Lotus Evora S and IPS (2010) first news

Lotus has given us the first details of the new more powerful 345bhp Evora S ahead of its debut at the 2010 Paris motor show. It was only last week when we spied the range-topping Evora being put through its paces at the 'Ring, and this news confirms our earlier scoop story.

We predicted that the Evora S would push out more than 350bhp, and... it doesn't. Well, not quite: 345bhp is the official figure produced by a supercharged version of the Evora's 3.5-litre V6. So the Evora S will be no slouch, and we'd expect it to be comfortably quicker than the regular 276bhp Evora on the straights.

The 0-62mph time is down from 5.1 seconds to 4.8sec, with top speed rising to 172mph over the standard car's 162mph.

We'll reserve judgment on that until we've had a drive ourselves, but Lotus claims the suspension has been tuned for 'added power and control so it responds even more to direction changes'.

The Evora S comes with a sport pack as standard, and is the latest car to join the Sport button brigade. Push it and you get a sharper response to your right foot, plus a raised rev limit; a new active exhaust also means you can hear the full works being produced by that V6. Which, don't forget, is nabbed from the Toyota Camry.

Yes. Lotus has clearly been drawn by the desire to expand Evora sales into other markets – specifically Asia, the Middle East and the United States where they love slushers. Called Intelligent Shift Precision (ISP), this option will be available to buyers of the standard 276bhp Evora.

The new auto 'box gives the option of fully automatic or paddleshift modes, and will also come with a Sport button to sharpen the cog swaps.

The Lotus Evora S and ISP auto will be shown at the 2010 Paris motor show on 30 September, along with its new supercar concept. Interesting times for the Norfolk-based maker which is under new management...

By Ben Foulds