Hethel is home to Lotus headquarters and their test track. Before a new model is approved for production, it endures endless laps at this closed course. No simulator can predict how a hypercar will react to off-camber corners and a slalom designed to max-out the sway bars. Therefore Gavan Kershaw got behind the wheel.
As the Director of Vehicle Attributes, he mounted a few cameras to allow us to ride along. His goal was to make a film for the Salon Prive Concours d’Elegance as Lotus will be flying the Union Jack in the face of foreign competitors. As for the Evija itself, these test laps have helped to finalize the driving modes. What sets it apart from any other is a unique “Range” mode. This limits the car to only 1,000 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Using the front motors for brake regeneration only, acceleration is purely rear-wheel drive. Track mode offers 2,000 horsepower and 1,254 lb-ft of torque, so we can barely wait to get behind the wheel.
