According to earlier reports, the new Eagle will feature a mid-mounted Toyota V6 and will be based on an extended Elise frame. In some markets, the car could even be called the ‘Ethos’. Lotus recently trademarked the name in the U.S. and has since posted details about the registration on its U.S. patent website. After the release of the new Eagle/Ethos, Lotus will finish development work for a successor to the Esprit ahead of a late 2010 launch.
Meanwhile, for its 60th anniversary Lotus is planning a variety of events at its Hethel headquarters over the coming year. It's hard to imagine that it was back in 1948 that Colin Chapman built his first race car and came up with his trademark slogan of “performance through lightweight.”