POWER TRIP

The 2,011bhp Lotus Evija has the potential to change everything... Jethro is first to brace his neck and cut loose on track

- JETHRO BOVINGDON

A beautiful day in Wales and a Lotus. What could be simpler? Perfect tarmac, jaw dropping scenery and a pure, lightweight, throwback sports car. Apply a few cliches about adding lightness, the genius of Colin Chapman and a liberal sprinkling of ‘ride handling balance’ fairy dust and you have the formula that’s been on the rinse and repeat cycle in car magazines since the 1960s. Did I mention steering feel yet?

Don’t worry. It’s coming. But first, let’s throw out everything we know of how this tale goes. Today is truly a new day. The Lotus in question isn’t a sports car. The Evija is truly hyper. Fiendishly complex, hysterically powerful, mind meltingly expensive and (sadly for Lotus), likely to be as exclusive as ground unicorn horn.

‘The price of £2m plus taxes is a rather fundamental limiting factor, of course, but that’s nothing compared to the bleak market conditions. In 2019, when the Evija was first revealed, the world was hurtling towards EV domination and the unprecedented performance potential created dazzling new possibilities.

In 2025 things aren’t so optimistic. In fact, while the mainstream is quickly retreating to hybrid, the hypercar customer has resoundingly opted out of the great electric revolution. Just ask Pininfarina or Rimac. So, right now and despite a Herculean effort by Lotus to bring the Evija to fruition, the “maximum of 130 cars” promise seems as overinflated as its total power output.