Lotus Evora Convertible – Just a 2 seater

We are finally getting to the point where the first Lotus Evora customer cars are about to be delivered (well, next month) and we brought you new pictures of the Lotus Evora last week after Lotus decided they ought to keep the interest up. But now we see the Evora as a done deal, it is time to turn some attention to what we know the future of the Evora promises, namely a supercharged version and a convertible.

We are certain that the next Evora will be the supercharged version, offering in the region of 400bhp and supercar bashing performance. But even before that arrives in 2011, we are going to see Lotus introducing a paddle-shift auto ‘box. This will undoubtedly be anathema to Lotus purists, but if Lotus are to take on the likes of Porsche, particularly in the US, they are going to need more than just a ‘stick-shift’ on offer. Expect to see the paddle-shift option on the Evora next year.

But there is more news on the Lotus Evora Convertible, which we probably won’t see until late 2011 or 2012. When we wrote about the likely growth of the Evora range in January, we did comment that a convertible version of the Lotus Evora as a 2+2 would probably need the help of the ‘Doctor’ and a dose of TARDIS technology to make it work. Well, according to Autocar, we were bang on the money with that assertion (not help from the Doctor, you understand – just the impossibility of a 2+2 convertible!).

Steve Crijns, the man responsible for the Evora’s exterior design, said:

It’s not going to be easy to fit the roof in. It will have to go in front of the engine, where the rear seats are now. The rest of the car has been designed with the cabrio in mind; the doors, for instance, are styled so that they can accommodate the system without any changes.

And it will undoubtedly be a rag-top, not a tin-top. Lotus don’t tend to do profligate, and a tin-top would add cost and weight, which is the last thing we want to see on a Lotus.

Still, even as a 2 seater, the Lotus Evora Convertible, particularly with a supercharged lump and 400bhp, is going to frighten the pants off one or two car makers we can think of.

Lotus Evora Photo Image Gallery

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