Shootout: Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport vs. Lotus Evora 400

[MUSIC] [NOISE] Welcome to a Road Show Shootout where I am representing England, the land of the queen, tea, Stephen Fry, mild alcoholism and hand built sports cars, and I just got myself the keys to the new to America, Lotus Evora 400. A 400 horse power mid engine coupe built in a place called Norford. And I'm representing America with this red, white, and blue Corvette grand sport built in a place called Kentucky. And that's 460 horse power it weighs just 3252 pounds. Well the little car from Norford is like nothing. It weighs in a just 3153 which might just be enough To make up for the 40 horsepower deficit it's packing, but it probably wont be enough to make up for your 6.2 liter V8 465 pound foot. My three and a half liter supercharged V6 kicks out barely more than 300. Enough to get you to 60 in 4.1 seconds. My Corvette is a full half a second quicker it's also a lot cheaper you can get into one of those for just over $90,000 but the Grand Sport starts at $65,000 although this one's got the carbon ceramic brakes in the extra aero stuff Which means that, actually, it costs about the same. Well, you talk a big game about your Corvette and I think the only way to show you that British is best is to go around the track. Shall we? [SOUND] So, Tim, welcome to the Lotus Evora 400, the first new Lotus in America. Ages and ages and ages and ages and compared to the old car, a lot has changed. So, you've got obviously a new engine, with 400 horsepower. They've sorted out the getting in an out a bit, because the old car had very high, wide sills and it was a bit of a bastard to get in, but now they're lower, they're thinner, it's easy to get in and out and it's got a new Which makes it way more aggressive. I mean it looks a lot shopper than the old car. And that engine you mentioned very briefly, has a bit of an interesting prominence that I think that you should include for our viewers. Yeah, so it's got a 3.5 Five litter super charged V6, and the supercharger sounds lovely and the engine sounds great and it's got a wicked exhaust on it, but a lot of people have a problem with where it comes from. Which is? It comes from rather large company called Toyota who make a lot of engines, a lot of cars for America and it comes from a Camry, it comes from a Camry. Camry. But it's not in a Camry. True. If we were in a Camry we might have an actual entertainment system here that coul do something other than whatever this thing could do, which is not very much. Yeah, it's not the sharpest of systems. I'm not gonna lie, but this isn't about interior plushness. Yes, Lotus has gone over the interior of the car to To make it just a little bit sharper than before. The quality of the stitching's up. The leather's up. It does still smell a bit a like a Lotus, which is fantastic. It does, yes. And I will concede there are a few little build quality issues with this one. So my wing mirror here, when you're driving [INAUDIBLE] It also takes about 20 minutes to turn the thing on. The sequence of buttons is a bit like launching an ICBM. It only takes time if you don't know how to do it. If you owned it, you'd know how to do it. So it's a safety feature is what you're saying. It's a safety feature, yes so people can see that. And it's got a manual gear box. So people who can't drive manuals, they wouldn't even start it. It, and then they won't be able to shift it. But rather than all the cozy interior plushness and tech, the Lotus is really all about handling. And that's something they do immensely well. We got four way traction control, which learns the road and adapts the car to do whatever you want it to do, depending on the conditions. We got super sticky Michelins [UNKNOWN]. [SOUND] I don't know if it's better Faster than my corvette, though? Especially for the same money, basically? Yeah, but mine is lighter, mine may not be quicker to 62 but I'll bet you any money you can get around a corner quicker. This is near as damn it as quick as an Exige, and Exiges are seriously fast cars. Corvettes are pretty quick, too. Yeah, but around corners. [UNKNOWN] man. How many people do you think have actually been in the back seat of one of these? Should we give it a go? I'm down with giving it a go. Cuz you're quite tall and I'm not. Why don't we do that? Let's- [LAUGH] Pull over somewhere safe. And see who can get in the backseat without giving themselves a hernia. All right. Pull it forward. Ouch. [SOUND] [LAUGH] There's no room for my feet [LAUGH]. [UNKNOWN], Tim, but I feel great. [LAUGH] [LAUGH] I don't even think you can feel like a four year old back here. My feet are stuck. I've lost my shoe. [LAUGH] I'm leaving it behind. You know that's the most comfortable car I've ever been in, and I've been in many cars. Come on, the Corvette. Okay, Corvette time. Welcome, Deter, to the spacious accommodation. Of the Corvette Grand Sport. This car has all the best bits from the Z06. The suspension, the brakes, not the engine. But everything else that you want for a track ready American sports car, and this thing feels absolutely fantastic out