Lotus Esprit - the old one!
Lotus' third, high-end performance model will be called the Esprit, according to Lotus boss Mike Kimberley during an exclusive interview for PistonHeads.
The Hethel-based hasn't officially announced the name of the old Esprit's replacement yet even although everyone outside the company's been calling it the Esprit. But Kimberley let it slip during the fascinating interview, which we'll be publishing in full soon.
Kimberley said: "For Lotus to be successful we need a three model line-up and the jewel in the crown is the Esprit; it always was." PistonHeads' interviewer noted that the PR man cringed and reminded Kimberley that what he meant to say was 'the mid-engined sports car', as no decision has officially been made about the name yet.
Kimberley also defended Lotus' decision to produce the Europa. "Some people are criticising the Europa but the fact is that there are a lot of people out there who want a sports car they can drive every day – to not do the Europa would be to deny Lotus access to a market five times bigger than the one we're currently in."