Lotus Evora GT430 Sport revealed

In an effort to even more closely follow the lightweight philosophy of Lotus Founder Colin Chapman, the Evora GT430 has borne a new, lighter version, the Lotus GT430 Sport.

To achieve this Lotus lopped the rear wing from the standard Evora GT430, taking 10kg from its total weight and adding 10km/h to the Evora GT430’s top speed.

That means the Sport, with a kerb weight of 1289kg, can hit 315km/h. At that speed, you might miss the downforce the rear wing was providing.

The spring to 100km/h remains the same as it does in a winged GT430, taking 3.8 seconds in a manual or 3.7 in the auto.

Also remaining the same is the output of the Edelbrock supercharged 3.5-litre V6 at 321kW and 440Nm, though the 6-speed auto cops an extra 10Nm over the 6-speed manual.

This means the Lotus Evora GT430 Sport scores 258kW per tonne. That’s more than a BMW M4 GTS, a HSV GTSR W1, or an Audi R8 V10. It’s only 1kW per tonne less than a Porsche 911 Turbo S.

But what more could you expect from the engineering principle that spawned the Caterham Seven?

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales says the Sport is a response to demand for a slightly more subtle-looking Evora.

“The Evora GT430 already has cemented its place as a true collector’s car, but we know that many of our customers want the option of choosing a less aggressive version, with the same power, but without some of more arresting design and aero elements.

“With the Evora GT430 Sport, we have responded to this demand to add to the whole range of thoroughbred Lotus cars that are great on the track as well as supremely capable on the road.”