The Evante, designed and invented by George Walter Robinson, is an English automobile which began production in 1987 in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. Engine tuning company Vegantune had been restoring Lotus Elan cars and making some improvements to them. They decided to build a complete new car and set up a separate company, Evante Cars Ltd, to make them.
The Evante, designed and invented by George Walter Robinson, is an English automobile which began production in 1987 in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. Engine tuning company Vegantune had been restoring Lotus Elan cars and making some improvements to them. They decided to build a complete new car and set up a separate company, Evante Cars Ltd, to make them.
The Evante's design was heavily inspired by the Lotus Elan and it was powered by the Ford Kent based Vegantune VTA 1.6 and later 1.7-litre twin overhead cam engine driving the rear wheels through a gearbox originally from a Ford Sierra. The 1.6 L engine produced at 6500 rpm and at 3000 rpm as standard, with a version also offered, which featured bigger ports, high-lift camshafts and an increase in the compression ratio from 8.5:1 to 10.5:1. The later 1.7 L engines reportedly had a similar power output but increased torque. The fibreglass body was mounted onto a tubular steel space frame chassis. It featured independent double wishbone suspension all round, with coil springs and telescopic dampers, ditching the rear Chapman struts of the Elan. Disc brakes were fitted front and rear. Mk1 cars were fitted with Triumph TR7 taillights, while later Mk2 models used the taillights from a Volkswagen Golf Mk2. The interiors were fitted with Connolly Leather seats, walnut dashboard and electric windows, with much of the switchgear shared with the Ford Escort.
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