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Lotus Esprit spied wearing mismatched Evora bodywork

The sorta funky looking Lotus Evora you see above isn't really an Evora at all. In fact, it's a mule for an upcoming new Lotus in the spirit of the Esprit, which, rumor has it, will be introduced in the first half of 2021. It may even be called the Esprit, reviving the name of one of the company's most recognizable and well-loved nameplates, though that has yet to be confirmed by the British automaker. Power is expected to come from a Toyota-sourced V6 engine, as is the case with the Evora. But instead of the Evora's 2+2 seating configuration, the reborn Esprit would be a two-seater. While we aren't privy to the automaker's engineering offices, it seems the space vacated by the vestigial rear seating area might be used to hold some battery packs, as the upcoming car is going to be a hybrid. The 2020 Lotus Evora spins 416 horsepower out of its supercharged 3.5-liter V6; the hybridized Esprit is rumored to pack over 500 ponies, buoyed by an electric motor and lithium ion battery pack that's thought to be cribbed from the Volvo parts bin. That makes sense, as Lotus and Volvo both fall under Chinese automaker Geely's umbrella. The Evora offers the choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes, but we'll have to wait and see if those choices are shared with the Esprit. The mule seen above is sporting some mismatched Evora bodywork — seemingly sprayed black in haste, judging by the specks of blue and yellow at the front and rear along with the lone green pop just ahead of the rear wheels — that has been widened with some tacked on wheel arches. The production version is expected to crib styling elements from Lotus' range-topping electric Evija. We can't wait to see how it all turns out. Related Video:

Race recap: 2015 British Grand Prix is a testament to timing

In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton actually had to work for pole position at the British Formula One Grand Prix. The World Champion couldn't get on top of the setup for his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on Friday, lapping behind teammate Nico Rosberg and the two Ferraris. Come Saturday, after a few alterations and a whole lot of wing to clamp down on understeer, Hamilton returned to his regular program at the front, taking pole position by just over a tenth of a second from his teammate. Williams, thought to be headed for another stretch in the weeds a few races ago, showed its best strength all year. The Grove team got both cars on the second row and in front of the Ferraris, Felipe Massa qualifying ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, but they were eight and nine tenths behind the Mercedes'. Kimi Raikkonen out-qualified Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel for the second time this year, and only the first time in a straight-up battle with two healthy cars. But more than a second behind the two cars at the front, and with two nearly-impossible-to-pass Williams' in front, neither the Finn nor the German is happy with where they are. Daniil Kvyat claimed seventh, his side of the garage at Infiniti Red Bull Racing having got through the weekend to that point without a single complaint about their Renault power unit. Carlos Sainz, Jr. put a single Toro Rosso inside the top ten in eighth position, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg who did the same for Sahara Force India by slotting in ninth. The second Infiniti Red Bull driven by Daniel Ricciardo did have an unspecified engine complaint – his car kept "bleeding power" on the straights – but even so he managed to qualify tenth with his second-fastest lap. The stewards deleted his best lap because he ran three centimeters outside the track limits at Copse, an infraction that stung a few other drivers as well. Up in front, what would sting the Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers the most was the start. That's when a dearth of grip struck both Hamilton and Rosberg, allowing Massa and Bottas to slide right up the middle between them and take the first two places. The leapfrogging was so surprising that it looked like the Mercedes drivers were giving the Williams drivers a head start. They diced through the first corners, Hamilton sliding past Bottas into second place halfway through the lap. And then the safety car reported for duty.

Caterham inks US distribution deal with Superformance

Sort of like an automotive big box store, Superformance is rapidly becoming the destination for anyone interested in modern kit cars. Besides the normal spattering of Shelby Cobra replicars, Superformance also offers replicas of the GT40 and Corvette Grand Sport. Now, we can add an altogether different type of DIY car to the company's portfolio - Caterham.
Superformance has just been announced as the new US distributor for Caterham Cars, effectively adding the entire suite of Lotus variants to the company's catalog. While there will be a large variety of models available, according to Caterham the mix will skew toward more powerful offerings. As much as we like the affordable appeal of a Seven 160 or Roadsport, simply having the wildly powerful 620 R or Superlight R500 available in the US is a good thing for enthusiasts.
"In the last two years, Caterham has significantly broadened its reach internationally and signing a new official distributor in the form of Superformance in America is a natural extension of how our brand is expanding, rapidly, across the globe," Caterham Group CEO Graham Macdonald said. Read more in the press release below.