On this episode of Epic Drives
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MotorTranscript
00:00 It's a sad fact that too many sports cars are kept like show ponies these days, locked
00:05 up in a warm garage and only bought out for the occasional Sunday drive.
00:10 Here in LA, it's even more depressing.
00:12 Here a sports car is often little more than a fashion accessory, something to be seen
00:17 in, something to impress the others in the valet line outside a hip restaurant.
00:22 Driving?
00:23 Forget it.
00:24 In LA, sports cars do some of their best work standing still.
00:28 So when Lotus offered us a new Evora to test, we could have had it trucked to LA.
00:33 Instead, we said we'd pick it up in Seattle.
00:36 Why?
00:37 Because we wanted to take this sports car on an epic drive.
00:43 Our road trip would take us from Seattle to Missoula, Montana, where we'd turn south and
00:47 zigzag our way across the rooftop of America, loosely following the Continental Divide Trail
00:52 for 1,500 miles along the mighty mountain chain that runs from Alaska to the Panama Canal.
01:00 Our route would take us through Yellowstone National Park in Jackson, Wyoming, then down
01:04 to Steamboat Springs and Silverton in Colorado, and on to Santa Fe, New Mexico before we turned
01:09 west for LA.
01:11 Piloting the Lotus is Motor Trend executive editor Ron Kino.
01:15 Trying to keep up with him in the Nissan Quest minivan that's just joined the Motor Trend
01:19 long-term fleet is photographer Brian Vance and video producer Jim Gleason.
01:26 The Evora might be a 2+2, Lotus' first in 20 years, but it's still a tight fit inside.
01:32 Ron's roller bag has to ride on the front seat.
01:37 The coffee and pastries near the Clark Fork River are delicious, and we snap some photos
01:41 to mark the start of our 1,500-mile run through the mountains.
01:45 But there's no time to waste.
01:47 We have a divide to conquer.
01:50 [Music]
02:13 Route 93 takes us down towards Bitterroot Forest and across Lost Trail and Chief Joseph Passes.
02:19 [Music]
02:29 We stop at Big Hole National Battlefield, where Chief Joseph led his NES Purse in a
02:34 two-day fight against the US Army.
02:37 The NES Purse won the battle, but at a terrible cost.
02:40 They suffered so many casualties they were forced to surrender two months later.
02:47 It's hard to imagine the blood and pain of this place 134 years ago, as we take in the
02:52 grand sweep of the Pioneer Mountains.
02:55 [Music]
03:06 When it comes to national parks, Yellowstone is arguably the most iconic of them all.
03:11 Established by the US Congress and President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1st, 1872, it was
03:17 the first national park in the world.
03:20 It spans 3,500 miles over three states, and is known for its extensive geothermal activity
03:26 and vast array of wildlife.
03:31 Yellowstone got its name from the golden-hued rocks lining this canyon, where the Yellowstone
03:35 River plunges 308 feet to the canyon floor.
03:48 Rolling down Highway 89, we pass the Grand Teton National Park, with a magnificent Teton
03:53 Range providing a spectacular view through the Evora's passenger window.
04:08 So how does the Evora stack up as a road trip car?
04:11 Well, if you're prepared to pack light, it stacks up rather well.
04:18 Although compact, the Evora's cabin is comfortable thanks to the supportive Recaro seats.
04:24 Even after a couple of hours at the wheel, you get out of the car feeling refreshed.
04:31 But it's the chassis and suspension that make this Lotus such a delight to drive on these
04:35 mountain roads.
04:38 The steering is deliciously full of precision and feel, while the suspension, though firm,
04:42 also manages to be surprisingly supple, soaking up bumps without unsettling the car.
04:48 Even in conditions like these, the Evora is surprisingly capable.
04:53 Getting snow tyres fitted before we pick the car up was a smart move.
05:09 We make our way south through Wyoming's cowboy country.
05:13 Fast grasslands, pickup trucks and 10-gallon hats.
