Hot Lotus Evora revealed

By Jack Rix

15th August 2011

Could this become the ultimate road-going Evora? Lotus has revealed a single image and a handful of details on a hot Evora-based concept car, set to make its public debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this Sunday.

Called the Lotus Evora GTE Road Car Concept, it's based on the Evora GTE racecar, which recently competed in the Le Man 24 hours. It uses a tuned version of the mid-mounted 3.5-litre Toyota V6, producing 420bhp and although we won't know exact performance figures until it debuts later in the week, expect it to be significantly quicker than the Evora S - capable of hitting 172mph flat-out.

Power is fed through a race-spec sequential gearbox and transferred to the road via lightweight forged alloys and Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres - all signs that this is a far more extreme machine than any existing Evora. 

The styling has been dramatically altered with a deep front splitter, stripes on the bonnet and roof and fixed spoiler stuck to the boot lid. No interior details exists yet, but expect a no-frills cabin, with bucket seats and four-point harnesses.

There's no word on whether the GTE Road Car Concept will make production, but a short and expensive production run seems likely, based on the success of rival models - like the Porsche GT3 RS.

Also on show in Pebble Beach this weekend will be a special edition of the Exige. Limited to 25 examples and created exclusively for the North American market, the Exige Matte Black Final Edition gets a power upgrade to 257 bhp, a Matte Black paint finish and black Alacantara sport seats.