Lotus fans give Evora 400 an Exclusive iconic racing colour scheme

•Lotus fans select iconic blue & orange scheme for Evora 400

•Social media poll via Facebook and Twitter

•Highlights bespoke nature of Lotus Exclusive programme

•Latest limited edition sports car celebrating 50 years at Hethel

Car fans across the world have helped the Lotus Exclusive service by choosing one of the most famous racing colour schemes for a run of extremely limited Evora 400 Exclusive editions.

Challenging enthusiasts to pick their preference from a selection of carefully curated designs, penned by Lotus' design team, the social media poll on Lotus' Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages, saw modern interpretations of classic automotive colour combinations, as well as some established Lotus liveries.

The outright winner was revealed as the Blue & Orange edition, recalling the famous racing colour scheme first seen in the 1960s, with a complementary palette inside, setting black leather upholstery against orange contrast stitching.

The new Blue and Orange limited edition Evora 400 is the latest Lotus sports car to help mark 2016 as the 50th anniversary since the founding of the Lotus Factory and Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk.

With a special paint colour and orange and white decal stripes, the Exclusive design gave fans the opportunity to give the modern Evora 400 a thoroughly retro look. Black forged wheels and red brake calipers complete the car's distinctive look.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc said, “Any one of the designs in the poll would have been a worthy winner. So now that the poll has finished and with thousands of votes cast, we have decided that the winner will make it into production. We only plan to build 10 of these Evora 400 sports cars in total so with their rarity, I expect them to quickly become very desirable.”

Developed by the team at Hethel, Lotus Exclusive inspires customers to further personalise the character of their Lotus cars. With the ability to tailor to their personal taste, it provides an alluring alternative to a standard specification sports car.

With such limited production numbers, the blink-and-you'll-miss-it Exclusive edition is expected to sell quickly. However, customers can create their own, unique Lotus through the Exclusive programme today.

The ultra-low volume edition perfectly demonstrates the appeal of Lotus Exclusive, which offers buyers a unique ownership proposition by combining traditional British craftsmanship with modern design. Tailoring one of Lotus' high-performance sports cars to suit personal tastes, it offers a customised alternative to an off-the-shelf car, covering everything from colour coding through to race car preparation.

Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented, “A Lotus is all about the purity of the driving experience and benchmark handling and owning a Lotus is a statement that you value design, innovation and the skills of our craftsmen and women who hand build all Lotus sports cars in Hethel.”

About the Evora 400

As one of the most significant models in the company's history, the Lotus Evora 400 drives home the company's commitment to developing pure, driver-focused sports cars.

Developed through Lotus' Lightweight Laboratory, the car's low mass of 1,395 kg drastically enhances its performance. As a result, the Evora 400 accelerates from 0-60 mph in just 4.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds) and continues on to deliver a maximum speed of 186 mph (300 km/h).

Combining a lightweight revised aluminium chassis with a high-output engine, to deliver remarkable performance, its supercharged and charge-cooled, mid-mounted 3.5-litre V6 engine produces 400 hp and 410 Nm of torque. The car's efficient composite body, flat-floor, rear diffuser, three-element rear wing all enhance aerodynamics, generating significant downforce of 32 kg at 150 mph (241 mk/h).

The Lotus Evora 400 enjoys a high specification as standard, including 370 mm composite two-piece brake discs from AP Racing, a Limited Slip Differential (LSD), automatic air-conditioning and infotainment system with satellite navigation. Options include automatic transmission and cruise control.

As an alternative to the 6-speed gearbox, with the torsen-type LSD as standard, a smooth-shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox is available. With electronically optimised up-shifts. Drivers can change gears manually via forged aluminium paddles mounted to the steering wheel, or rely on the gearbox's fully automatic mode.

As befitting a hand-built car, the cabin of the Evora 400 uses the highest quality materials, including Alcantara and leather, while the driver-orientated layout provides ergonomically optimised controls. Very much a usable 2+2 coupe, passenger space is improved on the previous model, with greater legroom and wider rear seats, and the chassis revisions have increased the size of the door aperture, making it easy to enter and exit the Evora 400.

Lotus Exclusive is available on all Lotus cars, including the new Elise Cup 250 and Exige Sport 350, and includes a full range of performance options making it truly “made to measure”. Lotus Exclusive is available for all Lotus customers through the Lotus dealer network.

The Lotus Exclusive brochure can be downloaded here: http://www.lotuscars.com/exclusive.