The Italian Flog: Turin to Goodwood in a Lotus Evora - In Search of Soul

The French mid-country is a strangely familiar place to anyone who's ever traveled in the American Midwest. Essentially comprised of two-lane roadway that is both straight and flat, the middle of France seems to stretch on and on -- not unlike the highways passing through Indiana or Illinois. Farmland stretches out on either side for as far as the eye can see, offering various shades of green and gold, but not a whole lot in-between. Windmills, silos, barns, livestock, and farmhouses dot the landscape, with a cemetery or two thrown in for good measure. Many a John Deere tractor was spotted.

Crossing such an environment in a diminutive Elise, we would have been cursing our very existence with every stone thrown against the car's underside, every kidney-jolting crunch over a railroad crossing, and every ear-bleeding minute of thrash from the hard-charging four-cylinder motor. But we were in an Evora instead as part of our trek from Turin, Italy, to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England -- and the Evora was quite a different story.

The Evora isn't a large car and it isn't particularly fast, but does feature a remarkable blend of sport and comfort not found in many cars today. Weighing in at just over 3000 pounds with a slightly reworked 276-horsepower Toyota Camry engine sitting amidships, the Evora is punchy, comfortable, practical, and most of all, full of character.

While the pedestrian roots of the Evora's V-6 engine may turn off more than a few potential customers, they shouldn't. In the Evora, the engine sounds sweet and nearly exotic, thanks to a significant ECU retune and a highly vocal intake system. Yes, opt for an Evora without the optional sports exhaust and all that lovely, growling noise you hear when you're full throttle ahead is actually coming from the induction side of the engine. And what a sound it is. Though colleagues have described the engine's tone as somewhat dull and it's character as not far removed from Toyota duty, it's likely none have actually driven a Camry lately. Run an Evora to it's redline in three or four gears and the sound is faintly early-seventies Formula 1, with a serious, edgy growl. Yes, you'll typically have to drop down two gears to get back into passing mode from a sixth-gear cruise, but there are few cars on the market that make those two rev-matching throttle blips so enjoyable and distinctive.

And distinctive is what the Evora is really all about. It's a mid-engined, two-door, four-seater to start. How many modern cars fit that description? Most of all, it's distinctly Lotus. It's quirky and interesting in the same way that so many other modern sports cars are soulless and boring. Make no mistake, the suspension tuning and wheelbase length make for a comfortable, yet capable sports car that equally handles the serpentine curves of the Alps as it dispatches the hot, dull miles of the French countryside. But it's the small things that make a Lotus a Lotus, and the Evora ticks every box.

For example, the wheelarches and door sills protrude into the leather-trimmed space that would otherwise be reserved for a foot rest. Backlighting to notify the driver that the lights, air conditioning, or other accessories are turned on is impossible to see if there's any sort of sunlight in the cabin. The gearchange is somewhat vague, the clutch pedal is quite stiff, and the interior smells of glue the same way a Corvette's does. The seatbelt on either side gets trapped behind the seat when the door is closed, and the seatback adjuster is impossible to reach in the same manner.

The Evora requires a little more attention to operate effectively than the normal car. Every little action requires just that little extra touch of care. That makes the Evora inconvenient in small ways. But for those who think of cars as more than just basic transportation, those inconveniences give the car character. In the same way the girl next door is more engaging than the supermodel, so too is the Lotus Evora in regard to the Porsche 911. In the same way that the silly, and even annoying little quirks of your best friend or significant other give that person a special uniqueness that draws you in, they give the Evora a soul.

And that's more than can be said for most cars in 2010.

Today, we'll be crossing the English Channel on our final leg of our journey to Goodwood. Stay tuned.