I'm a serial Lotus buyer – the Evora is better than an Elise

Chris Smith bought his first Lotus, an Elise S, in 1996, when he was 23. "It was my only car and people said I was crazy," he recalls. "But every journey was great fun. I had it for seven years." He'd owned a BMW 3 Series before and it was another German car that subsequently replaced the Lotus. "I bought a Porsche Cayman," he says. "It was a great car but it was big and too comfortable and lacked the Lotus magic." So back to Lotus he went, this time buying a 2010 Elise S3: "It had the 1.6-litre Toyota engine. You really had to wring its neck and keep it above 4000rpm. It was great fun." Eventually, Chris sold it and some years later bought an Esprit Turbo. Then, five years ago, he bought his current Lotus, a 2014 Evora S Sports Racer. "I got it from Paul Matty Sports Cars," he says. "I spent ages looking at his cars. He was a great chap to talk to. He's retired now so I feel very fortunate to have been able to buy a car from such a Lotus legend." Chris's Evora had done 13,000 miles when he bought it and he's added only 4500 miles since. "I share it with my other cars, which include a Ginetta G15," he says. "In fact, me and Dad built a Ginetta when I was still at school and that triggered an interest in cars which has stayed with me to this day." When new, his Evora would have cost around £65,000, but six years later Chris paid £35,000 for it. He now reckons it's worth around £40,000. "Evora prices are creeping up," he says. The S in its name stands for supercharged. The car's 3.5-litre V6 Toyota engine makes 345bhp compared with the 'base' unit's 276bhp. Sports Racer was a limited-edition trim available from 2013. Lotus pretty much threw the options catalogue at it, including the Sports Pack and Tech Pack. It was good value and at the time regarded as the pick of the range. However, although Chris knew his Lotuses, when he bought the Evora he hadn't driven other examples beforehand. "It immediately felt familiar," he says. "All the usual Lotus qualities were present: accurate steering, a wonderful ride and that sense of being connected to the road. It drives like a bigger and faster Elise, although it is more comfortable and, of course, practical. "It's got a decent-size boot and, being a 2+2, there's just enough room for a couple of passengers in the back. I've had an adult passenger in there, although they did have to sit side on! And then when you've come back from holiday, you can take it on a track day and have a blast. Not that I do..." Aside from needing a new upper rear suspension arm (it's a known problem and Chris did the job himself in less than one hour - he does have a fully equipped workshop), the Evora has behaved itself. But after five years, is Chris not ready for a change? "There's not much on the market for £40,000 that will do what the Evora can do," he says. "Whenever I think of selling it, I take it for a drive and decide to keep it. There's something about Lotuses; they get under your skin."

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I'm a serial Lotus buyer – the Evora is better than an Elise

This Lotus enthusiast explains why his 345bhp Evora is the one car from Hethel he can't sell

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I'm a serial Lotus buyer – the Evora is better than an Elise

This Lotus enthusiast explains why his 345bhp Evora is the one car from Hethel he can't sell

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Latest car reviews

Top manufacturers

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About Autocar