2011 Lotus Evora GTE
Pilots: O. Slingerland, M. Rich, K. Poulsen
Team: Lotus Jetalliance
Race: DNF (GTE-Pro class) at Le Mans in 2011
Spark - S2208 (resin)
Published 08/17/18
The Evora was the first Lotus “2+2” car since the Excel of 1992. After the Excel Lotus had only the Elise and Exige, that were basically “track day specials”. The Evora was undoubtedly fast, but more important, it was comfortable and refined for everyday use. The engine used was the 2GR-FE, a twin-cam, 3.5-liter V6 from Toyota, good for 276 hp. Right after the launch of the Evora, Lotus came out with the racing version of the car: the Evora GTE. It was made specifically for endurance racing events like the 24 Heures du Mans.
The body of the Evora GTE was entirely new and constructed from carbon fiber. The chassis is similar to the production version, made of aluminum with front and rear aluminum sub-frames. For the engine, Lotus asked Cosworth to modify the Toyota 2GR-FE used in the road-going car. So Cosworth expanded the original DOHC V6 to 3999 cm³, which meant an increase of output to 470 hp. A dry sump lubrication system was used and the gearbox was a sequential XTrac six-speed.
At La Sarthe, as a factory team, Jet Alliance Racing had two Evora GTE in the 2011 race. Both were raced in the GTE-Pro class and car #65 finished in 22nd. This #64 (chassis #T124 GTE P001-002) is the second car, that abandoned the race on lap 126.
The Evora is a car that was off my radar, but after this model, consequently I now appreciate it. I was fortunate to find #64 on eBay for a reasonable price, and as a result, here it is. A standard Spark, or in other words “great model in 1:43” – it’s as good as my previous T128. Not a winner but a looker, for sure.