Tuesday 22nd July 2008

The Lotus Evora was unveiled. Based on an enlarged version of the aluminium architecture that underpins the Elise, it aims to create a more usable, practical car to appeal to a wider audience. It was available as either a two-seater or as a 2+2 with a pair of rear seats that are really only suitable for very small children or for stowing luggage on top of. The name “Evora” keeps the Lotus tradition of beginning model names with an “E”. The name is derived from the words Evolution, VOgue, and auRA. Other names considered were Eagle, Exira and Ethos; Exira was rejected as it was considered not good enough and the other two because it would be difficult for Lotus to claim them as a trademark. The name “Evora” sounds similar to Évora, which is the name of a Portuguese city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Portugal.