The GM of a Connecticut Lotus dealership held onto his last 2014 Lotus Evora S with a pride that eventually turned into a protest. He felt that lowering the price of the obscure British sports car would hurt the brand, so he held on to it until the right person came along. The brand new Lotus was sold without a factory warranty because it had expired years ago. It still wore its original tires and everything. I guess the right person came along. 

How do you sell a seven-year-old new car? 

Steven Plona, GM of Secor Lotus in New London, CT, just sold his last 2014 Lotus Evora S 2+2 after having it in stock for seven years. According to Car and Driver, this seven-year streak made this Lotus the oldest new car still for sale in America. 

When asked about why he still had the Lotus, Plona said, “It was a protest to some schemes of the pricing people had. I think it’s an undervalued brand.” Plona held to his convictions for a long time until he finally managed to sell the Evora to another fan of the brand from Long Island. 

The new owner got to snag the $90,000 exotic sports car for $70,000, making the markdown pretty significant after all the protesting. 

What does a dealership do to keep old inventory fresh? 

While the Evora waited for its new owner, Plona kept it on a trickle charger in climate-controlled storage with overinflated tires to keep them from degrading. Plona would take it out for a quick run to keep things running right but kept the overall mileage below 100. 

Lotus has seen some hard times over the years

According to Car and Driver, When the Lotus Evora debuted in 2010, Lotus was crushing it. The little British boutique was supplying Elise bodies to Tesla, made a hip music producer, Swizz Beats a vice president, and added a new car to their line. 

Shortly after this, Lotus’s world fell apart in front of its eyes. After firing the CEO, Lotus went without a CEO for over two years. After the Exige and Elise failed to meet U.S. emissions, Lotus pulled out of its second-largest market from 2011-2016. The company got sold to Geely in 2017. However, the new owner might have some ideas about 2,000-hp electric hypercars. 

What are the specs for the 2014 Lotus Evora S?

Please make no mistake about it; the Lotus Evora is an enthusiasts car. They are spartan and lean in every way. The seats are uncomfortable, the ride is harsh, and the cabin is tiny and barren. However, it’s hard to notice any of that when you drive an Evora the way it is meant to be driven.

The 2014 Evora came with a 345-hp 3.5-liter supercharged V6. In case you don’t know anything about Lotus, yes, it has a six-speed manual transmission as standard, but you can order the optional automatic. These little go-karts can throw down a 0-60 mph sprint in only 4.3 seconds. 

Think Miata not Ferrari

Power is really not what the Evora is all about. Think about Lotus cars like a Miata; they aren’t super powerful, but they can take a corner as quickly as you dare to throw them through one. At slightly over 3,100 lbs, the Lotus is nimble and purpose-built for one thing; ripping a track to pieces. 

The Lotus Evora is not a car for everyday life. Honestly, the fact that it sat there for seven years isn’t all that surprising. They are expensive and not very useful for anything other than making you smile so hard your face hurts. My hat is off to Steve Plona, though. That is some serious brand loyalty to hold the cards that long.