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Spiritual_Beggar
4,538 posts
63 months
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Where does this leave the Exige V6 then?
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ugg10
106 posts
86 months
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Esprit engine - my money would be on a supercharged version of the ISF engine (or the 600H engine), V8 and should make around 600HP as the base model makes 420HP NA.
That is unless VW buy them and then just stick in the V8/V10 from the A8 or Gallardo.
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Hellbound
Original Poster
1,941 posts
45 months
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Maybe VW feel they need a brand in that area of the world to bring the fight to the Koreans? Proton is lagging behind Kia and Hyundai.
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bleunos
37 posts
13 months
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Why don't Lotus just build an affordable sports car instead of chasing Aston, Ferrari, Porsche?
They could build a new Élan cheaply by just shamelessly copying the Eunos Roadster, which was itself shamelessly ripped off from the Lotus Élan! What comes around and all that. I don't see how Lotus didn't spot this years ago!
A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand. It wouldn't need to be the last word in sophistication. Something along the lines of the new toybaru coupe but much cheaper!
Get that selling, refresh the Elise then if the F1 team are still doing well MAYBE start thinking about building bespoke V8's to put in a Ferrari chasing supercar.
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sunsurfer
211 posts
50 months
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I applauded Lotus ambition.
I thought a modular architecture to create a 5 strong range of cars would mean they could create cars at a low(ish) price and sell them at a high(ish) price. Exactly what Porsche and others do. Thus generating the profits for true sustainability for Lotus.
I still think this would work but a more measured approach of getting things right before launch and sorting the perceived quality makes sense. I'm looking forward to a convertible Evora - apart from quality of interior - all reviews I've read say the Evora is an amazing car that should be checked out by anyone in the market for a Cayman/911.
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ESOG
1,012 posts
27 months
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HELL F****** YEAH!!!!!
Lotus fans everywhere can now BREATHE out!!
This is the best news I've gotten all week!! The only model of the new proposed cars I liked were the Elan and the Eterne. The Esprit as well but I wasn't gobsmacked and breathless by it, though I figured it would look stunning in tjhe flesh as most Loti do. But I could never get over the rear of it, fugly at best.
Bring the noise Lotus!! And I love the comments about focus on quality as well as paying respect to the engineers time and planning. This is exactly what I want to hear. They get it!
All those keeping quiet but rooting for Lotus just for the sake of it, come out now and admit it, the proposed lineup was ghastly cookie cutter fantasy of a mad mans vision. Trying to take a company to the top prematurely as Bahars plan was is like throwing an MMA rookie fighter in with a champion. He stands well on his own but will most likely get creamed.
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ESOG
1,012 posts
27 months
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rohrl said: I can think of no better way for a small manufacturer to bankrupt themselves in short order than to attempt to develop and build their own engine. I can't believe anyone thinks that's a good idea. They developed the engine for the Esprit V8 inside of 27months from scratch that fit right where the 4 pot did and it worked out great. And no starting in with the piston lining problems as it was fixed no charge to customers and that's a small bump in the road for the likes of a "small manufacturer" with only 27 months. I say make another engine, one that will appease the emissions police for years to come. Nothing would be better than to have the heart of the Esprit, Lotus. Especially for their flag ship car. To add to my previous post about the 5 car plan, I never saw any of those ever really being a Lotus. The Elise especially was so ugly! And a far cry from current elises.
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Max_Torque
4,805 posts
86 months
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ugg10 said: Esprit engine - my money would be on a supercharged twin turbo version of the ISF V6 engine.
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Wayoftheflower
79 posts
104 months
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bleunos said: Why don't Lotus just build an affordable sports car instead of chasing Aston, Ferrari, Porsche?
They could build a new Élan cheaply by just shamelessly copying the Eunos Roadster, which was itself shamelessly ripped off from the Lotus Élan! What comes around and all that. I don't see how Lotus didn't spot this years ago!
