New Lotus Esprit almost ready
Insiders confirm to Autocar the new flagship supercar is all but ready, just needs the big-wig green light

It appears 007 is still very comfortable behind the wheel of his trusty Aston Martin's, but if the new Esprit makes sees the light of day he may just be changing his tune once again. It seems insiders have leaked to Autocar magazine, the new flagship Lotus is almost finished. Don't get to excited just yet because the new Esprit will not see the production line in the immediate future with all the management problems that still plague the company.

The sources note the Esprit will use a 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with an F1-style KERS system, mated to a seven-speed paddle-shift transmission. Despite a power output of around 650bhp, a carbon fiber and aluminum construction, the Esprit is expected to cost no more than a well optioned Porsche 911 – around £100,000. If this car does see the light of day, expect a lot of interest at this price level.

Source [Autocar]


1977 Lotus Esprit Featured in "The Spy Who Loved Me"

 

About time! Wasn't so impressed with the Evora-- this certainly spices things up a bit. Definitely interested to see how the KERS idea pans out for them.

 

I was always an Esprit fan. I interested to see the rear. I hope they keep the weight down. The price seems much lower than I would expect.

 

I love lotus, I just wish they'd do away with the Elise

This looks great

 

Horrible.

 

Really? I think the green machine above would be a super cool option if it really has 911 performance and price, just my opinion!

 

that green looks excellent! I can't wait to see the final product.

 

The Green looks great. If it comes out looking like that, it would go great with my S2.

 

Very excited to see what comes of this! I think it looks pretty good.

 

Have loved Esprits since I first saw "The Spy Who Loved Me", so that top photo is quite appropriate. Since they blew up Bond's Aston it'd be cool to see him in one of these next time around.

My personal feeling is that if it's light enough it won't need the added complexity of a KERS system, but then I don't know how much weight it adds.

If it was my money (which it won't be, so take for what it is), I'd like the option of a proper manual. But I know how things are these days.

In any case I think it's pretty sharp. Some real mirrors will fill it out nicely, it looks great in a dark color.