The most hardcore version yet of the Lotus Evora has now made it to Australian shores as Simply Sports Cars has launches both the GT430 and GT430 Sport to be sold alongside the existing Evora 400. The enhanced Evora 410 Sport, however, has yet to be called upon.
Of the two ‘430 series’ Evoras, the slightly less hardcore GT430 Sport kicks things off with a $239,990 price tag. Both cars share nearly identical specifications: a 320kW/440Nm (430hp, hence the name) supercharged 3.5-litre V6 petrol drives the rear wheels and mated to a 6-speed manual, though the Sport comes with an optional automatic. This delivers a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.8 seconds for both.
More extreme and more powerful than any Evora variant that came before, the GT430 and GT430 Sport features some pretty significant upgrades to improve raw performance and, well, add lightness. Standard features include a Torsen limited slip differential, carbon composite brakes, a single mass low inertia flywheel, carbon fibre roof, carbon fibre tailgate, and titanium exhausts.
Crucially, though, the Evora GT430 ($259,990) has a more aggressive aerodynamic package that results in 250kg of downforce generated at speed compared to the 100kgs the Evora GT430 Sport is capable of. This is achieved thanks to a fixed carbon fibre rear wing, specially louvered wheel arch vents, and a carbon fibre splitter. Additionally, the GT430 receives a set of stickier Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
The extra aero press generated does mean significantly improved on-track prowess and quicker lap times, but the incurred drag does mean that top speed is reduced from 315km/h to 305km/h, meaning that the less expensive GT430 Sport keeps its crown of the fastest road going Lotus ever produced.
Inside, both 430 series Evoras feature plenty of gram-shedding carbon fibre, such as on its racing bucket seats, door sills, even on its instrument binnacle cover. Meanwhile, touch points such as the steering wheel, centre console, door trim, and dashboard have been wrapped in a mixture of Alcantara and perforated leather.
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