Lotus Evora GT430 Sport model joins Evora range as fastest ever road-going Lotus
Lotus adds to its Evora GT430 range with a new, less aggressive Sport model
Lotus has expanded the range of its Evora GT430, aka the most powerful and fastest road-going production Lotus ever. The new model – the GT430 Sport – is, contrary to what the name would have you believe, supposedly easier to live with on a daily basis than the standard car.
The more hardcore GT430 model, costs £112,500 (placing it above a brand new 493bhp Porsche 911 GT3) and boasts a 3.5-litre supercharged V6 with 430bhp on tap. This results in a claimed 0-60mph time of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 190mph. The good news is, the sport has the same rapid 0-60mph time and a higher top speed of 196mph, however, Lotus made some important changes to the bodywork and as a result reduced the price to £104,500.
The GT430 has carbon-fibre body panels that have been sculpted to create an aggressive, racy look, including large air apertures at the front, a carbon-fibre front splitter and huge carbon rear wing. While the Sport retains much of the styling, it loses 10kg (dropping to 1,289kg) as the front splitter, rear wing, and louvers on the front bumper are removed.
The removal of these aerodynamic elements, means that the maximum 250kg of downforce available at 190mph in the GT430, is reduced by 60 per cent to 100kg at 196mph in the Gt430 Sport.
To make living with a performance focused Lotus even easier, an automatic option will be available for the GT430 from January next year. Gear changes will be made by paddles mounted to the steering wheel and, as a modest bonus, automatic cars are planned to come with a 10Nm increase in torque. There will, however, be a 0.1-second decrease in 0-60mph time.
Would you choose a GT430 over a 911 GT3? Let us know in the comments below...
