Feature: It is Not a Carolla

IT’S NOTA

By Ron Tucker Photos by Ryan Ledesma

CAROLLA

Jim Dodds’ 2013 Lotus Evora S

he Evora first saw daylight in 2008 from the British car manufacturer Lotus. The Evora was the first all-new car from Lotus since the Elise back in 1995. Today the Evora is still manufactured and there are many variants of the Evora throughout its lifespan, however, the Evora S is true to the original Evora design. The Evora S, first introduced in 2010 and ending in 2014, sports a 345 hp/295 lb-ft Supercharged Toyota 3.5 Liter V6 engine—hence the “S” insignia. In addition, under the skin sports an array of other performance features. The suspension dampers and steering were re-calibrated along with a new single-tubed exhaust system to mention a few. T

Now I know what you are thinking…you spelled Carolla wrong in the title. It is the correct spelling, and this is not going where you think it is. Stay tuned. This stunning example is owned locally by James Dodds of Lake St. Louis, MO. How Jim and this Evora S came together is quite an interesting story. In 2017 Jim decided he wanted to start looking for a nice modern “hobby” car. Jim had not owned a nice sports car before and spent many hours researching online all the different options available. Getting nowhere closer to deciding on the right car for him, Jim decided to seek the advice of an expert he had been listening to for years on the Adam and Dr. Drew Show Podcast… Adam Carolla. If you are not aware, Adam Carolla is best known for Loveline and The Man Show to name a few and is a big car enthusiast. Today Adam is one of the world’s most popular podcasters, in fact, he set the record for “Most Downloaded Podcast” with Guinness World Records in 2011. Jim called into the podcast and got through. He posed the question to Adam, “What would be his advice for a mid-life

crisis sports car for less than 100k?” Adam was happy to help and suggested possibly a used Aston Martin DB9, however, he was more inclined to suggest a used Audi R8 V8 model. Dr. Drew tried to help, however, he had more practical suggestions as he didn’t quite grasp the “mid-life crisis” car in need.

Afterward, Jim started looking for an exotic, mid-engine, European sports car. However, it soon became apparent that even though Adam was correct that he could get an Audi R8 V8 for under 100k, it would have considerably more mileage on it than Jim desired. As he continued his search online, the Lotus Evora kept showing up in his search results. One car, in particular, caught his eye on eBay, a low mileage 2013 Evora S and was located in Phoenix Arizona. The car was basically stock except for an aftermarket exhaust system. As it turns out Jim had a lifelong friend -David Pessin- that worked in the car industry and lived near Phoenix. As a favor for Jim he went and looked at the car

and fell in love with it. He demanded Jim buy the car. There was only one problem, Jim didn’t have the money yet, as he was in the process of selling his company. Jim’s friend loved the car so much he offered to buy and store the car until Jim had the funds. What a friend to say the least. By June of 2018, Jim wired the money and arranged to have the car shipped back home to Missouri.

Jim later called back into the Adam and Dr. Drew show to follow up. Knowing Adam’s personality, Jim was prepared to receive backlash from Adam. Jim was correct and Adam let him have it pretty good and told him he had sold himself short. However, as the conversation progressed, Adam looked up the Evora S specifications and ultimately came around and agreed Jim had bought himself a good “mid-life crisis” car.

Today Jim is enjoying his decision and attending many car events and various club track days. To get the most enjoyment from the car and track day events Jim added some upgrades. Jim took his car to Habibi Motorsports of Maryland Heights, MO. There the car underwent a BOE Stage 1 tune. In addition, a K&N intake air filter was installed along with a Radium Engineering oil catch can. Habibi Motorsports also did a thorough track prep and track inspection which included adding racing brake fluid to hold up to high brake temperatures to help eliminate any brake fade.

To help protect his very clean Evora S, Jim sought the expertise at A&G Auto Spa of Maryland Heights, MO and had Clear Bra and Ceramic Coating installed.

When asked what his favorite thing about the car is, Jim replied with “The fact that it is a rare car and the combination of English and Japanese automotive DNA.” Speaking of rare—we can’t verify it; however, we believe there might have only been less than 26 US Market Evora S’s produced in this color (Sienna Brown Metallic) in 2013 with only approximately 102 US Market Evora S’s produced in total that year. A total of 607 (all models) produced in 2013 with 264 making it to the U.S.

Today the car has only 22k miles on it and looks as good as it did the day it rolled out of the factory.

The fact that it is a rare car and the combination of English and Japanese automotive DNA. “

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