It's pronounced 'one twenty four' we're told, so if you said 'one two four', shame on you. And if you think it's little more than a mildly tweaked, body-kitted version of the regular
Lotus Evora, even more shame on you, because the Type 124 is an absolute beast of an endurance racing car.
The Toyota V6's power is stretched from 276- to 394bhp, plus a diet of the Colin Chapman variety (you know, that whole 'performance through light weight' thing) has seen a whopping 200kg dropped from the standard car's already lean frame. It's now less than 1,200kg.
Then the racing stuff begins. It gets a six-speed sequential paddle shift, FIA spec roll cage, FIA spec 120-litre fuel tank, FIA spec fire extinguisher and FIA spectacles. Got you. The dampers are adjustable four ways, and owners can fettle the anti-roll bars too, while the lightweight rims are of 18-inch diameter and dressed in racing slicks.
The 124 will compete in 'various endurance races' with manufacturer backing, set to include the Nurburgring 24hrs, the Dubai 24hrs and the BritCar 24hrs at Silverstone in October 2010. That last one's probably the one to go to if you fancy a good peek at Lotus's latest racer.
Mark Nichol - 11 Sep 2009