Lotus has two aces up its sleeve for this week’s Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in the US – the world premiere of the Lotus Evora GTE Road Car Concept and the debut of the US-only Exige Matte Black Final Edition
The new Lotus Evora GTE Road Car Concept will be unveiled within the Lotus exhibit at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival event on Wednesday night (August 17), at the Monterey Jet Center.
Lotus claims the Evora GTE is a racer that was “developed with a single-minded aim to be successful in the new global motorsport GTE category (which includes the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours enduro)”.
To help create a buzz about the project, Lotus created the GTE Road Car Concept, which, in the words of the company: “isn’t merely a paint scheme or homage to a race car – this is a serious race car that makes for a very serious road car.”
There does appear to be some substance behind the hype as the high-strung Evora pumps out over 313kW from its race-developed engine (based on the stocker’s 3.5-litre V6), fed through a sequential AMT racing gearbox.
Drive is relayed to the tarmac via ultra-lightweight forged alloy wheels with centre-lock hubs shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres. The race-bred coupe also wears an aggressive front splitter and a U-shaped fixed rear spoiler.
The Evora GTE Road Car Concept will later be shown within the Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill near The Lodge at Pebble Beach from Thursday through Saturday, before being moved onto the Concept Car Lawn for display throughout the remainder of the Concours weekend.
Also debuting at Pebble Beach is the American-market-only Exige Matte Black Final Edition, which marks the end of the line for the Exige in the US.
With power upgraded to 192kW, a Matte Black paint finish providing a stealthy presence, black Alacantara sport seats and a “high level of standard equipment”, the Matte Black Final Edition seems a tasty package.
Collectible status seems assured, too, as Lotus is building just 25 examples, each with their own numbered plate.
Meanwhile, Lotus announced the appointment of its new vice president of creative design and global marketing with the following cryptic press release:
Group Lotus has a new creative man on board BUT can you guess who this particular international man of mystery is?
Three little hints:
1. Like Group Lotus, he means business: He’s a risk taker with considerable credentials including music producer, rapper, designer AND painter
2. Like our cars, he’s multi award winning: This year he shared a Grammy Award with Jay-Z
3. Like Group Lotus, he keeps good company: This man regularly works with the likes of Bono, Kanye West, Beyoncé and Alicia Keys
The man in question is US record producer, rapper and all-round hip-hop star Swizz Beatz, but in truth his role is more likely to be that of a brand ambassador for Lotus.
The 33-year-old rapper’s claims to fame include starring in Aston Martin’s web-only film, True Power Should Be Shared, earlier this year, and he allegedly has a fan base of 600,000-plus twitter followers.
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