KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — The new Lotus Evora 400 which now becomes the fastest road car that Lotus has ever built, just moved into the supercar category, with a zero to 100km/h sprint time of a mere 4.2 seconds, and a top speed of 300kph from the manual transmission model. There is an automatic version which hits only 280kph.

The Evora 400, as the name suggests, develops 400 horsepower at 7,000 rpm, and 410Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm (manual specs) from the 3.5 litre V6 engine. The base engine comes from the ever-reliable Toyota stable, and tweaked by Lotus with the addition of a supercharger, Lotus’ own engine management system, and a sports exhaust system.

There is a choice of red or black interior.

With a kerb weight of 1,395kg, the Evora 400 boasts of an impressive power to weight ratio of 286 horsepower per tonne — translated in another way, imagine it as one horse only having to move 3.965 kg, which is pretty awesome. Another interesting number is the fact that the overall aerodynamics of the car creates a downforce of 32 kg at 150kph. The Evora 400, as in the case of all Lotus cars, is a car bred on the track, made civilised for the road.

The Evora’s engine is transversely mounted amidships (mid-engine configuration), which places the engine just in front of the rear axle, and drive is to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

The V6 engine delivers 400 horsepower.

A Torsen type Limited Slip Differential (LSD) helps to provide cornering grip for the manual transmission variant. With an automatic transmission available as an option, plus the fact that the Evora has much better ingress and egress characteristics, and also due to the fact that it is a 2+2 instead of just being a plain two-seater makes it a viable alternative for the buyer who likes the looks, one who probably still likes to drive fast, occasionally wants to carry more than one passenger, and wants the convenience of an automatic.

It even has an ISOFIX child seat mounting point in the rear seat. For the true blue driver, it must be the manual and no other. The Lotus Evora remains one of the few true sports cars in which you can still feel the road.

For stopping power it's equipped with AP Racing Brakes.

While the automatic version is made for the convenience of the urban driver, the Evora 400 in other respects is centred on performance. Cross-drilled and ventilated AP Racing brakes with 4-pot callipers, 370mm x 32mm are fitted in front, while 350mm x 32mm are fitted at the rear.

Suspension is double wishbone with lightweight forged aluminium arms, on both front and rear, with springs from Eibach. The chassis is built of bonded lightweight extruded aluminium, while the steering is hydraulic, and with close-ratio for quick turns.

Rear three-quarter view of the sleek Lotus Evora.

The driver gets to select three modes for the ESP — Drive, Sport and Race. Inside, the driver gets an engine Start button, air-conditioning, heated seats, a reverse camera, and central locking. The manual gear lever is aluminium, while the steering is leather-bound. Seat leather is Alcantara, with a choice of red or black interior colour options.

Headlamps are bi-Xenon, with Daytime Running lights (DRL). Wheels are 19 inch at the front, with 20 inch at the rear, fitted with Michelin Pilot Sports tyres.

The Lotus Evora 400 can be configured according to customer requirements, and the manual transmission model prices range from RM597,999 to RM640,999. The automatic versions range from RM610,999 to RM653,999.