Lotus Evora GT430 2018 Review

The Lotus Evora GT430 is made for that tag. It’s a racing car with registration plates.

Like all Evoras, it’s powered by a mid-mounted Toyota 3.5-litre V6 that drives the rear wheels. In this case, it’s been supercharged to 306kW (or 430 horsepower, hence the name) and 440Nm.

That makes it the most powerful Evora to be offered by the niche British manufacturer since production of the two-door coupe began in 2009.

But that’s far from all. The technology from the Lotus Evora GT4 race car is transferred to the GT430, so it not only talks the talk but walks the walk too.

The racing giveaways are clear. The huge rear wing and other aero aids that generate up to 250kg of downforce, the abundant use of carbon-fibre, the manually adjustable Ohlins shocks teamed with Eibach springs, the Torsen limited-slip diff, AP Racing four-piston callipers and J-hook discs and even an adjustable traction control system.

Completing the package are super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres mounted on light-weight staggered alloys, a kerb weight of just 1258kg, a 0-100km/h time of 3.8sec and a top speed of 305km/h.

Add it all up and it’s a potent way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first Lotus, the Mark 1. It’s also a cool way to show off the company’s capabilities to new Chinese owner Geely, which took over last year.

Still interested? Then get in quick because there are only 60 being built for worldwide consumption. Just four are bound for Australia and three have been sold already (as this was written).

OK, here’s some good news, the GT430 has a close relation called the GT430 Sport. It retains the technical spec of the GT430 but sheds the downforce-creating elements including the huge wing, wheel-arch louvres and front splitter.

So it actually has a higher 315km/h top speed, is $20,000 cheaper and there’s no limitation on supply.

Standard GT430 safety equipment includes dual airbags, tyre pressure monitoring, a four-mode (drive, sport, race, off) stability control system and the aforementioned six-position traction control.

The latter offers one, three, six, nine or 12 per cent slip … or you can switch it off. There’s no side airbags and no autonomous emergency braking.

Other equipment? Erm. Bi-xenon headlights, rear parking sensors, cruise control, air-conditioning and a trip computer.

Our car came with a really nice combination of Alcantara and leather trim and the carbon-fibre sports seats are comfortable for solid people, adjustable and supportive.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel adjusts for reach and rake, there’s an aluminium gear knob and a build plate (it said our car was number one of 60, could that be right?).

There’s no bottle holders, no lidded bins, no USB ports … there’s not even a radio! That’s a $5499 option and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Lotus Cars are distributed in Australia by Simply Sports Cars, which took over as the local agent from Ateco Automotive in 2016. SSC offers a three-year, unlimited-km warranty and three years of roadside assist for the GT430, plus eight-year cover against perforation of its aluminium chassis.

There’s also access to lots of high-performance driving events … you’ll want to do them in this car.

Oh and fuel economy? The official claim is 10.1L/100km. We averaged 10.7. Not too shabby.

Throttle response is lightning-fast and hydraulic-assist steering turn-in is direct to the say the least. Braking performance is phenomenal, its capability hardly touched on the public road. Stitching a series of corners together in this car is a joy.

It sounds like petrol-head heaven every time you hit the loud pedal and hear that howl from the titanium exhaust.

But if you appreciate the comforts of life then look elsewhere. Even a Porsche 911 is a bit of a softy compared to this thing.

While the ride isn’t brutally harsh, you do need to hang on over mid-corner bumps because the nose rebounds sharply and it’s not hard to scrape the underside as it settles (our video shows that movement pretty well).

Further tuning of the 20-position Ohlins TTX dampers might help with that, but this is a car intended for smooth roads, where it feels incredible with so much grip, poise and power.

You also need to pay attention to the steering at all times. The GT430 will tram-track and follow cambers to the side of the road. And full lock at low speeds produces painful crabbing from the front tyres.

While the clutch is malleable, the six-speed manual is stiff and heavy. But you adapt. Ditto the pedal position, which I initially found a bit of a struggle for heel/toe gear-changes.

Thankfully, frantic gear shifting isn’t a pre-requisite for going fast. This thing has plenty of torque right through the range. Third gear at any revs is a cannon and the GT430 will happily pull strongly in sixth gear at just 2000rpm.

But trying to see out the back of the thing is impossible! And it’s noisy; engine noise, tyre noise, wind noise. It’s all there. Understandable that Lotus even offers an optional noise insulation package for $1499.

It’s a fabulous pose machine because it looks so great, but the novelty of that will wear off the first time you have to commute in it.

So, put arbitrary demarcation lines aside and the obvious rivals are the Porsche 911 and cheaper Cayman, the Jaguar F-TYPE and Mercedes-AMG GT. Head further up market and you’re into Ferraris, Lambos and McLarens.

The Evora might not compete with those things on price but it’s not far off when it comes to performance.

The GT430 has a very narrow but very deep focus.  It is just so addictive, engrossing and rewarding to drive; it’s pure.

If that sounds like you, then dive in. But if you’re more concerned with listening to podcasts than peak revs as you drive, then look elsewhere.

How much is a 2018 Lotus Evora GT430?
Price: $259,990 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder supercharged-petrol
Output: 306kW/440Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 10.1L/100km (ADR Combined); 10.7L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 234g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: N/A