metallic paint and a Black Pack as options where key elements of the bodywork finished in matt black.

There are four bespoke colour schemes for the 3-Eleven; Metallic Green with Metallic Yellow stripes, Metallic Black with Metallic Gold stripes, Metallic Red with Metallic Gold stripes and Matt Black with Metallic Black stripes.

Prices start at £82,500 for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £97,083 excluding VAT for the Race version (£116,500 including VAT). The 3-Eleven will be sold in all markets as a Race car and in Europe and Asia as a Road car.

3-Eleven Price List

	Recommended Retail Price in GB Pounds inc. VAT (20%)	Recommended Retail Price in GB Poundsexc. VAT
3-Eleven Road	£82,500	£68,750
3-Eleven Race	£116,500	£97,083
Carbon Tonneau Cover (Road)	£2,000	£1,667
Carbon Tonneau Cover (Race)	£2,000	£1,667
Removable Steering Wheel (Road)	£650	£542
Sports Passenger Seat and 4-point Harness (Road and Race)	£1,200	£1,000
FIA Carbon Passenger Seat and 4-point Harness (Road and Race)	£2,000	£1,667
FIA Carbon Driver Seat and 4-point Harness (Road)	£800	£667
FIA Cage (Race)	£3,000	£2,500
Fire Extinguisher and Battery Isolator (Road)	£2,500	£2,083
2-Way Adjustable Dampers (Road)	£2,500	£2,083
Adjustable Anti-Roll Bars (Road)	£1,000	£833
Michelin Cup 2 Tyres (Road)	£1,000	£833
Road to Track Logger and GPS Unit (Road and Race)	£1,500	£1,250
Pro Analysis Upgrade to Data Logger (Road and Race)	£1,300	£1,083
Metallic Paint (Road and Race)	£950	£792
Black Pack (Road and Race)	£1,000	£833
Colour Scheme 1: Metallic Green/Metallic Yellow Stripes (Road and Race)	£3,500	£2,917
Colour Scheme 2: Metallic Black/Metallic Gold Stripes (Road and Race)	£3,500	£2,917
Colour Scheme 3: Metallic Red//Metallic Gold Stripes (Road and Race)	£3,500	£2,917
Colour Scheme 4: Matt Black/Phantom Black Stripes (Road and Race)	£4,000	£3,333

Lotus produces its fastest and quickest road going car ever, and its not the Evora 400, read on to learn more.

• Lotus 3-Eleven covers over 2,000km in Nürburgring testing
• The quickest and most powerful production Lotus road car ever
• Ongoing development for model entering production in early 2016
• One of the fastest ever drives of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit

The new Lotus 3-Eleven marked its first public outing with a successful two-week test session during the industry pool test weeks at the renowned proving ground of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, in which over 2,000kms were covered as part of a comprehensive test and development programme.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, commented, "The success of this test session is proof that our development philosophy for the 3-Eleven is the right way to go. 

We’ve always said that to make a car faster you must make it lighter and this new car carries that philosophy to a new level. 

APOLOGIES FOR THE POOR QUALITY OF THE PICTURES, THESE ARE WHAT WERE SUPPLIED BY LOTUS CARS - AND THEY GENERALLY SUPPLY POOR QUALITY PICS.

It condenses all of our engineering know-how into an undiluted performance-focused package and we’re pleased to showcase to the world, the quickest and most powerful production Lotus to date. 

The 3-Eleven achieved one of the fastest ever lap times around the Nürburgring for any class of car and faster than many other supercars”

Heralding a new generation of Lotus high performance sports cars, the 3-Eleven features an all-new lightweight body, with an open cockpit design and a V6 supercharged engine developing 450 hp. 

The 3-Eleven re-affirms Lotus core values, offering the ultimate pure driving experience and providing the perfect demonstration of "faster and lighter" which comes from Lotus’ roots in competitive motorsport and underlines the company’s ability to deliver benchmark handling.

In what was its first turn of a wheel outside of Lotus’ Hethel HQ, the new 3-Eleven was piloted by three different drivers with individual areas of expertise and vehicle set-up with specific focus – aerodynamics, engine calibration, chassis tuning and suspension geometry.

Gavan Kershaw, Technical Manager for Lotus Motorsport and Lotus 3-Eleven Development Driver, commented, “It has been a hugely successful test for us in which we have thoroughly investigated areas of the car which are a specific focus for high performance driving. 

We have methodically worked through a test matrix concentrating on, aerodynamic balance, suspension settings, tyre and brake development, optimising engine calibration and throttle mapping to reach the required benchmark for performance.”

With clear running on the circuit an inhibiting factor over the course of the two week period – in which the track was not designated solelyfor the use of Lotus – the 3-Eleven lapped regularly on or below the target simulation time. 

By combining the quickest sector times achieved during the fastest 2 laps on the “Sport Auto” magazine lap configuration, a total lap time of 7 minutes 06 seconds was recorded by the vehicle’s data logging acquisition system.

Marc Basseng, Lotus 3-Eleven Driver, stated, “I know the Nürburgring Nordschleife very well and have driven many cars around the circuit. I can say that the 3-Eleven is the perfect car for a fast lap here. 

It is so sharp and so focussed; a true weapon! This was proven in the sector times set and I’m sure, with the track completely to itself, the car could push towards a 7min flat lap time.”

The new Lotus 3-Eleven will enter production in February 2016 with deliveries scheduled to commence in April 2016. Production will be limited to just 311 vehicles in total.

Prices start at £82,000 for the Road version (including VAT and on the road costs) and £96,000 excluding VAT for the Race version (£115,200 including VAT). The 3-Eleven will be sold in all markets as a race car and in Europe and Asia as a road car.

Those wishing to register their interest in the Lotus 3-Eleven, should 

visit: http://www.lotuscars.com/3eleven

Official fuel consumption figures and CO₂ emissions figures for the Lotus 3-Eleven are not currently available. They will be provided on the Lotus website www.lotuscars.com as soon as they are available.