A track star without sacrifice

The Lotus Evora GT may not be the Euro-only GT430 promised to enthusiasts, but even with only mild improvements from the outgoing 410, it still deserves a spot at Performance Car of the Year.

Available in both 2 seat and 2+2 configurations, and with manual and automatic transmissions, the Evora GT is the latest in the Evora line and provides more power and torque from an already celebrated sports car.

Employing selected lightweight carbon fibre components as standard, the new Evora GT enjoys a sleek silhouette. However, as with all Lotus sports cars, aerodynamic downforce is also a requirement and this new GT-class coupe generates up to 64 kg of downforce (double that of the Evora 400) making it the new benchmark when compared to similarly priced rivals.

The GT differentiates itself with a bit of new body work, a couple extra ponies (literally, a couple), and Michelin Cup2 tires, which R&T Editor-in-Chief Travis Okulski almost certainly took all the life out of setting the lap times. 

The automobile features four driver selectable ESP modes – selected via a dashboard switches. "Drive", "Sport", "Race" and "Off". Sport and Race settings increase throttle response, respectively increasing traction slip - allowing the driver a finer degree of control before intervention.

Though the platform is going on nine years now, Lotus's improvements for the product have made it truly desirable with many terming it the "New, Old NSX." It is delightfully analog, with a key start, knobs for A/C, cable-operated gauges, and a minimally-bushed shifter. The stereo was most likely ordered in bulk from a Crutchfield catalog. And yet, whether you're at a track day full of 2019 supercars or daily driving it in the city, you never feel like you've sacrificed at thing.