The Lotus Evora is one of the British marque's most established models. Good the GT410 Sport be the sweet spot in the range?

We distinctly remember when the silk sheet was whipped off Lotus’ new 2+2 sports car, revealing it to the world for the first time. The Evora was announced as a new cornerstone of the British marque’s lineup, a slightly more practical approach to the traditional lightweight formula. Praised for its characteristic Lotus DNA, the model proved to be a success. However, this was back in 2008, and the world has changed considerably around the Evora since its inception.

Of course, the Lotus Evora hasn’t stood still over the past decade. Engineers have reprofiled, refined, and enhanced the car to deliver this… The Evora GT410 Sport. Considering that the Esprit — one of Lotus’ most celebrated road cars — produced some of its greatest incarnations in its twilight years, the Evora’s maturity bodes well according to history.

It still looks the part with its hourglass figure hugging the bonded aluminium chassis, seemingly vacuum formed in aerodynamically crucial areas. The sleek profile not only promotes as sense of aquatic fluidity, but also aids this Lotus to achieve an impressive top speed of 186mph. An intricately woven carbon roof slopes toward a substantial louvred tailgate, also made of the lightweight material. A highly sculpted rear completes a design that looks far from aged.

Sadly, the Evora’s extended lifespan does begin to show when you slip inside the cockpit. It’s still a wonderfully driver-centric place to be, with a lack of distraction and focused seating position, but material choices are a tad outdated. The third-party infotainment system and VCR inspired digital displays are not befitting of a near £86k car. That said, everything that truly matters to the driver is spot on in terms of ergonomics and functionality.

The rear seats are very much of the ‘+2’ variety and are only really of use to children. I’m not saying you couldn’t cram an adult into them, but your victim would need to be considerably well-versed in the art of human origami. On this front, a Porsche 911 is more practical.

Mounted in the centre of this Lotus is a supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, something capable of producing 410bhp and 310lb ft of torque. That’s more power than a Porsche 911 Carrera T, and thanks to weighing around 100kg less than the German, it’ll quash 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds. Power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels via a slick 6-speed manual transmission. It sounds like a delicious recipe on paper, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

From the moment you exercise your right foot, the theatre begins. Momentum quickly builds with that supercharged V6 whining before abruptly erupting into a howling crescendo from around 4,000rpm. Its enthusiasm is retained all the way to the redline, at which point you relent and snatch another gear. This dramatic sequence of events will have you cackling like a maniacal Bond villain, with each burst of acceleration igniting your synapses.

However amusing the GT410 Sport is in a straight line, it’s through a challenging sequence of bends where it truly flexes its muscles. Like a highly trained gymnast, the car’s change of direction is both elegant and powerful. Agility born from lightweight materials and a wonderfully balanced chassis enables this Lotus almost unrestricted freedom of movement. Precise steering, strong body control, and confidence inspiring levels of grip gives the driver plenty of faith in the car’s abilities. Nibbling away at its expertly calibrated brake pedal is a great tool to control the car’s attitude through tightening bends. A continuous conversation between man and machine through the wheel and the seat of your pants makes driving this Evora quickly a totally innate event.

What did come as a surprise is that once you’re done playing the alchemist, turning rubber into smoke, you can settle down and cover ground in a civilised manner. It’s not all banshie screams and cavalier dives toward an apex, instead the car delivers a well-judged ride and less cabin noise than you’d expect.

This is not a Porsche 911, nor is it trying to be. While you might find more longterm solace in the German sports car, this plucky Brit majors in character and outright driving pleasure — it’s clearly engineered by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts. This homegrown hero has come of age with the Evora GT410 Sport being amongst the model’s greatest hits.

Model tested: Lotus Evora GT410 Sport

Price: £85,900

Engine: Supercharged 3.5-litre V6 petrol

Power: 410bhp

0-62mph: 4.2 seconds

Max speed: 186mph

MPG: 26.7mpg (combined)

CO2: 239g/km

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