Celebrity test drives - Lotus uses Evora for star power

Nothing helps a car brand gain acceptance like a little star power. Alfa Romeo wouldn’t have sold nearly as many original Spiders had it not been Dustan Hoffman’s choice in The Graduate, and the Cadillac Escalade wouldn’t be nearly as cool had it not been the choice of rappers first.

Lotus seems to know this. It started first by making the new Evora’s debut in Los Angles, and now its released the list of people who are in line for test drives. The list includes celebrity car guys like Jay Leno and Patrick Dempsey, big names like George Clooney and Beyonce, as well as James Bond alumni Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

Although it has been reported by other news outlets that these celebrities have ordered the cars, that’s simple not true. THIS IS JUST A TEST DRIVE. While a few of the celebrities who may drive the Evora may purchase it, Lotus will no doubt use this opportunity to show pics with all of them behind the wheel. Lotus is a small carmaker, and it is right now wisely exploiting star power to drum up sales for its new 2+2 sports car.

The Evora is the best car for Lotus to mount a full comeback in the U.S. The Elise/Exige that is currently offered in the States has a very limited range due to its small size and lack of creature comforts. The Evora will offer seating for four, and be more road-friendly than Lotus’ other current offerings. It’s powered by a Toyota-sourced and Lotus-tuned 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 276 hp, and weighing a light 2,976 lbs. Although the engine is used in more everyday cars like the Camry, the lightweight of the Evora should help it keep its performance car image. 0 to 60 mph have been published as "less than 5 seconds."