At $47,991, Is This 2011 Lotus Evora Worth Evaluating?

While the Elise was created as a bare-bones and thus uncompromising sports car, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Evora was designed as a more thoroughly realized and thus potentially a more universally appealing automobile. Let’s see what concessions need to be made to buy it.

The 2002 Mercedes-Benz SLK 32 AMG we considered yesterday later sired another interesting car, the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6. That might make for an interesting (and potentially parts-sharing) pairing for any private garage. The first step to that goal, at least with our candidate, would demand $11,000. Apparently, that didn’t seem too dear a demand to the start of our Daimler dynamic duo, as you all gave the car a solid 66 percent Nice Price win at that asking.

As we discussed yesterday, with the creation of the SLK 32 AMG Mercedes engineers had Porsche’s 986 Boxster S squarely in their sights. It seems that Porsches of one ilk or the other often serve as role models for other makers’ aspirations. Honestly, if it weren’t for the Cayenne, would we have cars like the Lamborghini Urus or Maserati Levante? Would Aston Martin have given us the V8 Vantage if the 911 hadn’t proven such a consistent profit maker for Porsche?

The problem is, few other carmakers are able to capture the spark that Porsche provides. Britain’s Lotus, however, has come close on a couple of occasions.

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This 2011 Lotus Evora represents that company’s attempt to mine the Porsche mindset by offering a model that added comfort and convenience to its performance, along with the availability of plenty of profit-making optional extras.

The Evora was to be the first of three all-new models that Lotus intended to bring to market in the first decade of the 21st Century. Unfortunately, those intentions were never fulfilled beyond the Evora. That’s not all that bad a deal though, since the Evora, even in base form like this car, is a pretty sweet ride. It’s also not all that finicky either seeing as the engine is made by Toyota and the six-speed manual gearbox is built by Aisin.

The engine is the same 3.5-liter 2GR-FE V6 that reliably powers any number of Camrys, Siennas, and other Toyotas out there. Here, it’s dropped into a steel sub-frame that’s then bolted and bonded to an aluminum central tub. Additional alloy extensions in front provide mounting points for the double-wishbone front suspension (same in the back) and necessary crash protection.

Atop that is a fiberglass body wrapping a cabin designed to comfortably comport six-footers in the front Recaros, and pretty much no one in the vestigial back seats. This all weighs in at a little over 3,000 pounds, making the base Evora heavy for a Lotus, but light for pretty much any other car maker.

This one is painted in Canyon Red over a cream leather interior. There are just 72,900 miles under its tires and it presents in almost as-new condition. According to the ad, it also comes with a clean title. That’s a cherry on top for any Lotus of this century since parts costs can turn even a minor shunt in one into a salvage title situation.

As noted, this is the base car, and that means a naturally-aspirated V6 behind the seats. As equipped, the Evora makes 276 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The dealer offering the car doesn’t provide any detail on the car’s mechanical condition so we don’t have any idea of clutch life or tire tread, but the proprietors there do promise that they “love taking care of our customers and we are all about building a relationship with our clients to continue helping them in each and every one of their car needs for years to come.”

Of course, Loti have long had the reputation for neediness, so the promise of a long-lasting relationship with a knowledgeable repair and maintenance locale may prove comforting for any buyer.

It also could be expensive, so the car really shouldn’t be. At $47,991, this one actually isn’t when compared to other clean-title cars on the market. It’s also seemingly cheaper than a contemporaneous, albeit more powerful 911, so there’s that.

What do you think, at $47,991, is this Evora cheap enough to roll the dice on a used Lotus product? Or, is that too much for a wannabe Porsche?

You decide!

eBay Motors out of Dallas, Texas, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Matthew Wright for the hookup!

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