Lotus Is Still Kicking, And So Is The New 2020 Evora GT

It's the company's most powerful road-going car yet

2020 Lotus Evora GT

Huzzah! It has a manual transmission.

You may have forgotten about it, but the Lotus Evora is still around. The British carmaker recently made a bit of a splash with the all-electric Evija, but the Evora is the car that’s floated the company for the past several years. Now, Lotus is backed by Chinese firm Geely, and that means it has the money to bring out an updated model. So that’s what they’ve just done with this car: the Evora GT.

This car replaces the sport 410 and 400 versions of the old Evora. Thanks to the bump in oomph over the old car, Lotus is claiming this Evora GT as the most-powerful road-going model the company has ever sold in the U.S. Lurking within is a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 with 416 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. And if you’re thinking, “Hmm, 3.5-liter sounds like a familiar size…Where have I seen that before?”, you’re right to think that. The Evora GT uses a 2GR-FE V6 engine shared with the last generation Toyota Camry.

Mind you, you get a lot more punch here. That engine will rocket the Evora GT to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, according to Lotus. From there, it will go on to a top speed of 188 mph. Even better is the fact that Lotus fits the car with a standard manual transmission. Opting for the automatic transmission ups the torque to 332 lb-ft, but makes it no faster overall.

2020 Lotus Evora GT

Simplify and add…carbon fiber?

Every enthusiast knows Lotus’ mantra of ‘simplify and add lightness.’ It’s what makes their cars driving nirvana, and the Evora GT goes one further with carbon fiber. However, opting for the so-called Carbon Pack isn’t cheap. It adds a carbon fiber roof panel, tailgate, diffuser and front access panel (it’s mid-engined, remember), all in pursuit of saving 50 pounds. That privilege will set you back the princely sum of $10,000.

Then there’s the titanium exhaust option. Putting “titanium” in the same sentence as anything else already makes it sound expensive, and it is. In the Lotus Evora GT, the option will save 22 pounds for $8,000. In its lightest state, the GT tips the scales at just over 3,100 pounds.

Yes, that’s light, and it is power. It’s therefore fast, but the starting price might just stop you in your tracks. The least expensive 2020 Lotus Evora GT costs nothing short of $96,950 before options. But at least you get a car that’s rarer than some exotics, especially in the United States, and you can still row your own gears.

Lotus will begin deliveries of the new car by the end of 2019.