1999 Lotus Esprit V8 Turbo, Se Model Coupe on 2040-cars

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Lotus Exige Sport 410 is just over 2,400 pounds of forbidden fruit

Few automakers short of Jeep love cranking out new variants of a current model like Lotus. Today, the storied British sports car manufacturer revealed the new Exige Sport 410, essentially a more comfortable and road-friendly version of the track-focused Exige Cup 430. This is a mid-engine coupe with 410 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque and a dry weight that's slightly more than an ND Mazda MX-5 Miata. Too bad it's not-for-U.S. consumption. Thanks to U.S. safety regulations, the Lotus Elise and Exige aren't available in America. Europeans will enjoy the Sport 410's supercharged 3.5-liter V6 and 0-60 mph sprint of just 3.3 seconds. The car's top speed is 180 mph. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Thanks to some sophisticated aero, the car can generate more than 330 pounds of downforce. Under the skin, the Sport 410 uses three-way adjustable Nitron dampers and adjustable Eibach front and rear anti-roll bars. Traction comes in the form of 285/30 ZR18 section rear and 215/45 ZR17 section front Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, some of the stickiest rubber available for road use. Forged-alloy wheels are available in either black or silver. The car uses four-piston AP Racing brakes with two-piece rotors. Options include titanium exhaust, carbon-fiber instrument surround, sill covers, barge boards and roof, electrical cutoff and fire extinguisher controls, airbag deletion, a non-airbag steering wheel, four-point harnesses, a full-leather interior, and a dealer-fitted FIA-compliant roll cage. Of course, with enough cash, Lotus will tailor the car to-taste through its Lotus Exclusive program. Related Video:

Lotus CUV sets sights on Macan

The idea of a minimalist sportscar brand like Lotus actually building a crossover, as opposed to its APX concept, is still a bit hard to comprehend. But survival in the modern automotive landscape isn't easy, and a higher-volume model could do a lot to keep the lights on. Hot off the debut of the feather-light 3-Eleven at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, company CEO Jean-Marc Gales is now divulging some more details about the future model. At the moment, Lotus plans to launch the crossover in 2019, and the company has some rather specific targets in mind. "We want to get SUVs to be light and fast. The nearest rival will be the Porsche Macan – but ours will be better," Gales said to Auto Express. Rumors suggest the use of aluminum and composites with the goal for a weight as much as 400-500 pounds less than Porsche's smaller CUV. The model will be exclusive to the Chinese market at launch. While the Lotus crossover is under serious planning, actual development isn't underway yet. According to Auto Express, the company and its Chinese joint venture partner are still waiting for a license to build cars there. Once that comes, they intend to kick things into high gear. Gales also suggested that a Toyota-sourced powertrain, possibly a hybrid, was in the cards.

Coca-Cola returning to F1 with Lotus sponsorship [w/videos]

Even before Red Bull Racing became a record-breaking three-time Constructor's Champion in Formula One, it has dominated conversations both as a team and as an energy drink. After seven years of "Red Bull this" and "Red Bull that," Coca-Cola is reportedly ready to jump into the F1 fray with its Sweden-based energy drink Burn.
Rumors had placed Coca-Cola's entry with McLaren F1, but it's actually Lotus that has secured the deal. We have no idea what the sponsorship will look like, but the website for Burn says that "We [intend] to foster that creativity by incorporating art and music in a way that will break the conventions of traditional F1 sponsorship," Lotus F1 team principal Eric Boullier adding "We are excited to partner with burn to build a new and innovative model for sponsorships that will combine experiences, content creation and social media..."
Since most - including this writer - have no idea what Burn is, we've included a couple of Burn commercial spots to help get us up to speed, which you'll find below. The 2012 season hasn't even ended, and we're already looking forward to 2013...