Lotus gave the motoring world its first look at its more powerful road car to date yesterday. Called the Evora GT430, the new trim takes Lotus’ pretty mid-engined sports car and turns the dial up to 11.
Power comes from a newly engineered Toyota-derived 3.5-liter supercharged V6. With 430 hp on taps, the GT430 gains 30 more ponies over the base Evora 400. This rockets the car to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and flat out it’ll hit 190 mph.
As with all Lotus vehicles, reducing weight was a major goal. The titanium exhaust and carbon fiber bumpers trimmed the fat by over 30 lbs. Other weight saving measures include lighter springs and dampers. To really show its dedication to lightness Lotus even rerouted the fluid fill system to save five pounds. Thanks to the diet the GT430 weighs in 57 lbs lighter than the Evora 410 at 2,773 lbs.
Along with weight, Lotus also made strides to increase downforce. Newly engineered ducts in the front and rear of the car help keep it planted. A large rear spoiler and new front splitter also keep the GT430 glued to the road. At top speed, the car produces 550 lbs of downforce and even at 90 mph the figure is over 200 lbs.
With the added downforce the GT430 needed more rubber. The car uses Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that come 10mm wider than a standard Evora.
Stopping power comes from a set of massive ventilated J-grooved brakes. With aluminum centers and AP Racing four piston calipers the braking system also saves four pounds.
A new traction control system will help keep the GT430 in line when the stability system is off. When the car is in “Race” mode the driver is able to select the amount of traction from a list of presets. Drivers are also able to completely disable the system.
With the added focus on performance, the GT430 set a new record for the Evora at the Hethel Test Track. It completed the 2.2-mile circuit in 1:28.5. We’re just thankful Lotus bucked the Nürburgring lap time trend.
On the inside, the GT430 gets a set of carbon-backed Sparco seats as an option. Four point harnesses are also an option for those wishing to track their car. Unlike the base Evora, the back seats are absent in the GT430.
An integrated touch screen controls many of the settings found on the GT430. It also houses satellite navigation, a reverse camera, and entertainment.
Lotus says that nearly a third of its customers choose to customize their cars. For this reason, the Lotus Exclusive program is available for the GT430. This will allow owners to build a car that will fit their personal tastes.
Deep breath time: the base price for all of this is around $146,000. Nearly everything is an optional extra too, including a cup holder.
The GT430 is currently available for order in Europe with North American availability in 2018. Only 60 of these handcrafted cars will be built which mean buyers need to act fast.
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