Words: Jonathan Wells
It may be the fastest Lotus ever produced, but the Evora 410 is set to shift to an even higher gear with the help of a familiar name: Bond, James Bond.
When Roger Moore’s 007 rolled out of the sea in his amphibious Lotus Esprit S1, he made film history. Now, a whole 40 years after the release of The Spy Who Loved Me, the Norwich-based car manufacturer are unveiling a custom homage to that iconic car.
It’s a great idea – and doesn’t fail in paying its respects to the original – but the new 410 falls a little short of the mark in our eyes. Of course, we’re not talking about it’s underwater capabilities – no-one expected it to be hiding submarine secrets. But the only angle from which it evokes the original in any real way is in profile.
Nit-picking aside, this is a great limited edition of a great car. Left to Lotus’ in-house customisation team to create, the exterior has been given the white treatment, with two-tone colour coded bumpers bookending the model. An old-school Lotus badge has even been included on the B-pillar, which is a nice touch.
There’s even been an attempt at giving the Evora the classic lift-back look, by manipulating its silhouette with carbon-fibre tailgate and black waist.
Inside, tartan makes a surprise appearance, cropping up on the seats and door panels – with the striking red theme continuing through stitching on the dashboard and centre console. A traditional wooden gear knob perpetuates the retro feel.
Below all these Bondian additions, the can retains the 410’s usual 3.5-litre supercharged V6, an impressive engine capable of producing 410 horsepower and getting you comfortably to a top speed of 190 mph.
So is this a simple homage? Or could the 410 pave the way to Lotus being considered for a Bond car in the future? After all, nobody does it better.
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