For the time being, the Evora is Lotus’ sole offering in the United States. Available solely as a fixed-roof coupe, you can consider it a competitor to the Porsche Cayman and the recently-departed Alfa Romeo 4C hardtop.

Lotus founder Colin Chapman was famous for saying, “Simplify, then add lightness.” Those words still ring true with the brand’s modern cars, which is why the Evora features a number of aluminum and carbon fiber components that keep weight down to a mere 3,175 pounds. As of this writing, the Evora comes in a single GT spec, with a mid-mounted supercharged 3.5-liter V6 that puts out 416 horsepower.

Choosing the six-speed manual transmission gets you 317 pound-feet of torque and a 188-mph top speed, while the six-speed automatic earns 332 lb-ft and a top speed of 174 mph. With either option, the Evora hits 60 mph in about 3.8 seconds, according to Lotus. When it’s time to stop, large track-rated AP Racing brakes bring things to a halt in a hurry.

In keeping with Lotus tradition, the Evora is pretty bare-bones. Staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, leather and faux suede upholstery, and a 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are all that’s standard. You can specify an Extended Carbon package that cuts weight and adds visual appeal, along with several paint colors or a black optics package.

By default, the Evora seats two, but Lotus offers a set of rear seats to expand occupancy to four, though they are best suited for children and small-statured individuals. On the safety front, there’s nothing to speak of aside from a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors, but that’s not uncommon for such a sport-focused machine.

The Evora has been around for quite some time, but it still has a magic combination of melding driver and machine that few other cars can match.