here. We've got enough grip [INAUDIBLE]. Well. Grippy Michelin tires on all four corners, just like the Lotus. Big carbon-ceramic brakes, and man everything that you need to have a really good time out here. It does feel quite, quite good. You've got 460 horsepower, which is 60 more than me. But you do you have more weight. I will [NOISE] [UNKNOWN]. About that. You have adaptive modes. Whereas my car was perfect from the factory. [LAUGH] You guys feel the need to have a wet mode and a track mode. Five separate track modes so you can dial in the car based on how much grip you get. Today, the track's been a little greasy this morning. Run on number [INAUDIBLE] it's kind of a nice [INAUDIBLE]. Cuz you dial it all the way up, and this thing actually lets you know a lot of good [INAUDIBLE]. And you can report on which one you're having, because it has the performance recorder which puts a camera behind the mirror here, and record how you're doing on the track, your [INAUDIBLE] position, your brake position. How many Gs you're pulling. So when you do get that one 1.2 G. [LAUGH] You're gonna put it on YouTube and tell all your friends. Wee. [LAUGH] All right, but you're in track mode. I've had a go with it. It's good apart from one very vital element. The steering. Yeah. It's awful. I"ll give you that. In terms of the suspension, which is of course [UNKNOWN] but it also unfortunately [UNKNOWN] of the steering and suddenly it feels like somebody poured molasses into the power steering unit. Which is a bit unfortunate. But come on, is that the biggest thing you can complain about in this car? Well, the red interior is quite hideous. I suppose so but it does go with the red, white, and blue exterior. Come on what other color could you possibly want on a Grand Sport. Well the colors of the Union flag are obviously the best colors. Don't go there my friend. Obviously. Don't go there. I will say your engine [UNKNOWN] In the wrong place. Mine is better for handling balance, and there. A wise man once said that a horse does not push a cart. Yes, but the horse will be much happier when it's sitting down in it. Well it depends on the cart, and maybe also on the size of the horse. Which [UNKNOWN] compared to your motor, you've got 6.2 liters, mine is 3.5, which is, in this company, nothing. In the rest of the world that's actually quite large. And there's absolutely no replacement for displacement, my friend. Apart from lightweight but along those lines, I have a challenge for you. Yeah? Your car can get It's naught to 60 in about 3.6 seconds. And it can go on a lot further after that. And it will go onto a million billion miles per hour. Mine is 4.1 four secondish. You can get a [INAUDIBLE] but can you get [INAUDIBLE]. Have you talked about braking. I propose a braking test my friend. This is where my lightweight colleague Chapman's ethos, his dream will come to fruition. All right, let's do it, let's go get the lotus. Tim, we've been out on the track, the Evora handles brilliantly, I would say a little bit better than your Corvette, but the Corvette has more powers and more toys, it's a bit plusher, it's a bit better all around. So I've come up with a little bit of a test. That might give the Lotus the edge, maybe. A biased guess is what you're saying. Not biased, just it's a test of braking. Okay. Because it's very important. You have a lot of weight in carbon brakes, I have less weight, but not carbon brakes. Not carbon brakes made by AP Racing, I see on the caliper there. Lotus has motorsport heritage, my friend, so it's all good, it's all good. What we're gonna do is we're gonna be on this little strip here. Gonna start at that end, drive up to 60 miles an hour and then when you get here, slam the anchors on. And we're gonna see who stops in the shortest distance. It'll be me. I'm gonna go first. Good luck. [MUSIC] [SOUND] [MUSIC] [SOUND] [MUSIC] [SOUND] Being lightweight does have some advantages, I say. It does rather, chap. But you put up a valiant effort, so nah. Sweet victory. [MUSIC] [SOUND] [LAUGH] Come on. No. [SOUND] Alex, my friend, I think we must call that a comprehensive victory on the drag strip. We did rather destroy me. A couple of times i was almost keeping up but then the [INAUDIBLE] just went bye-bye. Mm-hm. But I did win the brake test. You did. Practicality-wise I don't really think that load is is very practical. I don't even know why they put backseats in that thing. For very small children or people that you don't like, presumably. And I really like that you can take the roof off the Corvette. Which you cannot do [INAUDIBLE] But there will be convertible [INAUDIBLE] eventually. Fear not. But, handling wise, Mm-hm. The Lotus is better. It is better, but the Corvette's pretty great, you gotta admit it. The Corvette is fantastic, but you get [INAUDIBLE] and the steering's not there, and all that. True. There's no technology, there's no real boot space. I think I know which way this is going and I don't want it to go there. I'm gonna make you say it. Yeah. The winner of the roadshow shootout is the Corvette Grand Sport with a very close second for the Lotus. Very, very close. [MUSIC]