The fastest and most exciting Lotus sports cars
-
From simple Seven to electric Evija
© LotusA Lotus always gets enthusiasts excited, whether you are talking about an early Seven – perhaps the ultimate expression of ‘Simplify, then add lightness’ – or the new £2.4 million Evija. Fresh from our long-awaited Evija drive, we have rounded up some of the finest sports cars ever to emerge from Norfolk. Read on for a celebration of the best of British.
-
Lotus Evija
© LotusThe numbers are startling: 2,039hp, a top speed of 217mph and a 0-200mph time of 13.0 seconds in a recent Autocar road test. Will we ever drive anything quicker than the Lotus Evija? Possibly not, but this electric hypercar isn’t simply about raw performance. Its relative lightness and radical aerodynamics both draw from a rich Lotus history of clever engineering. It also looks awesome in purple.
-
Lotus Evija
© LotusAfter clambering out of the Evija at Hethel, the famous Lotus factory test track, we wrote: ‘At lower speeds, the electric motors are limited by traction, but more torque is fed forwards as you go faster, so the dizzying, disorientating rush just keeps on building. Throttle response and acceleration at three-figure speeds are otherworldly: the Lotus seems to laugh in the face of physics.’
-
Lotus Seven SS
© LotusNow let’s rewind to a much earlier effort. Weighing next to nothing, and with a snorty 125hp Holbay Twin Cam engine powering its rear wheels, there was simply nothing like the Lotus Seven SS back in 1969.
-
Lotus Eleven
© LotusIn reality, the Eleven was a racing car that you could buy in road-going form. Its Coventry Climax engine was tiny, but advanced aerodynamics made this Lotus competitive at Le Mans in 1957.
-
Lotus Elan Sprint
© LotusIn its final 1970s incarnation, the Elan got the famous 126hp ‘Big Valve Twin Cam’ engine: good for 125mph and 0-60mph in just 5.9 seconds. It had go-faster stripes, too.
-
Lotus Cortina
© LotusThe Ford Lotus Cortina was another car built for racing and for sale in showrooms. Jim Clark three-wheeled it to motorsport glory, but you could have almost as much fun on public roads in the 1960s.
-
Lotus Europa Twin Cam
© LotusDitching the Renault engine from the Europa was a good move. The Lotus Twin Cam unit that took its place brought this little mid-engined sports car to life in 1971.
-
Lotus Esprit Turbo
© LotusThe original Esprit was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also penned the BMW M1 and original Volkswagen Golf. It looked terrific, had a 210hp turbocharged engine and could top 150mph. Also, James Bond drove one.
-
Lotus Elan 100
© LotusThe Elan was reinvented in 1989, this time with front-wheel drive. The idea didn’t sound good on paper, but a 160hp turbocharged Isuzu engine and a brilliant chassis thankfully proved otherwise.
-
Lotus Esprit Sport 350
© LotusAero-enhanced styling and a twin-turbocharged V8 made the Esprit even more desirable. Just 50 examples of the 354hp Sport 350 were built, making it the ultimate incarnation of this much-loved Lotus.
-
Lotus Carlton
© VauxhallA still-astonishing collaboration that transformed a mundane Vauxhall family saloon into a 175mph supercar-baiter. Adding turbochargers gave the 1990 Lotus Carlton a mighty 377hp.
-
Lotus Elise S1
© LotusThe 1996 Elise brilliantly brought Lotus back to its lightweight sports car roots. The Elise 111S had around 145hp and seemed indecently quick at the time.
-
Lotus Elise S2
© LotusWell, it did until 2001, when the restyled Elise S2 arrived with increasingly powerful Toyota engines. The pinnacle was the 220hp Elise SC, which could sprint to 60mph in 4.3 seconds.
-
Lotus 340R
© LotusStrip the shell from an S1 Elise, bolt on a body that comes from a Mad Max movie and you have the 340R. With the Sport pack fitted, this skeletal sports car produced 190hp.
-
Lotus Exige V6 Cup
© LotusAn Elise with a fixed roof, more noise and an even racier demeanour, the Exige V6 Cup had a 345hp 3.5-litre supercharged V6 and enough performance to worry a Porsche 911 GT3.
-
Lotus 3-Eleven
© LotusThe quickest production Lotus road car when launched in 2016, the 3-Eleven had a 450hp supercharged V6. In a car so light, that equates to 0-60mph in 3.0 seconds and a top speed of 180mph.
-
Lotus Evora GT430
© LotusA year later, Lotus launched the ultimate Evora: the 430hp, 190mph GT430. Effectively a GT4 racer in road trim, it boasted adjustable dampers, lots of carbon fibre and a price tag north of £100,000.
-
Lotus Emira V6
© LotusThe current Lotus Emira debuted with a 406hp V6, but is now available with a similarly powerful four-cylinder AMG engine. After driving the V6, we said: “The Porsche Cayman GTS is a more rounded sports car and still the default choice at this price, but the Emira seems more special”.
-
Lotus Eletre
© LotusAn exciting SUV? When it has up to 905hp, arguably yes. This is a new kind of Lotus: family-friendly, built in China and powered by electricity. However, sales have been slow and there is talk the Eletre could be retro-fitted with a hybrid petrol engine. Watch this space.
-
Lotus Emeya
© LotusUsing the same motors and batteries as the Eletre, but in a sleeker, saloon-shaped package, the Emeya is Norfolk’s answer to the Porsche Taycan. We preferred the cheaper model, saying: It might give away around 300hp to the Emeya R, but the “S” is also around 100kg lighter. And with passive suspension and no rear-steering, it feels a more cohesive and more “Lotus” car to drive.’
-
The future for Lotus sports cars
© LotusLike at many points in its long history, the future for Lotus looks uncertain. The Emira continues to sell steadily, but the marque’s EVs have failed to capture the public imagination. The story is far from over, although the next few chapters could make for difficult reading. Best of luck, Lotus.
