Lotus has recently set its sights on doing a full revamp of their line of cars, going from full on niche and cult breeder to full fledged luxury super car provider. The transition of course will take time, but I'm willing to wait on that. The first of the line ups that they are producing seem to be a good start.
The forerunner in the lineup is going to be the Esprit. Good looking to begin with, the car seems to be based on the design of the Murchielago, and damn it looks good in old skin. But seriously, this little car will produce 550 hp standard in the norm, and the R should produce 620. The engine is going to be a reworked Lexus IS-F engine. It basically is completely retooled to spool up to 8500 rpm, and has a supercharger on it. This is all fitted to a dual clutch transmission (DCT). The performance of the car is aimed to be at the Ferrari 458 and Porsche 911. I think the Porsche is a contender, but i didn't know how it will stack up to Ferrari's latest child, which is replacing the heralded 430 series.
Interestingly enough, there might be hybrid version available, which they call "mild". If it were to exist, the car should be fitted with regenerative braking and an "e-boost". This NOS like system is placed in the tranny, and gives you a 50 hp boost when you push the button. I love technology.
The body will be constructed of aluminum for the wrapping and carbon fiber for the side panels. For the first time Lotus will not use glass fiber to create the body. The reason: aesthetics. People paying through the nose to get class, and this combo looks better than the fiber.
So there you have it, the beginning of the new Lotus era. In total they will make five cars with the Esprit hopefully as the flagship model. I'd like to see where their going with this concept, and apt reports will be made to follow the story.
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