2013 Lotus Evora gets $68,285 base price

Lotus is adding its Intelligent Precision Shift automatic transmission to the supercharged version of the Evora for the 2013 model year. The automatic was available on the naturally aspirated Evora for the 2012 model year, while the Evora S offered only a six-speed manual.

The base 2013 Lotus Evora carries a sticker price of $68,285 including $1,485 in destination, while the S model with the rear seats will sticker at $80,085. That's an increase of about 1 percent over last year's prices. The IPS transmission adds $2,850 to the sticker.

Power is unchanged for 2013. The basic Evora uses a 276-hp 3.5-liter V6, sourced from Toyota. The Evora S adds a supercharger, bumping output to 345 hp. That's in a package that weighs just more than 3,000 pounds.

The IPS transmission offers four driving modes: (1) fully automatic for cruising and traffic, (2) automatic with Sport mode engaged, which sharpens throttle and transmission, (3) manual paddle shift and (4) manual paddle shift with Sport mode engaged for the most fun. Hitting the sport button also raises the rev limit and changes the stability control to give the driver a bit more leeway before stepping in. The function also opens the active exhaust.

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By Jake Lingeman