05:33 Sometimes called Ski Town USA for its world-class ski resort, Steamboat Springs was originally
05:38 named by 19th century frontiersmen, who imagined the steam they saw rising from nearby hot
05:44 springs was coming from an approaching steamboat.
05:48 Steamboat Springs is at an altitude of 6,700 feet, and we begin a lengthy climb up I-40,
05:54 coming face-to-face with the divide at the 9,426-foot Rabbit Ears Pass.
06:14 The Evora shows no signs of wheeziness tackling the high-altitude grades.
06:19 We get a little winded just looking at the elevation signs.
06:21 A big surprise at the top of the 11,312-foot Monarch Pass.
06:33 One British sports car is an uncommon sight in the Rockies, but two?
06:37 And as rare as our laser-blue Lotus Evora might be, we've been upstaged by this 1952
06:43 MG TD, in British racing green, of course.
06:48 As we come off Monarch Pass, the weather takes a turn for the worst, and we drive right into
06:54 the heart of a massive snowstorm.
06:57 But with the help of the snow tyres, the little Lotus does amazingly well in the treacherous
07:03 conditions.
07:05 Traction is rarely an issue, and even when the car does step out of line, it only takes
07:09 a flick of the wrist to get it back under control.
07:13 We emerge from the storm into a winter wonderland.
07:16 We can't sit around too long, though.
07:18 We have a lot of miles to cover before we reach tonight's destination.
07:22 The tiny mining town of Silverton.
07:26 The Villa d'Alevale is a Silverton landmark that has been owned by the same family since
07:30 it was built in 1901.
07:32 It opened as a boarding house and from 1938 to 1987 served as a grocery store.
07:38 Today it's a quaint seven-room bed and breakfast that recalls the colourful history of this
07:43 south-western Colorado mining town.
07:47 Snow, and plenty of it, greets us next morning.
07:52 We borrow two of the d'Alevale's old brooms to help get the Lotus ready for the run to
07:56 Durango.
07:57 And with all this white stuff on the road, that might be tricky.
08:03 Pushing the Aurora along these twisty, snow-dusted roads show why Lotus has a reputation for
08:08 building some of the world's best handling cars.
08:15 The Aurora stays flat and balanced through the turns, gripping the road.
08:20 As for the steering, it might just be the best in the business.
08:23 Quick, beautifully weighted, with firm on-centre feel that stays consistent as you swing right
08:28 or left.
08:31 The 276 horsepower engine is gutsy enough to make this 3,047-pound Brit feel quick.
08:38 It'll hit 60 in 4.7 seconds.
08:41 But the six-speed manual transmission is a disappointment, with a balky long throw that
08:45 slows things down when you're trying to make the most of the engine.
08:50 It's just not up to the rest of the car.
08:54 The truth is, the Aurora is a brilliant chassis in search of a brilliant powertrain.
09:09 Eight hours after leaving snowbound Silverton, we're in the warmth and sunshine of New Mexico.
09:14 We make a brief stop at Echo Amphitheatre, a natural sandstone arena whose shape creates
09:20 an amazing echo chamber.
09:26 From here, it's basically a schlep back along the I-40 to LA.
09:38 By the time we arrive home, we'll have been on the road a week and logged more than 2,800
09:43 miles through eight states.
09:45 We've crossed 16 passes, the highest reaching over 11,300 feet, and seen temperatures ranging
09:51 from 22 to 83 degrees.
09:54 And the Lotus Aurora?
09:56 It's proven surprisingly comfortable and capable in conditions that were tougher than expected.
10:01 It's proven economical, too, using 113 gallons of fuel for the trip, an average consumption
10:07 of 25.3 miles per gallon.
10:11 The Lotus has covered more miles in a week than many LA show ponies will cover in six
10:15 months.
10:16 And that's a good thing.
10:17 Sports cars are meant to be driven on epic drives.
10:21 (music)
10:36 (music)
10:56 (music fades)