The stock Lotus Evora, which will be launched in the Spring, uses a 3.5-liter Toyota V6 making 276 HP and 252 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough to shove the 2,976 Lb Evora to 60 MPH in 5.5 seconds and onto a 160 MPH top speed.

According to a factory insider speaking to Autocar

We’ve already had a blown version of the V6 engine running on a bench...it delivered 350bhp and 290lb ft of torque [up from 252lb ft in the standard car] without any modifications at all.”

That should be enough to move the 0-to-60 time for the 2011 Lotus Evora SC to well below 5 seconds and bump the top speed up to around 175 MPH.

That’s good news for performance enthusiasts, traditionally Lotus’s core market, but the Evora is the company’s attempt to crack the American market in a big way and, as such, it plans two other versions that are, well, a bit softer.

According to Autocar, first up is a stock Evora equipped with a torque converter automatic. No, you didn’t read that wrong. Expect the Auto to reach US shores some time next year. Following that will be a roadster version. But instead of equipping it with an Elise-like fiddly manual top, the Evora is getting an electric one.

“At the £50,000 price point customers expect an integrated electric roof mechanism,” Autocar’s source said, “and that presents packaging challenges for us.” [via Autocar]

...We still intend to offer the six-speed manual transmission as an option on the GXP model released late this year, however we have no current plans to offer the manual tranny on any other G8 model. It's possible there was some confusion over the GT vs. GXP...

[G8nation]

I tend to think that the inverse is more intuitive for those used to driving a manual, but I may be in the minority there. We could agree, however, that transmissions that include the paddles/buttons on the steering wheel should be oriented laterally (left/right) as opposed to forward/back. Wes ran into this problem with the 2009 BMW X6, which required pushing or pulling with no regard for horizontal layout, causing much confusion. Which is right? Why is Wes wrong? Why am I wrong? Why, why, why, why, why!?!

When the Bangled 7-series dropped just a few short years ago (2002), one of its high-tech highlights was the world's first 6-speed automatic by transmission maker to the stars, ZF. Shortly after the Bimmer dropped, Jaguar, Audi, Bentley, Land Rover and Ford (in their Australia only RWD Falcon) adopted the smooth and torque hungry slushbox. But then Mercedes-Benz came out with a 7-speed auto. Worse, Lexus scooped everyone with an 8-speed. For all those fancy marquees a 6-speed automatic ain't going to cut it. And it won't have to, as ZF just announced their new 8-speed autobox. Aside from the two-extra cogs, ZF is claiming about 6% better mileage compared to the old 6-speed. The new transmission will also send more engine power to the wheels, which we salute. Additionally, the 8-speed has been designed with AWD and hybrid applications in mind. As for the bigger question, will we see a 10-speed auto in 2011? Oh yes, we hope so. Unless DSGs replace conventional autos in high end cars. – Jonny Lieberman

ZF develops new 8-speed auto [motorauthority.com]

Related:
Eight! With Coming ZF Box, BMW Will Match Lexus [Internal]

There's a lot to love about Maserati's Quattroporte, the snarly V8, the sumo-lizard body shape, the King Henry the XXX interior. But its DuoSelect robotic gearbox, the only one offered up to now, is neither sporty enough nor supple enough to satisfy either end of its range of upper-crust buyers. But, as the company announced this week at the Bologna show, it will soon come with a ZF automatic option. In addition to providing smoother, faster shifts — according to a press release — the new box nearly evens up the sedan's weight distribution (49 percent front / 51 percent rear vs, 47 percent front / 53 percent rear for the DuoSelect). We'll know more at the Detroit show, where the autobox will make its debut. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2005 Maserati Quattroporte, Part 1 [internal]