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The History Of The Lotus Evora

Kelly Smith

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Similar to many other racing automakers, Lotus didn’t start off to make loads of money. It was started to fuel the racing needs of someone who wanted to defy what was accepted as normal. Colin Chapman altered his first Austin Seven in 1949 after graduating engineering school. This was the start of his auto-making career.That same year, after continuously modifying the Austin Seven, Chapman eventually named the car the Mark I. In 1952, he finally identified his creations by creating the Lotus Engineering Company. Moving forward with his initial passion, Chapman entered his brand into the Formula One series, where he directly competed against some of the same competitors his creation has today. Ferrari is one example.

After founder Colin Chapman suddenly died at the age of 54 from a heart attack in 1982, the Lotus brand has been tossed around in ownership. Nearly immediately after Chapmans death, General Motors acquired Lotus for approximately seven years, who then sold ownership to British businessman, and Bugatti owner, Romano Artioli. In 1996, a majority purchase was made by Proton, a Malaysian car company.

Having success in the U.S. in 2005 with the release of the Elise, it isn’t surprising that Lotus is back for more. But unlike the Elise, which sold for approximately $50,000, the new Evora is expected to sell for around $70,000 with auto insurance premiums that are simply unimaginable. The Evora is equipped with a Toyota (Lotus-tuned) 3.5-liter V-6 producing 276 horsepower but with its lightweight body, the Evora is expected to do a 0-60 run in the mid 4 second range.