The suspension tracks solid and true, which you'd expect given the stiffness of the chassis. Since its founding, Lotus has been a sports car company in search of weight-reduction at every turn, and the advanced extruded and bonded aluminum chassis delivers this stiffness while keeping weight in check. The entire chassis of this 3,100-pound car, including front and rear subframes, weighs a mere 448 pounds.

Lotus relied on some brand names to round out the suspension, with Eibach coil springs at the corners and Bilstein gas dampers front and rear. Of course, electronic aides aplenty can be found, bundled under Lotus' Dynamic Performance Management traction and stability system. Eighteen-inch Pirelli P-Zero tires are mounted up front; 19-inchers fill the rear. If that's not enough, 19- and 20-inch wheels are optional.

Lotus estimates that slightly more than half of buyers will select the IPS option. That shows they are making a shrewd business decision, regardless of purist preferences. It's still difficult to contemplate turning down a six-speed manual that is so perfectly in keeping with the Evora's character. Well, difficult to contemplate until the next time I'm stuck in rush hour traffic....