Lotus Evora Videos

It's been a long while since the guys at Motor Trend went through the trouble of picking the best driver's car, and for good reason. In order to pull off an actual test with any merit, the publication would need to wrangle some of the most impressive pieces of automotive engineering together on the same track on the same day. When we're talking about vehicles like the Lexus LFA, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, Lotus Evora, Ferrari 458 Italia and the like, that can be a daunting feat, even for a rag of MT

Lotus would like to sell more Evoras, and it's no secret that there are some customers who want to buy them, if not for the lack of an automatic transmission standing in the way. That hurdle's been cleared for 2012, with the Evora receiving the six-speed automatic that Lotus calls IPS, for Intelligent Precision Shift. Mechanically it is the same Aisin unit found in the Toyota Camry (paired with a supercharged version of Toyota's 3.5-liter V6) upgraded with Lotus electronics and actuators.

If the Italian Polizia di Stato (state police) need to get somewhere in a hurry, they've got a Lamborghini Gallardo at their disposal. But what about the national Carabinieri? Not about to left behind, the para-military police turned not to one of their own domestic sportscar-makers, but to the UK. (Or to a foreign-owned automaker based there with mostly Italian management.)

America's very own version of Top Gear is set to hit airwaves for its second season. A new round of hijinks on the History Channel begins July 24. Seeing as the Top Gear Test Track sits just 15 minutes from your author's house, we thought it might be nice to pop in and pay the guys a visit. We wound up getting more than we bargained for, however, because The Stig was also on set... armed with the keys to a Lotus Evora S.