RE: The New Era Of Lotus - Revealed

[Oily Nails]

Am I the only one who wanted the Elan to be an MX5 fighter?
It just looks like an angular Audi TT with the Elise's arse stuck on it



ELANS!!!

[EK993]

otolith said:

They'll obviously lose the buyers who really wanted a Porsche but couldn't afford one, but hopefully will gain a chunk of those who thought they wanted a Lotus but bought a Porsche instead when they realised that they couldn't live with one.

I could afford a Porsche.. infact I have had a few - I have also owned an Elise SC. So there are people out there that would buy both brands, and enjoy both equally.

otolith said:

Of the kind of people who buy an Elise for how it drives, I guess it depends on whether anyone steps up to fill the vacuum. Maybe the new Elise will be the best they're going to get.

Why would the kind of person who buys an Elise for how it drives not be interested in the new model? Do you know how the new one drives??

[markcoznottz]

MagicalTrevor said:

I like the look of them all and would happily have any of them, none of these models would have surprised me if they'd come from any other manufacturer... just didn't expect it from Lotus. I personally think they've lost sight of what's been their main bread and butter car, based on the Elise. Lightweight, low-ish powered engines with sharp handling and quick performance. They were simply superb at that key product.

But now they're directly competing against Porsche, Aston, et al with higher power car with extra weight (optimistic weights IMO). Also I can't see the new Elise starting at ~£25k can you? So that surely alienates all the enthusiasts that have bought all the Elise variants.

Great cars from what I can see... just can't see where they're heading.

Getting hard to design a car that stands out now, just put the same numbers into a computer and hey presto,a generic supercar. Not helped by the fact you can have any headlight shape nowdays, so there are no clearly defined parameters for a given maufacturer, only weight, and thats largey covered by eu safety dictats.

[Ian974]

Twincam16 said:

Sir_Dave said:

They've lost the plot.

The new Elise will weigh 1095kg!! And will make up for being a fatty by having 316bhp.

I can't help but think that they'll inevitably offer a completely stripped-out version along the lines of the 2-Eleven or 340R for the track day market.

Pure track-day cars built in the mainstream might not be the moneyspinners they are in the kit-car market, but they're certainly big business as easily-configurable variants of production-line models - just think Porsche's Boxster Spyder and 997 GT3, Ferrari's Challenge Stradales, Lamborghini's Superleggeras etc.

Meaning a 1095 kg, 316 bhp elise and an elise superleggera, weighing 1045 kg, and with 356bhp for £15k more.

[ewenm]

Oily Nails said:

Am I the only one who wanted the Elan to be an MX5 fighter?
It just looks like an angular Audi TT with the Elise's arse stuck on it



ELANS!!!

Leave that for Proton - they could take the Elise platform and make a MX5-rival...

[andyroo]

I have to say I like the lot. Yes, the weight may be up, but look at how much hevier their competitors still are. If this is truly a lotus for the modern day, then count me in. Stunning.

[slipstream 1985]

Fire99 said:

Have they employed the Porsche 911 designer for the front of these?
Strewth, talk about family resemblance with each other.
A little clinical looking for me but the specs sound good other than the Elise that appears to have forgotten what it is.

so has the elan!

[doctor924]

Sorry to say I don't like any of them.
Where is the lotus uniqueness? I have to agree with dunc previously - they all look like Lambos.

[otolith]

EK993 said:

Why would the kind of person who buys an Elise for how it drives not be interested in the new model? Do you know how the new one drives??

What is it that you suppose makes the Elise so special to drive?

[300bhp/ton]

rob1234 said:

Hmm, would be more impressed if they weren't from Lotus: "to add speed add lightness weight & bhp"

Also,

My thoughts also.

And what I can't understand is, why waste resurrecting the Esprit name id this Lambo copy doesn't have a single design trait that harks back to the original??? Surely a whole new name would have been better and saved the Esprit name for when they do it properly.

[chickensoup]

2013, 2014, 2014, 2015 & 2015
Will a slushbox or supercharger for the Evora (and new front clam for the Elise) really keep Lotus going for 3 years.

Cutting back on the dealer network in the meantime will make most dealers reluctant to get landed with stock or invest

Would be surprised if these see the light of day. Shame as I was hoping for an Esprit LAUNCH at Paris

[andyroo]

You bunch of miserable sods!

[EK993]

otolith said:

EK993 said:

Why would the kind of person who buys an Elise for how it drives not be interested in the new model? Do you know how the new one drives??

What is it that you suppose makes the Elise so special to drive?

One aspect is the light weight which you are referring to here. However thats not the only story. Other very important aspects are steering feel / precision, suspension setup, chassis balance. Which are not exclusive to sub 1000kg cars.

I remember how special my Integrale's felt to drive. They weren't 900kg.

Edited by EK993 on Thursday 30th September 18:50

[snuffy]

bakerjuk said:

I have an internet error.. its showing me the same pictures for each car...

No wait... They are... surely not... They are all the same car just different badges!

Not just me then ?

A bit like buying a Lighthouse Family LP - Just by a single and play it 11 times in a row and you have their album.

Just buy one new Lotus and drive it five times - you have all five new models.

[F1GTRUeno]

So not being able to tell the difference between the cars...

Which one stands a chance of being campaigned as a GT2/3 car?

And I can't quite believe they've only just brought out the Evora to such fanfare and then they're showing they'll go in a completely different direction only a few years later.

[kambites]

otolith said:

kambites said:

It'll be interesting to see where the new Elise starts, price wise. If it's more than around 30k (in today's money), I think Lotus have made a mistake.

I will be amazed if it's less than 35k and surprised if it's less than 40.

Presumably that would mean the Elan starts at, what, 60k? That's serious money for what is basically a direct replacement for the Evora.

[jake15919]

They all look great which, given that they all look the same, is no surprise. When I was a kid I would pretend I was in charge of Triumph and Jaguar and dream up/draw a model range that would save the company. Nice to know I was not alone.

Stunned that the senior management at Lotus didn't pull back a bit. There's a fine line between self confidence and self delusion.

[Gizmo!]

F1GTRUeno said:

And I can't quite believe they've only just brought out the Evora to such fanfare and then they're showing they'll go in a completely different direction only a few years later.

How many Evoras have you seen on the road?

Thought not.

[Nightmare]

So....
Elise 30 - 45K
Elan 55 - 70K
Esprit 100 - 125k
Eterne 150 - 200k
Elite..? (70 - 110?)

kinda interesting in a grid be nice to fill in the missing pics......



i would have an elan NOW! any timescale noted on that one?

[kambites]

Gizmo! said:

How many Evoras have you seen on the road?

Thought not.

How many Evoras would you expect to have seen on the road given the sales targets? That'll be none then, unless you spend a huge amount of time on the road.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 30th September 20:17