2001 Lotus Esprit V8 Twin-turbo 33k Miles on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lotus Advanced Performance division wants to make your dreams come true

Lotus took a big step in its quest to position itself as a British alternative to Porsche by launching a division called Advanced Performance. Run by a former Aston Martin executive, Lotus Advanced Performance will design and build one-off and few-off models, among other tasks. Most high-end and specialty carmakers operate a program that gives customers some degree of freedom in terms of customization. Lotus was, until now, largely an exception to this rule. It hopes to make up for lost time by giving its Advanced Performance division a surprisingly long list of responsibilities. First the department will be responsible for building "ultra-exclusive and unique vehicles" that will not be part of the firm's regular-production line-up. One of these (shown in a sketch above) looks like it draws inspiration from classic Formula One cars. Details are few and far between, but the massive rear wing speaks volumes about the kind of halo cars we'll see in the not-too-distant future. What's unclear is whether Lotus will take customer requests. We've reached out, and we'll update this story if we learn more. Designing limited-edition models and developing race cars will also fall within the scope of Advanced Performance's responsibilities. And, it's the door that buyers who want to customize their car will need to knock on; they'll be able to select different paint colors, trim materials, and upholsteries. Optional extras and a range of Lotus-branded accessories will also emerge from Advanced Performance's headquarters. Immersing customers and enthusiasts into the Lotus world is important as well, so Advanced Performance will organize tours of the brand's production lines, organize driving academies around the world (including on the Hethel test track in England) and prepare "money can't buy" opportunities for clients. There's no word yet on what these experiences will look like; more information should emerge later in 2022. Lotus put Simon Lane in charge of its Advanced Performance division. He's a good choice: his resume includes leading Aston Martin's Q division, whose list of responsibilities looks a lot like Advanced Performance's. Q notably brought us the V8-powered Cygnet in 2018 and the one-of-a-kind Victor unveiled in 2020. Some of its other projects have been more tame: it gave the DBX a long list of carbon fiber parts. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lotus Evija EV supercar is charging toward series production

It's almost time for Lotus to begin production of real Evijas bound for customers, but first, it must go through its final round of testing. To accomplish this task, Lotus had to prep its brand-new production facility to build the final prototypes. New photos and video give a glimpse of what the Lotus assembly hall looks like.  The Evija, which means "the first in existence," is an all-electric supercar that Lotus hopes will be the most powerful production road car ever made. The supercar uses electric motors for four-wheel drive with torque vectoring and has a battery pack rated at 70kWh. Lotus claims it has 1,973 horsepower and 1,254 lb-ft of torque, can go zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, can do zero to 186 mph in less than nine seconds, and has a top speed of 200 mph. All of that, with a weight of 3,704 pounds.  Possibly more impressive are the claimed battery stats. The Evija, which is the first Lotus developed with new majority shareholder Geely, can supposedly fully charge in less than 10 minutes and has a range of 250 miles. With a 350-kW charger, it'll fill up in 18 minutes. Lotus says the Evija has been an extremely collaborative effort, as 20 specialist contractors and 50 experts have been on site for the past six months. They've been hard at work in the new facility, which is located next to the 2.2-mile Hethel circuit in Hethel, in Norfolk, U.K. Check out the new state-of-the-art light tunnel, the vehicle lifts, the gantry crane, and more above and below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Lotus nearing decision on sedan versus crossover

Lotus may be comfortable for the time being developing newer and better versions of its existing sports cars, but it won't necessarily skate by on its aging product portfolio forever. According to a report from Reuters, Lotus and its Malaysian parent company DRB-Hicom are currently considering adding a new model to the British automaker's lineup. And in a further sign of the times, it seems likely that the new model would be either a sedan or crossover. "I'm a bit torn between an SUV and a four-door sports car – but in the end I can see that the SUV has the bigger market," Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Reuters. "We'd do an SUV that is very light, very fast on the track and has outstanding handling," in keeping with what Lotus is known for. It would not be the first sports car manufacturer to delve into either category, of course. Porsche rebuilt its business by expanding into both categories with models like the Panamera, Cayenne and Macan. Maserati has long offered successive versions of the Quattroporte, more recently launched the Ghibli sedan and will soon introduce the Levante crossover. Aston Martin has toyed with both, as has Lamborghini. Other marques like Ferrari and McLaren, however, remain resolutely opposed to either proposition. This past December, we reported that Lotus was preparing to go a slightly different route by offering a high-riding version of the Evora instead of a proper four-door sport-ute. This latest development, however, would appear to be quite different. The company's engineering division showcased the APX crossover concept back in 2006, and revealed the Eterne sedan concept as part of the grandiose plans of the previous Bahar administration in 2010. The last time the proposition came up this past August, nearly half of respondents to our online poll voted that Lotus should build a sedan, but not a crossover. Over a quarter of you said Lotus should built both, 2 percent voted for the crossover over the sedan, and 22 percent said Lotus should steer clear of either.