This is the new 2013 Lotus Evora Sport Racer. Available in either standard Evora or supercharged ‘S’ form, the Sport Racer gets unique paint schemes, a wealth of optional extras thrown in – and a price cut to boot.
Usually, less is more with Lotuses. But this Evora gives more, for less?
Indeed it does. Starting with those paint schemes, of which you’ve a choice of four: white, red, grey and blue.
Sounds underwhelming? What sets the Sports Racer apart is contrasting gloss black roof, front splitter, sills and rear diffuser panels. You also get black badging, black forged wheels, black mirror housings and red or black brake callipers.
So far, the Lotus Evora SR is just a fancy paint job…
Then step inside, to be greeted by an Evora stacked with options. The cramped 2+2 seating is standard to the SR, but at least it’s trimmed in black leather, with contrasting red piping and stitching. The front chairs are Lotus’s ‘Premium Sport’ items, and they face a dashboard also stitched with the red thread.
Gadget-wise, Sport Racer Evoras get Hethel’s ‘Sports Pack’ as standard. This includes a switchable sports mode with sharper throttle response, increased engine rev limit, and a more hardcore driver assist level. Outside, you’ll spot the bigger sports diffuser and cross-drilled brake discs as Sports Pack clues.
Also fitted is the ‘Tech Pack’, bringing upgraded speakers, a DVD player, and a 7-inch touchscreen display with Bluetooth and USB functions. Also included is tyre-pressure monitoring, cruise-control and electrically folding mirrors. Reversing an Evora is tricky at the best of times, so Lotus has added rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard.
Are there any change to the mid-mounted Evora V6?
Nope. Despite the name, the Sports Racer isn’t actually any racier than the standard car. Normally aspirated Evoras develop 276bhp, while the flagship Evora S is good for 345bhp. However, you do pay less for an Evora SR, despite the extra kit.
UK pricing for the Evora Sports Racer starts at £57,900 for the lower-powered model, and rises to £65,900 for the supercharged car. That represents savings of £6450 to £7150 respectively, versus non-SR optioned cars.