GALLERY/NEWS

Lotus Scoops EVO Car of the Year Double

The Lotus Evora takes the title of ‘EVO Car of the Year 2009', with the Lotus 2-Eleven winning the prestigious ‘EVO Track Car of the Year 2009'.

For the ‘EVO Car of the Year 2009' test EVO Magazine took a fleet of the world's most desirable driving machines to the sensational roads of the Isle of Skye in Scotland, to evaluate the cars over a three day and 1000 mile test route.

The Lotus Evora, along with cars from manufacturers including Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin were put through their paces on the challenging and technical roads by the EVO team.

In the Car of the Year test, the group of 13 cars were whittled down to the top 5 and then scored out of 100, with the Lotus Evora beating all other entrants with an impressive score of 96.0.

John Barker, Motoring Editor said of the Evora "It's a magical thing across the ground, deft like an Elise, with exceptional poise and feel. What was telling for me was that, getting into it after any of the other finalists, it was even better than I remembered: a bit smoother, a bit quicker and even sweeter dynamically, too. It's a beguiling car."

David Vivian, Contributing Editor, commented, "A quite brilliant car and worthy winner."

The ‘EVO Track Car of the Year 2009' event swapped the dramatic scenery and challenging gradients for the more familiar, but fast and demanding West Circuit at the Bedford Autodrome.

The Lotus 2-Eleven along with eleven other cars competed for the title of ‘EVO Track Car of the Year 2009'. The test group contained some of the most exciting track cars on sale today, including hot hatches, track focused supercars and exotic track machines.

In the Track Car of the Year competition the cars were each timed around the West Circuit and compared subjectively to find a winner. On the way to winning the competition the 2-Eleven posted the second fastest time and closely matched the criteria set by the judges of providing entertainment, being rewarding and a challenge to drive.

Roger Green, Track Test Editor, when commenting on the 2-Eleven said "Every single judge described (the 2-Eleven) as 'superb' in their assessment notes."

Henry Catchpole, Road Test Editor, stated that "It's fabulous. It takes the habitability, finish and dimensions of the road car and adds the dynamics and awesome gearbox of a race car."

Luke Bennett, Operations Director of Lotus Cars Limited said that "I am delighted that the Evora took the title of “EVO Car of the Year 2009” and it is made even better that at the same time the 2-Eleven has won the Track Car of the Year competition. The Evora and 2-Eleven offer very different ownership propositions; however both have the same Lotus DNA and each reward the driver with a great Lotus driving experience.”

Luke went on to say "It is a great endorsement for Lotus cars that the most refined car in the product line up is picking up awards at the same time as the most extreme car in the range, illustrating the great wealth of engineering and manufacturing expertise at Lotus."

NOTES
For more details about EVO Magazine's, Car of the Year and Track Car of the Year feature check out EVO Magazine issue no. 138 and www.evo.co.uk.

About the Lotus Evora
The Evora enters the sports car market as the world's only production mid-engine 2+2, and provides a tremendously rewarding driving experience; the mid-engine layout gives exceptional agility and the Lotus engineered suspension ensures incredible ride, handling, and steering performance.

Powered by a Lotus-tuned 3.5-litre V6 engine producing 276 hp @ 6400 rpm, and weighing 3,046 lbs., the Evora delivers an exhilarating experience true to the Lotus DNA characteristics.

The Evora stays true to Lotus' ethos of performance through light weight by being the only car in the world that can accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in under 5 seconds (4.9) on to a top speed over 160 mph (162) while also delivering an anticipated 30+ mpg on the highway.

About Lotus
The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Limited, which has two operating divisions - Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognized automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany and Japan.

Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide market and customer requirements to full production. This includes third party 'niche vehicle' engineering and manufacture worldwide.

Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, Exige, Europa and Lotus' latest model, the Evora. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.