The benchmark was set by the original Lotus Esprit S1 as seen in the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, and Lotus’ in-house personalisation department has crafted a special, one-off Evora Sport 410 in commemoration.
Launched in October 2016, the £82,000 (RM454,000) Evora Sport 410 has drawn positive publicity from the motoring press and customers with its combination of pace and intuitive handling.
Combining the latest in Lotus engineering with period details, the supercar takes design cues from the iconic Esprit and integrates them into a car with class-leading performance. Packing 410hp into a car that weighs just 1,280kg, it sprints from 0-100kph in just 3.9 secs.
The work of the in-house personalisation department, Lotus Exclusive, this one-off Evora Sport 410 features many unique design touches.
A special, colour-coded bumper modifies the car’s front end, while the one-piece carbon-fibre tailgate is part keyed white to give the illusion of a traditional liftback. In addition to a black coach line, delineating the car’s waist, it sports a bespoke badge script on the B pillar - in the style of the original Esprit’s graphics.
Nods to the Lotus Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me continue inside, with the insert panels of the carbon-fibre sports seats and door cards trimmed in the popular heritage Tartan, while red contrast stitching complements the Alcantara dashboard and console finish.
The supercharged, 3.5-litre 6-cylinder engine, produces 410hp at 7,000 rpm and 420Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm, and the aerodynamics deliver up to 64kg of downforce.
The use of hand-made carbon-fibre components has been key in keeping mass to a minimum, with each specifically designed to enhance the car’s performance. Covering the car from nose to tail, they include front splitter, revised front access panel, roof section, tailgate, rear quarter panels, as well as the rear diffuser.
These lightweight carbon components not only reduce the kerb weight of the Evora Sport 410 but also help lower the centre of gravity, allowing for the recalibration of the suspension which, along with re-valved dampers and a reduced ride height, provide better body and roll control - but not at the expense of comfort and composure.
The Lotus Evora Sport 410 is limited to a global production run of 150 vehicles per year, and is on sale in Europe and rest of world markets now. A Federal version of the Evora Sport 410 for the North American market will arrive this spring.
