What's the news?
If there's one adjective that applies to the car company Lotus, it's 'lightweight'. However, a new range of options for the Lotus Evora 400 mid-engined sports car are said to trim its, um, bulk by a further 25kg.
First up is the Carbon Pack (-5kg), using know-how from the even-more-focused Evora Sport 410 model. This finishes the front splitter, roof panel, rear wing centre, rear diffuser finisher, front access panel and wing mirror caps in the material, which not only saves weight but looks pretty cool, too. And to save another 10kg each, there's now a titanium sports exhaust and a lithium-ion battery both on the options list.
Specify all of these new items and the existing Evora weight-reduction choices - which are the deletion of the air-conditioning and the '2+0' seating set-up - and you actually save 42kg in total, as a fully kitted-out Evora clocks in at 1,395kg, while all of the above can bring the car in at 1,353kg. Very neatly, that's an improvement in power-to-weight from 291hp/tonne to a flat 300hp/tonne for the Evora.
Sadly, Lotus has had to bend to customer will and offer a cupholder and oddment tray for the Evora. This is standard fit in US and Canadian cars, but it has become an option over here in Europe and also in Asia. This adds weight... but as it's only 120g, we think we can let the Hethel outfit off this time.
Prices for Ireland are not specified as yet, although in Lotus' native UK all of the three new weight-saving measures are four-figure options - and, on a straight currency conversion, they'd add up to more than €15,000 here. Yikes! At least the air-con delete and 2+0 seating are no-cost items...
Anything else?
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, said: "The Lotus Evora 400 is already the lightest car in its segment, with supercar performance, benchmark handling and the purity of the driving experience expected of a Lotus. We are now giving customers an opportunity to drive an even lighter and more responsive car."