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Motor Authority - blog Category: Esprit

  • Lotus Esprit successor may feature Lexus V10

    Lotus Esprit successor may feature Lexus V10 May 27th, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, May 27th, 2009 Ralph Hanson 6 Comments

    Lotus Esprit successor may feature Lexus V10 For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. Lotus has already unveiled its new Evora, but rather than sitting still with this car, work on the new Elise and Esprit is already well underway at the company’s Hethel engineering center in the UK.

    While the future Elise may be seen as early as 2011, of more interest is the flagship Esprit successor, which EVO is reporting could come with an optional V10 engine sourced from Lexus. While there has been no confirmation of such a move, ... For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. Lotus has already unveiled its new Evora, but rather than sitting still with this car, work on the new Elise and Esprit is already well underway at the company’s Hethel engineering center in the UK. While the future Elise may be seen as early as 2011, of more interest is the flagship Esprit successor, which EVO is reporting could come with an optional V10 engine sourced from Lexus. While there has been no confirmation of such a move, Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley has revealed in the past that the car is being developed with “a very well respected prestige carmaker.” Many predicted that BMW would supply one of its V8 engines for the new Esprit but Lotus' close ties with Toyota, from which it already sources a number of powerplants, could see advanced Lexus engines used instead. The 500hp (373kW) V10 engine, which is set to debut in the Lexus LF-A supercar next year, would likely be reserved for a range-topping model, while a mid-spec model would get the IS-F’s 420hp (312kW) V8 and an entry-level model would pick up a 300hp (225kW) version of the 3.5L Toyota V6 from the Evora. To keep costs down and speed up its gestation, the new Esprit will likely share its chassis with the bonded and extruded aluminum unit underpinning the Evora. Rising development costs and changing requirements, however, have reportedly pushed back the original 2010 release date to 2012. The extra time, however, will allow for both coupe and convertible models - Lotus had originally planned to launch a hard-top only - as well as a possible ‘alternative’ model. Read More

  • Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch

    Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch May 10th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, May 10th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year-plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. The company has already unveiled its new Evora 2+2 car, but rather than sitting still with this car, it will be preparing a number of variants of this model, as well as new models.

    A future Lotus Elise could be seen as early as 2011 according to anonymous insiders at Lotus who spoke with Autocar. This next-generation Elise will likely bring forward a number of current components into future models, rather than share its chassis with the... For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year-plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. The company has already unveiled its new Evora 2+2 car, but rather than sitting still with this car, it will be preparing a number of variants of this model, as well as new models. A future Lotus Elise could be seen as early as 2011 according to anonymous insiders at Lotus who spoke with Autocar. This next-generation Elise will likely bring forward a number of current components into future models, rather than share its chassis with the Evora. While the lithe Elise may not be suited to the Evora's chassis, the next-generation Esprit will likely be built on this platform but with a V8 engine providing power. While currently engineers are predicting a 2012 launch date for the new Esprit, whether or not the car gets built at all depends on whether sales of the Evora are successful. Additionally, the new Evora convertible should be arriving at a similar timeline to the new Esprit, which should allow the company some wiggling room to decide which product will be released first - for instance, if the economy is still stagnating in a few years time, the company may choose to focus on the cheaper Evora convertible rather than the Esprit supercar. All in all, Lotus is experiencing a renaissance of sorts with this raft of new models, and well-established rivals such as Porsche may just have to give the niche British sports carmaker a little more credit in the future. Read More

  • New English museum features collection of James Bond cars

    New English museum features collection of James Bond cars April 6th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, April 6th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    New English museum features collection of James Bond cars Over the years he's driven a Lotus Esprit underwater, a Russian T55 tank through the streets of St. Petersburg and even managed to flip an Aston Martin DBS not too long ago - we are of course talking about savior of the world and all-round good guy, James Bond.

    The eponymous James Bond films over the years have featured cars as some of their most important characters - who could forget that stunning Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger?

    Now a fan of the flicks has opened up a Bond museum, with an array of cars and gadgets that were used in filming the series. To amass the collection, British man Peter Nelson has spent... Over the years he's driven a Lotus Esprit underwater, a Russian T55 tank through the streets of St. Petersburg and even managed to flip an Aston Martin DBS not too long ago - we are of course talking about savior of the world and all-round good guy, James Bond. The eponymous James Bond films over the years have featured cars as some of their most important characters - who could forget that stunning Aston Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger? Now a fan of the flicks has opened up a Bond museum, with an array of cars and gadgets that were used in filming the series. To amass the collection, British man Peter Nelson has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds and many hours sourcing his pieces, reports the BBC. The result is an impressive collection that includes the original Lotus Espirt that Roger Moore took underwater in The Spy Who Loved Me, as well as the Octopus from Moore's Octupussy and the golden gun from Moore's The Man with the Golden Gun. The museum will also feature a car that made one of the most famous film gaffes in history - the Ford Mustang driven by Sean Connery in Diamonds are Forever that has to drive up on two-wheels through an alley but then rather bizarrely changes wheels halfway through the scene. The museum, which is set to open for the 100th anniversary of James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli's birthday, also features the T55 tank driven by Pierce Brosnan in Golden Eye. For those who want to visit, a trip to Keswick in North-West England is the way to go. Read More

  • Lotus’ future plans: new 2+2 and Esprit

    Lotus’ future plans: new 2+2 and Esprit September 4th, 2007 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, September 4th, 2007 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    Lotus’ future plans: new 2+2 and Esprit Lotus is probably in the best financial position it’s been in for years, with its debts about to be cleared and production at full capacity focus now turns to what’s in-store for the future. In a recent interview with EVO, Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley spilled the beans on the future plans for the niche sports carmaker from Norfolk. Of special interest, Kimberley revealed that not only will there be a replacement for the mid-engined Esprit in 2009 but an all-new 2+2 GT coupe will be launched at the London Motor Show next year.

