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Lotus could build production versions of Renault Alpine, Infiniti Emerg-E

As with one of those blockbuster three-team NBA trades that actually improves the fortunes of every team involved, a report in Autocar indicates that Renault, Infiniti and Lotus are in talks that could benefit both manufacturers and enthusiasts. Renault is considering a production version of the devil-in-blue Alpine A110-50 concept but has said that it "probably needs more than the Renault-Nissan Alliance on its own." Enter Lotus, whose Evora platform could supply the running bits for the mid-engined Alpine revival.
That same Evora platform, in range-extended 414E concept form, is the basis for the Infiniti Emerg-E concept. Even though a decision hasn't been made on the Emerg-E's production, it is still being developed and the company has admitted that it "could be built in Britain." For its part, Lotus has said that it's ahead of schedule on the Evora 414E, with its 408 horsepower, 738 pound-feet of torque and 30-mile electric range. Development funds from both Renault and Infiniti could help make all three cars a closer possibility.

Xcar tosses the Lotus Evora 400 around in the rain

Lotus appears to be blooming again after a rocky period, and the company is launching the Evora 400 here in December for $89,900. Xcar just got a hold of one of these updated coupes on a rainy day to find out if it can be a Porsche competitor. With 400 horsepower, the aptly named Evora 400 tops the Porsche Cayman GT4 by 15 ponies, and with a purported sprint to 60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds, the Lotus also nudges out the Porsche by a tenth of a second. So on paper, the two coupes are quite comparable. Of course, Xcar also digs deep into more subjective factors, like how it actually feels behind the wheel. If you think you prefer a little more wind in your hair, the company is developing an Evora 400 roadster, too. Rather than an actual droptop, the roof will reportedly consist of two, removable carbon-fiber panels. It'll arrive on these shores in the coming years as part of Lotus' re-emergence.

1991 Lotus Elan | eBay Find of the Day

Lotus has always been a company that goes its own way, and the 1991 Elan you see above is quite possibly the strangest vehicle that the British automaker has ever designed and built. It's powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that sends 162 horsepower to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox. This generation of the Elan, which was produced from 1989-1995, remains to this day the only front-wheel-drive vehicle that Lotus has ever sold. And it wasn't very popular, with only 3,855 sold worldwide and less than 600 imported to the United States. That makes it a very rare car indeed. Lotus promotional materials claimed there were "definite advantages in traction and controllability," and added that "drawbacks such as torque steer, bump steer and steering kickback were not insurmountable." Road tests of the front-drive Elan almost universally praised the vehicle's excellent handling performance. The car you see here, sold by Gateway Classic Cars of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, looks to be in pretty good overall condition. The mileage is on the high side at nearly 111,000, but it has new paint, a new convertible top, and a refurbished interior. The asking price stands at $16,995, which makes it one of the least expensive vehicles to wear a Lotus badge that you can park in your garage and enjoy.