Lotus is reportedly planning a blown version of the Evora, which will apparently be able to jump from 0-100 in less than 5 seconds and run to a 282kph top speed.

A Lotus engineer spoke to British car mag Autocar recently, saying the Hethel-based carmaker ”already had a blown version of the V6 engine running on a bench”.

“It delivered 350bhp (261kW) and 290lb ft (393Nm)  of torque without any modifications at all,” he said.

Unfortunately a supercharged version (if it ever eventuates) is still a long way off. The naturally-aspirated 206kW  Evora will enter European showrooms in May this year and developmental priority is being given to the US-market version which is due to launch later in 2009.

After development of the LHD model has been completed, Lotus’ attention will then turn to an automatic version of the car, and after that model is completed a convertible version is also on the books. Projected sale date for the Evora SC? Sometime in 2011.

Clearly, enthusiasts looking for a supercharged Evora will be in for a long wait.

Prices for the blown Evora will likely hover between £55,000 ($118,000 AUD) and £60,000 ($128,700 AUD) when it launches in Europe, depending on spec.

[Autocar]