1979 Lotus Esprit S2, 2.0l on 2040-cars

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Lotus Emira V6 First Edition Road Test: The most fun for $100,000

You really couldn’t script it more perfectly. The Lotus Emira is a dream sports car. ItÂ’s good that we all recognize that here and now, as far too often in the super- and sports car world, the market doesnÂ’t realize what an astounding thing it has until sales have gone cold, and the manufacturer kills it off. Cough, Acura NSX. In a way, the Emira is a love letter to everything enthusiasts desire about driving. Lotus is in a state of transition – the EVs are coming! The whole automotive industry is changing, and cars like the Emira are the ones weÂ’ll point to as high-water marks for this era. Not because it has a 0-60 mph time that can embarrass competitors. Not because it pioneers any particular technology in general. Truthfully, itÂ’s not remarkably pushing any boundaries on paper, but IÂ’d argue, who cares? It has an aged 3.5-liter supercharged V6 borrowed from Toyota that makes a fine – but not eyebrow-raising – 400 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s actually less horsepower than Evora variants like the GT and Sport 410 made, which is the opposite direction sports cars typically go in for a new generation. It has hydraulic steering, and there isnÂ’t a single driver assistance nag in sight (donÂ’t worry, it still has cruise control). You pick your suspension setting from the factory: Tour or Sport. It does have a few drive modes, but they donÂ’t adjust the suspension or steering. An automatic transmission is available, but please skip that to enjoy one of the best-shifting gearboxes in the world. And oh yes, you can watch the exposed linkage work its mechanical joy. Same goes for the visible throttle actuator that can be seen in the rearview mirror through the glass separating driver from engine. Yeah, Lotus gets us. If youÂ’re salivating and frothing at the mouth by now, then youÂ’re just the sort of person Lotus has in mind for the Emira. Of course, the catch with anything wearing a Lotus badge in the past was the uncertainty around buying a car from a low-production British outfit and the accompanying lack of modern amenities. Even though the Evora was a step toward Porsche in so many ways, it still felt and acted like a classy kit car with its Alpine head unit, borrowed parts and general lack of polish. The last Evora GT test car we had leaked from both A-pillars with the windows up while driving in a rainstorm. Would a factory-fresh 718 Cayman ever do such a thing? I would think not.

Recap: 2013 Spanish Grand Prix is Catalan for 'Lottery' and 'More pit stops'

This year's Formula One season might qualify as being just as crazy as last year's, only it's a different kind of crazy. Instead of a new winner every Sunday, how the winner actually manages to take the victory is the mystery, and just when we thought the season might have settled into a groove regarding team performance, here comes the Spanish Grand Prix to remind us that we don't know anything until the race has been run.
There were many similarities to past weekends to being this one: Mercedes-AMG Petronas showed awesome one-lap pace, Fernando Alonso did well enough in qualifying to get fifth on the grid but talked up the race pace of the Ferrari, Kimi Räikkönen was the equivalent of a racing photobomber, never saying much but always showing up in the picture, Felipe Massa wasn't really big on the tires and McLaren might want to consider starting a blues band they spend so much time singing them.
Then the lights went green and things went nuts...

Alpine joins forces with Lotus to develop an electric sports car

Renault's performance-rooted Alpine division linked arms with Caterham to develop the current-generation A110, but it brought the project in-house after the partnership collapsed. It's again looking across the English Channel to design the model's replacement. It teamed up with Lotus to examine ways to create a nimble electric sports car. Both companies issued a statement to cautiously explain the project remains at the embryonic stage. Development work hasn't started yet. Executives simply agreed to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study for the joint engineering, design, and development of a battery-powered model. On the French side, the car (assuming it's approved) will replace the A110. In the United Kingdom, it's unclear whether the Lotus-badged variant will take the torch from an existing model (like the Elise), or if it will be positioned as a standalone car. While it sounds like nothing is set in stone yet, the match makes sense. Alpine and Lotus are both niche players in the automotive industry, though they're part of much larger groups (Geely owns Lotus). And they both made a name for themselves by building light sports cars. Neither has ever offered a rival to the Lamborghini Aventador, for example. Working together will allow them to find a common solution to the problem of offsetting the mass of an electric powertrain. Overlapping is certainly possible, but Alpine and Lotus can stay in opposite corners of the same room if they put their respective DNAs front and center. Their jointly-developed electric sports car will need to be small, nimble, and quick. From there, Lotus could shape its version as a convertible (or at least with removable roof panels) while Alpine could turn its model into a coupe, the body style it's most closely associated with. Design will be a major differentiating factor, too. Lotus previously hinted its future cars will borrow styling cues from the Evija. We don't know exactly where Alpine is headed, but nothing suggests its future cars will also look like the Evija. Alpine's reshuffling won't end there. Renault announced that the firm will gain responsibility for Renault Sport and Renault Sport Racing in the coming years, and that it will become 100% electric. It will introduce at least three new models during the first half of the 2020s: a car that looks like a city-friendly hatchback, its first crossover, inevitably, and the aforementioned A110 replacement.