What was previously code named "Eagle" has been revealed as the Lotus Evora car. Lotus designed the Evora in an attempt to diversify the market and attract a new demographic. Designed for greater day-to-day driveability and positioned above the Elise,  Exige S and Europa models, the new Evora will hold more luxury comforts in a larger chassis.  The structure is all Lotus, lightweight, mid- Toyota 3.5-liter V6 engine. Tuned to put out 276 horsepower, the Evora does zero to 60 in less than five seconds with a top speed of 160 mph.

The Evora is a true two-seater but Lotus calls the car a 2+2, though, we aren’t sure you could fit a dwarf or baby back there. To appeal to a larger demographic Lotus put more on the inside, though, nothing extraordinary. Rather, what the rest of the car buying world would call standard, yet was missing from the earlier Exige and Elise models. The Evora has air conditioning, leather seating, a tire-pressure monitoring system, a backup camera, blue LED lighting, and a remote garage-door opener. Alpine audio and navi-system with satellite radio, iPod and bluetooth connectivity, and blah, blah, blah. The Evora is rounded out with anti-lock brakes and traction and stability control, and please no applause. The thing is this, if you want to choose high performance over lavishness then the Lotus Evora is perfect. We prefer not to choose one over the other but if you have to, the American Evora will have a base price below any Porche, BMW M3, or Mercedes-Benz AMG. Thus, bringing high performance at a lower price tag of about $60k.

The Lotus Evora goes on sale Spring of this year in Europe. Only about 2000 units will be produced and sales will shift to the U.S later in 2009 as 2010 models. The Lotus Evora is the first of three new models that Lotus promised as part of a five-model business plan to expand the marque. Evora is also the first new addition to the Lotus lineup since 1995. At least Lotus is trying to keep up with the times.