A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand. It wouldn't need to be the last word in sophistication. Something along the lines of the new toybaru coupe but much cheaper! How on Earth do you convert a small factory designed to produce a handful of very labour intensive bonded alloy tub and fibreglass sportsters to make a small steel monocoque convertible cheaper than a mass manufacturer? Really, it's as if people don't think before commenting on the interwebs  I'm liking the cut of Aslam's jib though, quality quality quality! Lets hope it's not to late to salvage the reputation of Lotus' for durability. I dearly hope the home grown V8 gets made though, to many supercar engines are going forced induction in the name of greenyness  And how cool would one cut in half be, 2.4 litre I4 with 300bhp@9000rpm 
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ESOG
1,012 posts
27 months
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Wayoftheflower said: Lets hope it's not to late to salvage the reputation of Lotus' for durability. Advertising and campaigning as never failed. All they have to do is advertise with the main focus being a promise of quality, new era for Lotus. Remember, you can advertise dog s  t and people will buy just because its spoon fed to them. Just look at the current main stream culture of music LOL
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Motormatt
51 posts
87 months
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rohrl said: I can think of no better way for a small manufacturer to bankrupt themselves in short order than to attempt to develop and build their own engine. I can't believe anyone thinks that's a good idea. +1 Morgan (BMW), Weismann (BMW), Pagani (AMG). No-one ever said these cars would be better with a slightly inferior homegrown engine. Why would such a small company even attempt to build its own engine when there are already fully developed, tested, proven units that meet all the regs available to buy at a fraction of the overall cost? Plus, when they release a new model they can shop around for the best engine to suit it instead of being tied to an ageing home grown unit who's development cost will undoubtedly still be being paid for.
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king arthur
2,534 posts
130 months
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bleunos said: Why don't Lotus just build an affordable sports car instead of chasing Aston, Ferrari, Porsche?
They could build a new Élan cheaply by just shamelessly copying the Eunos Roadster, which was itself shamelessly ripped off from the Lotus Élan! What comes around and all that. I don't see how Lotus didn't spot this years ago!
A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand. It wouldn't need to be the last word in sophistication. Something along the lines of the new toybaru coupe but much cheaper! And make it pretty, like the original Elan.
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ESOG
1,012 posts
27 months
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king arthur said: And make it pretty, like the original Elan. Are there body kits made by a private company which produce and sell the original Elan and Europa etc molds btw?
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ESOG
1,012 posts
27 months
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I agree Lotus should produce affordable sports cars like the Elan M100 (my day) but think about this; The Elise is has stripped down as they come, even more so than the M100 Elan and its nowhere near affordable, new any way. So its like, how much less can they possibly build to where it is sub $30,000?
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CraigyMc
5,043 posts
105 months
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ESOG said: king arthur said: And make it pretty, like the original Elan. Are there body kits made by a private company which produce and sell the original Elan and Europa etc molds btw? Ask Miles at Fibreglass Services near Arundel, if he's still kicking about. C
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Biccaroo
278 posts
85 months
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Good. I thought Dany Bahar was a plank, his vision flawed and the resultant designs hideous.
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SSBB
506 posts
25 months
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bleunos said: Why don't Lotus just build an affordable sports car instead of chasing Aston, Ferrari, Porsche?
They could build a new Élan cheaply by just shamelessly copying the Eunos Roadster, which was itself shamelessly ripped off from the Lotus Élan! What comes around and all that. I don't see how Lotus didn't spot this years ago!
A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand. It wouldn't need to be the last word in sophistication. Something along the lines of the new toybaru coupe but much cheaper!
Get that selling, refresh the Elise then if the F1 team are still doing well MAYBE start thinking about building bespoke V8's to put in a Ferrari chasing supercar. Are you serious? £12k buys nothing these days. That's undercutting the Mazda by a massive margin. "A good few thousand" is putting it lightly. Add to that the fact that Mazda are geared up to shift thousands, and well, I'm just glad you're not in the business of running a car manufacturing company...
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eddarv368
3 posts
10 months
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I was really looking forward to Lotus's future... *sigh*
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CraigyMc
5,043 posts
105 months
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bleunos said: Why don't Lotus just build an affordable sports car instead of chasing Aston, Ferrari, Porsche?
They could build a new Élan cheaply by just shamelessly copying the Eunos Roadster, which was itself shamelessly ripped off from the Lotus Élan! What comes around and all that. I don't see how Lotus didn't spot this years ago!
A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand. It wouldn't need to be the last word in sophistication. Something along the lines of the new toybaru coupe but much cheaper!
Get that selling, refresh the Elise then if the F1 team are still doing well MAYBE start thinking about building bespoke V8's to put in a Ferrari chasing supercar. You have zero understanding of the economics of what you're talking about.
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threespires
955 posts
80 months
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Eunos Roadster, ........A lightweight, simple, reliable, great handling, RWD,130bhp ish, 2 seater coupe / convertible for about £12k ish would sell really well, undercut the mx5 by a good few grand.
[/quote]
Great idea, but it couldn't happen. A Caterham Classic is £14,500+.
If Lotus need a V8, perhaps the Hyundai Tau V8 Engine could be an 'off the wall' choice. Available in 3 sizes /supercharger /cyl de-activation and worldwide emissions friendly. Advantages to both companies.
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