Lotus will take the wraps off a range-topping supercharged S variant of the Evora at the Paris motor show.
The Lotus Evora S, spied here on the first day of a three-day test at the Nurburgring, will be the most hardcore version of the Evora yet. A supercharger will be fitted to the base car’s Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 engine to boost power to in excess of 350bhp and produce more than 300lb ft of torque.
See the first spy pics of the Lotus Evora S
This should allow the Evora to achieve a 0-62mph time of comfortably less than 5.0sec and reach a top speed in excess of 175mph.
The fitting of a supercharger has been made possible in the Evora’s compact chassis due to clever packaging of the V6 engine, which was always designed with the later addition of a supercharger in mind.
Read more on Lotus confirming plans for a new supercar at Paris
The Evora’s engine bay has been designed to accommodate its supercharger between the cylinder banks, so as not to obstruct rear-view mirror visibility (which is compromised in the supercharged Elise).
The braking and most of the cooling performance that the faster Evora requires has already been engineered into the standard car, which has shortened the faster model’s development time.
Read the full story on Lotus's radical new future
Visual changes over the standard Evora appear minimal, apart from the addition of a large rear diffuser.
Lotus’s 10,000sq ft Paris show stand will also be the location for the launch of a torque-converter automatic version of the Evora, a model that will be popular with US customers. The rest of Lotus's Paris line up has yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to showcase three new models, including a new Esprit.
The automatic Lotus Evora is also being tested at the Nurburging this week and sales of both models are expected to start immediately after the Paris show. The price of the Evora S is expected to top £60,000.
