Quote:
Originally Posted by climb4fun
I was hoping to see the curb weight much lower, but 2970 lbs ain't too bad..
Evora is still very competitive in her class:
08 Cayman S manual 2955 lbs / 295 hp =10.0 lb/hp msrp $59,100
09 Lotus Evora manual 2970 lbs / 280 hp =10.6 lb/hp price ?
08 911 Carrera manual 3075 lbs / 325 hp = 9.5 lb/hp msrp $73,500
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The only problem with your above numbers is that Porsche is going with Direct Injection on all of their cars in 2009. The base C2 will be 345 hp and the Cayman S will be 310 I believe if not 315. They will have a price increase as they do every year (same with Lotus), but it will be probably about $1K for the Carrera and Cayman S. With only 100 lbs more weight, the C2 with 345 hp and its reputation will be hard to beat.
BUT, if they only want to sell 2,000 Evoras worldwide, then I don't see an issue. That seems like a very realistic number and I think they could probably do more.
I know that most of us on here understand power to weight ratios and also that there is a lot more to a car than just hp. But Lotus needs to think about the other buyers who they are now trying to reach. And just like the Elise with 190 hp was an issue with buyers, so will the 280 hp Evora also be a problem. If they had just been able to hit the magic 200 number with the Elise, I bet it would have helped. But for the Evora, the 300 number is somewhat critical IMO.
However, they may be doing it because a hotter version will soon follow, and if they raise the hp by just 20, the impact will be significant just because that first digit is a 3. It is all in the mind for some.
I also think they will offer a hotter Clubsport type version that will be significantly lighter. I say significantly because these days a Clubsport version by someone like Porsche means 17 lbs less weight and 7 lbs more hp, or something ridiculous like that.
If Lotus does it, I can see 100 lbs or more stripped from the car with an additonal 40 NA hp (maybe), or more if they do FI.