Lotus reveals Evora S and Evora IPS ahead of Paris debut

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Lotus reveals Evora S and Evora IPS ahead of Paris debut

by Steven J. Ewing (RSS feed) on Aug 26th 2010 at 5:59PM

Not long after Lotus accidentally leaked its plans to unveil two new Evoras at this year's Paris Motor Show, we now have the full details weeks before the dynamic duo make their public debut. The Evora S and IPS (which stands for "Intelligent Precision Shift" or "automatic transmission" in layman's terms) will nicely fill out the Evora range, and we're aching to get our hands on the former.

For the Evora S, Lotus has tweaked the Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 to produce 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque – gains of 69 hp and 37 lb-ft over the standard car. The run from 0-60 happens in just 4.8 seconds and top speed has been raised to 172 miles per hour. What's more, the Evora S comes standard with a sport button that allows the driver to control the throttle response and activate an exhaust bypass valve. On top of that, pressing the magic switch increases the rev limiter and changes the stability control settings, and we imagine that the end result is more than pulse-quickening.

On the tamer side of things, Lotus is also offering the Evora IPS with its new six-speed automatic transmission, featuring both fully automatic and manual shift modes. The two-pedal Evora uses paddle shifters to control gear selection, and buttons are housed on the center console to switch between the standard PRND drive modes. Power has not been changed for the Evora IPS, and thankfully, Lotus has managed to develop a slushbox that doesn't add any weight to the Evora. After all, lightness is key.

We anticipate a full raft of high-resolution photos to be released closer to the official Paris show debut, but for now, scroll through the small gallery below and follow the jump to read the official release from Lotus.

It's an Evora but not as you know it

Ahead of the official unveil at the Paris Motor Show on September 30th, Lotus announce the latest evolution of the award winning Evora – the Evora S and Evora IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) option.

Lotus has taken the award winning* Evora and re-created it with a 350 PS 3.5l V6 engine to create the Evora S. Dany Bahar Lotus' Chief Executive Officer summed it up beautifully when he said: "You don't realise what you were missing from your driving experience until you get behind the wheel of the Evora S."

So apart from the obvious power difference, how is the Evora S different to the standard Evora? It's another question we put to the CEO (given that he's spent a little time behind the wheel, we thought he'd be best placed to answer questions). This is what he said: "It's the next level of Evora experience. It communicates with you better, the suspension setting has been fine tuned for added power and control so it responds even more to direction. It's an instinctual car, the experience is pure."

"We were proud of the Evora but we're even prouder of the Evora S, I feel like it does the true Lotus experience justice. The really great thing is that as we move forward the standard Evora should also benefit from some of these developments."

The Evora S comes with a sport pack as standard featuring a 'sport' button which allows the driver to control throttle response and activate the exhaust by-pass valve. The sport button also raises the instantaneous rev limit and changes the dynamic stability control settings resulting in a total experience change. There are cross-drilled brakes for improved cooling. And here's a heads up for those who buy into the old adage 'you can tell the men from the boys by the size of their toys': the external emotion of the Evora S has been improved with a completely new active exhaust which means that at the push of a button the car sounds just as dramatic as it feels.

Commenting on the Evora S, Lotus Chief Commercial Officer Andreas Prillmann said: "The Evora S is a natural progression for us but more than that, it's a taste of what people can come to expect from the next generation of Lotus cars. It retains core Lotus values such as performance through lightweight but it also gives more than that. It's the perfect combination of top performance, style and comfort. Form doesn't sacrifice function in the case of the Evora S."

So there you have it folks, the next generation of Lotus Evora, the Evora S, set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

But that's not all. In addition to the Evora S, Lotus also presents the IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) option. This inception of the seven-time-award-winning (who's counting? We are!) Evora sees an automatic 6-speed gearbox with Lotus developed transmission control with a 3.5 l V6 engine delivering 280 PS assuring a superior automatic driving experience.

The IPS version of the Evora allows the driver to switch between manual paddle shift and automatic drive modes. The driver also has the option of selecting 'sport' mode which showcases the Lotus sport driving experience allowing the driver to really feel each gear shift and be in complete control of the transmission.

Commenting on the development Dany Bahar said: "The Evora IPS is set to broaden the appeal of the Evora and reach out to a slightly different market. We hope it will be popular with established automatic locations such as Asia, the Middle East and the US. It's been a long time since Lotus created an automatic and we've spent a great deal of time refining this one to make sure that it perfectly complements the Evora drive experience."

Evora S Technical Specification

Model Evora S

Engine - Mid mounted, transverse 3.5 litre DOHC V6 VVT-I

Emissions see below due to wheel options

Transmission - 6 speed manual

Chassis - Modular lightweight bonded aluminium structure

Steering - Lotus tuned hydraulically-assisted power steering

Suspension - Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension

Bilstein high performance gas dampers

Eibach coaxial coil springs

Performance data

Standard wheel option

Fuel consumption - urban 14.5 l/100km

Fuel consumption – extra urban 7.4 l/100km

Fuel consumption - combined 10.0l/100km

CO2 Emissions 235 g/km

19/20" wheel option

Fuel consumption - urban 14.6 I/100km

Fuel consumption – extra urban 7.6 I/100km

Fuel consumption - combined 10.2 I/100km

CO2 Emissions 239 g/km

Max power - 350 PS / 257.5 kW @ 7000 rpm

Max torque - 400 Nm / 295 lb ft @ 4500 rpm

0-60 mph - 4.6s

0-100 km/h 4.8s

Maximum speed - 172mph

Vehicle mass (unladen) - 1437kg

Evora IPS Option Technical Specification

Engine - Mid mounted, transverse 3.5 litre DOHC V6 VVT-I

Emissions - 208 g/km

Transmission Electronically controlled 6 speed automatic

Chassis Modular lightweight bonded aluminium structure

Steering Lotus tuned hydraulically-assisted power steering

Suspension Forged aluminium double wishbone suspension

Bilstein high performance gas dampers

Eibach coaxial coil springs

Performance data

Fuel consumption - urban 12.6 l/100km

Fuel consumption – extra urban 6.6 l/100km

Fuel consumption - combined 8.8 l/100km

CO2 Emissions 208 g/km

Max power - 280 PS / 206 KW @ 6400rpm

Max torque - 350 Nm / 258 lb ft @ 4700rpm

0-60 mph - 5.3s

0-100 km/h - 5.5s

Maximum speed - 155mph

Vehicle mass (unladen) - 1436 kg

link:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/26/lotus-reveals-evora-s-and-evora-ips-ahead-of-paris-debut/