1977 Lotus Esprit Project Car on 2040-cars

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Lotus working on a more spacious daily driver with a kinder price

Lotus has another sports car in the works, with a reveal planned for later this year or early next. It could be the second piece of the puzzle former Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales spoke of to Automotive News in 2018, saying parent company Geely "has approved three new models: Two sports cars and the third an SUV." The last new serial production car the English carmaker introduced was the Evora in 2009, the penultimate model in a four-car lineup in the UK that includes the Exige and Elise below, the Evija battery-electric hypercar above. Automotive News Europe writes that the coming sports car will be an "entry-level model" and "provide enough interior space for everyday use," based on an interview with new automaker CEO Phil Popham. Entry-level doesn't mean least expensive, though, rather a price range from GBP55,000 to GBP100,000, which is $68,000 to $123,670 in our money. Those figures would be entry-level here in the U.S., where the sole Lotus is the Evora GT and costs $96,950 before destination. In the UK, the Elise Sport 220 is priced at GBP41,655, the Elise Cup 250 at GBP49,555. For reference, a Porsche 718 Cayman begins at GBP44,790 over there, a Jaguar F-Type at GBP54,510.  The second sports car referenced a couple years ago isn't the Evija, if we can believe last month's report from Autocar. The magazine wrote there's a mid-engined hybrid coupe supposedly evoking the Esprit on the way, scheduled for debut the first half of next year. It will slot in above the Evora, which starts at GBP85,900 in GT410 Sport guise in the UK, and produce more than 500 horsepower with help from a mid-mounted Toyota-sourced V6.  Back to that entry-level car, the most surprising news is when AN writes it is "destined to be the company's last combustion-engine model." That begs the question, what happened to the SUV? Patent images of a Lotus people-hauler leaked in 2017, in 2018 the carmaker said the SUV would hit the market by 2022, and in the middle of last year spy shooters caught what we thought to be a Lotus SUV mule hidden under bodywork of Geely's Lync & Co 01. The AN piece mentioned that "Future options could also include SUV or sporting sedan, according to Popham." But if AN has it right about internal combustion engines, the SUV will be a surprise showing before the entry-level sports car, or will be electric.  And what would the end of ICE-powered models do to the chances of the lightweight revival models Lotus fans want?

Evora GT430 revealed, Lotus' most powerful road car ever

A new Lotus grows in the English garden of lightness and speed. Lotus bills the Evora GT430 as the company's fastest, "most powerful and accomplished road car to date." And the stats seem to back that up. Lotus says the GT430's 0-to-60 time is a brilliant 3.7 seconds, the logical result of putting a 3.5-liter V6 supercharged and charge-cooled engine producing 430 horsepower into a car with a curb weight of 2,858 pounds (2,768 pounds exsanguinated). Lotus, in continual pursuit of its fetish for lightness, used carbon fiber (some of it exposed) and lightweight chassis innovations to knock 81 pounds off the curb weight of the already-quite-light Evora 410. Other comparison points: The 410 makes 410 horsepower, hence the name, with a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. The GT430 also gains torque over the 410, generating 325 pound-feet, though higher in the rev range at 4,500 rpm, to the 410's output of 310 at 3,500. The GT430 comes only with a six-speed manual (you can get an automatic in the 410 if so inclined), and its top speed is 190 miles per hour. Tack on aero, notably the large carbon wing, that generates up to 550 pounds of downforce (that's at top speed, but there's plenty far slower), and Lotus says the result is "tremendous real-world speed and handling unheard of in its class." It's the first new product announcement since news broke of Lotus' sale to China's Geely. Only 60 Evora GT430s will be built, at a base price of 112,500 pounds (VAT included) that will escalate quickly with options. That's around $125 grand, assuming you could get one here. Check out Lotus' website for details. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Evora GT430 View 15 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Auto News Lotus Technology Coupe Performance Geely

F1 just got a whole lot quieter, and some people are really unhappy about it

The scene is the front straight of the Albert Park Circuit at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, and what you see on track on either side of the gentleman wearing the orange hat is a Mercedes AMG Petronas being followed by a Lotus. The first major clue, as should be obvious by the nose of the Mercedes, is that this scene was captured last year. The other major clue in the photo is the gentleman in the orange hat: he's wearing earmuffs to silence the noise. We count at least four people wearing them, and that's before the camera pans. Some F1 fans have been pleased with the sound of the new 1.6-liter V6 engines, but it appears that the majority are not; the organizers of the Australian Grand Prix are threatening to sue because of a "lack of sexiness," and F1 impresario Bernie Ecclestone has declared he was "horrified by the lack of [noise]." YouTube user krookzeh has posted a video comparing last year's 2.4-liter V8 cars on the first lap at Albert Park with the new turbo V6 cars on the first lap this year. You can compare the sounds and the number of earmuffs in the short clip below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: ESPN F1 [1], [2], krookzeh via YouTube Motorsports Lotus Racing Vehicles Videos F1 australian grand prix