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Lotus has scooped two top awards at the EVO Car of the Year 2009 testing. A fleet of exclusive sports cars were evaluated on 1600 kilometres of roads on the Isle of Skye over a three day period.

The Lotus Evora was pitted against cars from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and other top manufacturers.

In the Car of the Year test, the top five cars were chosen from a group of 13 then scored out of 100, with the Lotus Evora beating all other entrants with a 96.

EVO editor John Barker said the Evora is "a magical thing across the ground, deft like an Elise, with exceptional poise and feel".

He said: ”What was telling for me was that, getting into it after any of the other finalists, it was even better than I remembered: a bit smoother, a bit quicker and even sweeter dynamically, too. It's a beguiling car."

The event then moved from the roads of Skye to the fast and demanding West Circuit at the Bedford Autodrome.

The Lotus 2-Eleven and eleven other cars competed for the title of EVO Track Car of the Year 2009. The test group contained hot hatches, track focused supercars and exotic track machines.

The cars were each timed around the West Circuit and compared subjectively to find a winner. The 2-Eleven posted the second fastest time and closely matched the criteria set by the judges of providing entertainment, being rewarding and a challenge to drive.

EVO track test editor Roger Green, when commenting on the 2-Eleven said: "Every single judge described (the 2-Eleven) as 'superb' in their assessment notes."

Lotus operations director Luke Bennett said: "I am delighted that the Evora took the title of EVO Car of the Year 2009 and it is made even better that at the same time the 2-Eleven has won the Track Car of the Year competition. The Evora and 2-Eleven offer very different ownership propositions; however both have the same Lotus DNA and each reward the driver with a great Lotus driving experience.

"It is a great endorsement for Lotus cars that the most refined car in the product line up is picking up awards at the same time as the most extreme car in the range, illustrating the great wealth of engineering and manufacturing expertise at Lotus."

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