    Codenamed Project Eagle, the new 2+2 will be positioned between the Elise/Exige range and the new Esprit.... Lotus is probably in the best financial position it’s been in for years, with its debts about to be cleared and production at full capacity focus now turns to what’s in-store for the future. In a recent interview with EVO, Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley spilled the beans on the future plans for the niche sports carmaker from Norfolk. Of special interest, Kimberley revealed that not only will there be a replacement for the mid-engined Esprit in 2009 but an all-new 2+2 GT coupe will be launched at the London Motor Show next year. Codenamed Project Eagle, the new 2+2 will be positioned between the Elise/Exige range and the new Esprit. The car’s body will be constructed from a bonded aluminum tub and fiberglass composite body with most of the chassis being designed with all new components. There’s no word on what will be powering the new coupe but the smart money is on a new 3.2L V6 sourced from Toyota with an available 300hp. As for the next-gen Esprit, the only details Kimberley was willing to give up was that the car is being developed with a “a very well respected prestige carmaker.” Most are predicting it'll be powered by a BMW-sourced V8 engine but a recent tie-up with Aston Martin could mean the Vantage V8’s mill could be the engine of choice. It seems previous plans to build a front-engine RWD coupe and a crossover are not to be. Click here to see spy-shots of the new Esprit or here to read the full interview. Read More

  • Spy Shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit

    Spy Shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit February 23rd, 2007 ByJames Martinez James Martinez, Author, February 23rd, 2007 James Martinez 0 Comments

    Spy Shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit Even more images of Lotus’ upcoming Esprit supercar have turned up, this time with a test-mule seen driving on public roads. The car is expected to be powered by a BMW-sourced V8 engine displacing either 4.4 or 4.8L, and deliver within the region of 370hp. Lotus fully denies that this prototype is in fact the new Esprit, but sources in the UK confirm that it is and that the car will be ready for sale in 2009.

    The images reveal the new Lotus picks up design cues from Audi’s R8 coupe, with large air intakes in front of the rear-guards feeding air to the mid-mounted powerplant. The flagship Lotus is expected to cost around... Even more images of Lotus’ upcoming Esprit supercar have turned up, this time with a test-mule seen driving on public roads. The car is expected to be powered by a BMW-sourced V8 engine displacing either 4.4 or 4.8L, and deliver within the region of 370hp. Lotus fully denies that this prototype is in fact the new Esprit, but sources in the UK confirm that it is and that the car will be ready for sale in 2009. The images reveal the new Lotus picks up design cues from Audi’s R8 coupe, with large air intakes in front of the rear-guards feeding air to the mid-mounted powerplant. The flagship Lotus is expected to cost around €110,000 and don’t be surprised if the new Esprit weighs in at around 1200kg. Follow the jump to see the images in full over at Autovisie. Read More

  • Spy shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit

    Spy shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit February 7th, 2007 By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Viknesh Vijayenthiran, Author, February 7th, 2007 Viknesh Vijayenthiran 2 Comments

    Spy shots: 2009 Lotus Esprit An anonymous tipster to AutoGespot, a car spotting website, has managed to get the best pictures yet of Lotus’ upcoming Esprit supercar. Sources claim that the new Esprit will feature a BMW-sourced engine –there’s still some debate about whether it’ll be 4.4L or 4.8L - developing in the region of 370hp and will be able to take the new Esprit to a top speed of 290km/h.

    Lotus has always been about low weight, so don’t be surprised if the new Esprit comes in at around 1200kg thanks to the use of advanced materials like aluminium and carbon fibre. The flagship Lotus is expected to cost around €110,000 and... An anonymous tipster to AutoGespot, a car spotting website, has managed to get the best pictures yet of Lotus’ upcoming Esprit supercar. Sources claim that the new Esprit will feature a BMW-sourced engine –there’s still some debate about whether it’ll be 4.4L or 4.8L - developing in the region of 370hp and will be able to take the new Esprit to a top speed of 290km/h. Lotus has always been about low weight, so don’t be surprised if the new Esprit comes in at around 1200kg thanks to the use of advanced materials like aluminium and carbon fibre. The flagship Lotus is expected to cost around €110,000 and will hit a road near you towards the end of 2009. Now that VW has bought Proton, and by association Lotus, we're pretty sure they don't want to be sending money over to BMW for its engines. Could that mean the Esprit may get the RS4's 420hp V8? We'll have to wait and see. Via Autoblog.nl Read More

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