An 007-inspired Lotus a one-off
Lotus is paying homage to one of its most famous cars - just don’t expect it to turn into a submarine.
The one-off car - based on the Evora Sport 410 that was launched in late 2016 - was unveiled at the weekend and is a tribute to the now 40-year-old Lotus Espirit S1. And if that name means nothing to you, then it is the car made famous as being able to turn into a submarine in the 1977 James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me.
To mark the 40-year milestone, Lotus’ in-house personalisation department has crafted the special, one-off Evora Sport 410.
Lotus have combined the latest engineering with period details with the new supercar taking design cues from the iconic Esprit. The Evora Sport 410 weighs just 1280 kg and will sprint from 0-60 mph (96kmh) in just 3.9 secs thanks to its supercharged 3.5-litre 6-cylinder engine that produces 410 hp at 7000 rpm and 420 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm.
"So many of us recall the impact of the Lotus Esprit when it hit the big screen in The Spy Who Loved Me, and we wanted to honour that with a special Evora Sport 410," Lotus chief executive Jean-marc Gales said.
"It’s the perfect tribute to such an influential Lotus, but a world away in terms of its abilities and performance."
Unique design touches in this one-off car include a special, colour-coded bumper that modifies the car’s front end, while the one-piece carbon-fibre tailgate is part keyed white to give the illusion of a traditional liftback. In addition to a black coach line it sports a bespoke badge script on the B pillar - in the style of the original Esprit’s graphics.
Nods to the Lotus Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me continue inside, with the insert panels of the carbon-fibre sports seats and door cards trimmed in the heritage Tartan.