The last thing the 2,039hp Lotus Evija electric vehicle (EV) needed was more speed - but that hasn’t stopped the carmaker from coming up with this monster, the Evija X. And it has just recorded the third-fastest time ever at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with Lotus saying “it has more to give”.
Same as road car underneath… to a degree
Rather incredibly, in terms of the chassis structure and the powertrain then the Evija X is identical underneath to the road-going model. That means it has a 70kWh, 800-volt battery pack powering its four wheel-mounted motors, as well as the same carbon-fibre tub too.
Where it has obviously changed is with regards the dramatic bodywork, made of exposed carbon-fibre to save any weight some paintwork might bring to the party and adorned with some serious aerodynamic upgrades, these most unmissably represented by the jutting front splitter and that ginormous rear wing.
It is also said to be fitted with uprated springs and dampers, while the brakes are powerful carbon-ceramic affairs and the tyres are track-focused Pirelli items.
Although it hasn’t been expressly confirmed, it is reckoned that Canadian motorsport firm Multimatic - involved in both the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG One projects (remember the latter of these, it will become pertinent in a sec) - was a significant player in the development of the Evija X.
Can it go quicker?
With all this in mind, Lotus went to the Nordschleife in early October 2023 on what it describes as a damp day, which is why the car only did two laps later in the afternoon - and why the company thinks it could go even quicker in favourable conditions.
That said, it thumped in an astounding time of 6:24.047s, making it more than ten seconds quicker than the aforementioned AMG One.
The only two things which have gone quicker around the ‘Green Hell’ are the Volkswagen ID.R, with a time of 6:05.336s (slightly less than 19 seconds up the road), and the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo - by far and away the quickest thing around the fabled track, with the record of 5:19.545s.
However, both of these were deliberate, motorsport-biased one-offs: the ID.R was built for the Pikes Peak hillclimb and then setting various outrageous one-lap track records, while the 919 Hybrid Evo was a specially adapted take on a bona fide Le Mans-winner.
No word on production version
The Evija X, though, can lay claim to the title of fastest production chassis time around the Nürburgring, albeit even it is listed on the official site as a one-off prototype.
That’s because there’s no word as to whether the Evija X would ever make even limited production, as a track-only special for seriously well-off buyers.
Lotus does have form in this regard, mind, with both the Emira GT4 and Type 66 becoming available to punters in recent months.