THE first new Lotus for a decade came in the elegant shape of the Evora 2+2 coupe, powered by a Toyota 3.5-litre V6 producing 206kW of power at 6400rpm and 350Nm of torque at 4700rpm – sufficient to achieve a 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 261km/h.

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LOTUS took the popular but hardcore Elise sports car, gave it a roof and made it slightly more user-friendly for buyers wanting something more suitable for road use than the track.

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LIGHT weight provided explosive performance from a modest engine when the Lotus Exige first hit Australia in limited numbers, for its 132kW, 1.8-litre Rover K Series engine was enough to send the little 724kg coupe from 0-100km/h in a brisk 4.9 seconds.

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Lotus returned to its roots with the astonishingly light yet strong Elise convertible, and introduced new methods of car construction in the process. This car single-handedly saved the British sports car icon.

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