GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: Lotus to unleash lightweight Evora Sport 410

Lotus has taken the wraps off a lighter, more powerful, hardcore version of its Evora 400.

The British car maker is said to have trimmed 70kg off the standard car’s kerbweight for the new model, called the Evora Sport 410.

The weight savings come from a new carbon-fibre front splitter, roof panel, rear tailgate and diffuser in place of the Evora. The small coupe also comes with lighter forged alloy wheels that also help shed the pounds.

Now weighing in at just 1325kg, as well as the new lightweight parts, Lotus engineers have also tweaked the Evora’s Aero package to produce an additional 15 per cent downforce.

Under the new one-piece carbon-fibre tailgate lies the same Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 but power has been raised to 306kW/410Nm (8kW more than the Evora 400, but with the same torque).

Despite fractionally more power, the Evora Sport 410 takes 3.9 seconds to reach 100km/h – that’s 0.3 seconds faster than the Evora 400, although top speed is the same 300km/h, but where the real benefits of Sport 410 are felt are on the track, says Lotus.

On its Hethel test track, the Sport 410 can lap the tiny circuit some three seconds faster than the 400. The lap time comes from revised springs and dampers plus a 5mm lower ride height – this all adds up to better body control and sharper handling and more confidence thanks to the better aerodynamics.

Like the Evora 400 the Sport 410 comes both with a limited-slip diff and a stability control system that allows varying degrees of slip and can be switched off completely.

Inside, as you would imagine, there’s a stripped-back interior with a pair of near-competition-spec carbon-fibre race seats. Unfortunately an infotainment system and air con are no longer standard – you’ll find them on the options list.

Perhaps surprising considering its obvious track bias, the hardcore Evora can still be specified with the firm’s auto gearbox.

Just 150 Evora Sport 410 will be built and will be priced at around $145,000 in the UK – that’s $15,000 more than the standard Evora 400. It’s not known how many, if any, we’ll get Down Under.