2010 - 2012 Lotus Evora

Lotus is one of those rare brand success stories in which a company has been able to take itself from near extinction and redefine itself as a top sports-car manufacturer. The company came from humble beginnings in an old stable behind a set of North London Railroad tracks acting as a factory. As time moved on different subsidiaries have been formed and focused on different aspects of the business between Formula racing and road-car production.

Even when the Bugatti ownership was switched to private owner, Proton, in 1994 things were less exciting than ever. The Esprit S4 and V8 models would be the only real production models that Lotus had for the next decade. The Esprit had many great qualities to it, but in essence, it had been around since its original design in 1976.

The company was desperately in need of something to help change its image. In 2004, the Lotus Elise was approved for sale in the United States and was made available as a 2005 model. These series 2 models were compact, light, nimble, and a blast to drive through an S-curve. It turned out to be exactly the type of success that Lotus was looking for and opened the door for future new models.

Enter – Lotus Evora. The Evora is slotted right above the Elise and Exige models, and should entice a more diverse crowd than the hardcore go-kart like models.