The Lotus Evija X probably isn’t the first vehicle that comes to mind when you think of Nürburgring lap records, but this one-off electric hypercar managed to set one. More specifically, completing a 6:24.047 lap using the same chassis as its production counterpart.
The Lotus Emeya is the company’s first electric hyper-GT, and it does not disappoint. It’s based on Lotus Tech’s Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) with 905 hp and 726 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 2-speed transmission, enabling it to hit 62 mph in a mere 2.8 seconds, while topping out at an electronically limited 159 mph.
The Lotus 340R started out as a concept car at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show, but the company decided to build 340-units worldwide, which were all sold even before being manufactured. Since it was designed for the track, there is no roof or doors. From the factory, these Lotus Elise-based cars only came in a silver and black color scheme, powered by a 1.8L Rover K-Series engine generating 177 bhp and 127 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 5-speed PG1 close ratio manual transmission, enabling it to hit 60mph in 4.4-seconds, while topping out at 133 mph.
The Lotus Evija may have been unveiled over a year ago in July 2019, but we’ve seen and heard little about it since. Former Top Gear presenter James May gives us an up-close look at this all-electric hypercar. It’s powered by a four individual in-wheel electric motors rated at 493 hp that generate a combined output of 1,970 hp and 1,254 lb⋅ft of torque. The vehicle most recently participated in high-speed testing at a track on circuits in Europe.