1991 Lotus Esprit (espree) Turbo Se Black Mid-engine Restoration Project on 2040-cars

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Lotus Exige Sport 350 adds even more lightness

Lotus is constantly looking for more weight to cut out of models like the Elise and Exige, as light as they already are. The company somehow found 112 lbs to carve out of the Exige, and the result is the new Sport 350 you see here. Following the reveal of the Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220, the new Exige Sport 350 weighs just 2,480 pounds. That's 112 pounds less than the existing featherlike Exige S, with its aluminum chassis and composite bodywork. To cut weight where there was so little to be cut, the engineers in Hethel fitted a new louvered tailgate, battery, engine mounts, center console, HVAC piping, and insulation materials. All of those new components are lighter than the ones they replace, fulfilling company founder Colin Chapman's ethos of "adding lightness." The 3.5-liter supercharged V6 carries over with the same output of 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. But with less weight to move, the Exige Sport 350 will now reach 60 from a standstill in just 3.7 seconds, topping out at 170 miles per hour. With it, Lotus also retuned the suspension and the six-speed manual gearbox, which now features a deliciously exposed linkage. A six-speed automatic is also available, adding 12 lbs to the curb weight and altering performance only negligibly. Deliveries will begin in February across Europe before reaching markets overseas in March (around the same time that the Exige Sport 350 Roadster will follow). Unfortunately North America isn't one of those markets, since both the Elise and Exige were withdrawn from these shores in 2011. Hope springs eternal, however, that the next generation will reach us sometime after 2020. New Lotus Exige Sport 350 – Light is Right · 51 kg lighter than previous Exige S · 345 hp and in excess of 300 hp/tonne · 0-60 mph in 3.7 Seconds and top speed of 170 mph · Heritage Tartan interior and new colour and trim options As the ultimate incarnation of the world famous Exige, Lotus has revealed the Sport 350, the latest version of the class-leading and award winning sports car, that's lighter and faster than ever before. The new Exige Sport 350 is the next model in the range to mark the reintroduction of the renowned 'Sport' naming designation. It joins the recently announced Lotus Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 – delivering a lighter and even more performance-focused driving experience.

Jay Leno goes old school with 1966 Lotus Elan 26R

On the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage the guest's are both from inside the garage: the man they call Professor Jim Hall, Leno's master fabricator, and the 1966 Lotus 26R that he spent 18 months building. The Elan 26R was the racing version of the Elan that Lotus founder Colin Chapman began building after watching privateer teams prep their roadgoing Elans for competition duty all over Europe. Built by the factory from 1964-1966, drivers like Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart won silverware in the roadster called "the giant killer."
Hall, a veteran Lotus wrench, started with the 1966 Elan street car and turned it into a 26R that's arguably better than the factory original. Except for the engine block and head, original 26R body and Elan chassis, just about everything is custom built, highly modified or special order, from the fabricated oil pan, brake lines, safety wiring and oval exhaust tubing to the six-speed sequential transmission.
The episode is an unusually-long 21 minutes because, as an in-house build, Leno can go through the process of putting the whole roadster together. When he takes it for a drive and keeps going on about how it sings, you can hear it, too. It's worth the time to check out Mr. Hall's Opus in the video below.

Lotus Esprit all but ready to go, but held back by management issues

Brief and disappointing is this report from Autocar on the status of the Lotus Esprit: it is finally ready and sitting at the light, but the light might not go green for a long time. The good news is that from being a concept two years ago at the Paris Motor Show, the aluminum and carbon fiber revival coupe is "purportedly almost finished." It is powered by a twin-turbo, 5.0-liter V8 with something like 650 horsepower, boosted by a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and shifting through a seven-speed paddleshift transmission. Even with all that, the UK price is said to be around that of a Porsche 911 4S Cabriolet, and the car only needs "signing off and minor tweaking."
The bad news is that former company owner Proton couldn't stay independent long enough to see through the company's ambitious five-concept-car assault - led by then-CEO Dany Bahar who was hired explicitly to lead such a campaign - and was swallowed up by Malaysian auto supplier DRB-Hicom. For a brief spell Lotus had to shut down production for lack of funds. Then the new owner cleaned house, sweeping out Bahar and, according to the Financial Times just one month ago, the Esprit and every other concept with it. Just after the FT piece came out, Lotus denied the Esprit had been canceled. Still, according to Autocar, the management whirlpool is keeping the Esprit "far from becoming a production reality."
If we're honest with ourselves, we'll keep in mind that the Esprit has been slipping into and out of a terminal ether for what seems like decades. None of us knows what is going on inside Hethel HQ, but the fact that there really is a lightweight, twin-turbo, 650-hp Lotus Esprit finally ready to be produced has to be, in spite of all else, very good news.