RE: Lotus Poised To 'Twist Key' On Esprit's New V8

RE: Lotus Poised To 'Twist Key' On Esprit's New V8

Author
Discussion

kambites

67,578 posts

221 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
griffdude said:
Hope it works.

It's better looking than a MC12 & got 2 more seats than a 458.

If it can be sold for less than both, then Lotus are on a winner.

Would be good to see it at the FoS.
I think you're confusing two cars. The Esprit only has two seats, the Elite will have four seats but will be a front engined GT type thing.

SWoll

18,409 posts

258 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
TheRoadWarrior said:
It sounds great.

Unfortunately it also sounds like a load of nonsense.


The spec list sounds like it was writted by some 6-yr old top trumps enthusiast- brand new V8 stressed-member engine, 600bhp, hub motors, super lightweight, we'll take it racing blah blah.

Never gonna see the light of day.
So would you be happier if they had said

Chevy LS7 engine.
500BHP
Heavier than a 458 italia
No plans for racing.

Lotus know they have to come up with something special to break into such a competitive market and sell well (unlike the Evora) so no reason to disbelieve any of therir claims at the moment.

SWoll

18,409 posts

258 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Dixie said:
I guess the guys at Proton must know what they're doing. But.....

Did the Europa sell that well? I think i've only seen one or two on the road.

Never seen a Europa on the road. Not once.

Will they really sell enough of them to make a profit????
So have you seen a Europa on the road or not. Totally confused, did you mean Evora?

And no, both sold badly and I haven't seen either on the road also.

Kong

1,503 posts

171 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
MASSIVE, MASSIVE respect to Lotus for designing their own lightweight N/A V8.

I'm guessing either Toyota wouldn't let Lotus use the LFA engine or it wouldn't fit in the car? Otherwise it would have been perfect for the Esprit, similarly powerful, lightweight and already proven.

stephen300o

15,464 posts

228 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
griffdude said:
Hope it works.

It's better looking than a MC12 & got 2 more seats than a 458.

If it can be sold for less than both, then Lotus are on a winner.

Would be good to see it at the FoS.
Unless I read it wrong the Elite has four seats and the Esprit two. It's difficult to tell, but it's a different car in the bottom two pics..

Galsia

2,167 posts

190 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
I may be confused but I thought that the Esprit was going to have a V10 and the Elan a V8?

V88Dicky

7,305 posts

183 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Can't help thinking that the car would be a whole lot more reliable, and considerably cheaper if they just bought crate LS9s at 630+bhp out of the box.



Good luck to them anyways! thumbup

GKP

15,099 posts

241 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Kong said:
I'm guessing either Toyota wouldn't let Lotus use the LFA engine or it wouldn't fit in the car? Otherwise it would have been perfect for the Esprit, similarly powerful, lightweight and already proven.
It's already been shown that more fickle markets than the UK don't feel that a Toyota engine in a supercar has much appeal.

zakelwe

4,449 posts

198 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Perhaps they could have ditched the Toyota engine and instead gone for the already designed and built Ruf 8 cylinder engine - 4.5 litres producing 542bhp at 8500rpm and 369lb ft at 5400rpm.

http://www.evo.co.uk/images/front_picture_library_...

It's more exotic than a Toyota based one, is supposed to be light and has the benefit of being developed. I know Ruf are associated with Porsche but a Ruf Lotus would be pretty cool.

Then they could concentrate on the rest of the car.

Andy

GALLARDOGUY

8,160 posts

219 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
4.8 normally aspirated litres

620 HP.

Sounds dubious.

Goodfella 555

199 posts

168 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Stunning motor and 'cooler' than a Mac or a 458 imo. It is a shame they are not allowed pop up lights anymore (i'll never grow up!).

kambites

67,578 posts

221 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
V88Dicky said:
Can't help thinking that the car would be a whole lot more reliable, and considerably cheaper if they just bought crate LS9s at 630+bhp out of the box.
It might well be a better car, but it probably wouldn't sell.

lockup

383 posts

242 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
MarJay said:
So we've got the 458 italia, The MP4-12C and the Esprit... how many more achingly similar mid engined super cars are we going to have? Lotus could have tried to be a bit different couldn't they?
Complaining about too many fantastic new supercars? Knob-achingly similar would have been a better description.

Rawwr

22,722 posts

234 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
V88Dicky said:
Can't help thinking that the car would be a whole lot more reliable, and considerably cheaper if they just bought crate LS9s at 630+bhp out of the box.
True although I guess there's some sort of stigma attached to using the cheap and common solution to power. If Lotus do this correctly and are aiming to severe the lines attaching them to a reputation of poorly cobbled together plastic sheds then a bespoke engine and drivetrain is an important factor in this.

Aston Martin managed to have a very profitable resurgence, albeit one that appears to have now run out of steam, and it'd be fun to see Lotus do the same.

harryowl

1,114 posts

181 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
GALLARDOGUY said:
4.8 normally aspirated litres

620 HP.

Sounds AWESOME.
EFA

Corsair7

20,911 posts

247 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
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Looks like the lovechild of a Gallardo and Italia 458 to me...... very pretty with it though...



At least from the front angles....

jackal

11,248 posts

282 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
fabulous... they need to make their own engines to move forward

sounds very exciting .. an engine to die for and its long odds on that the ride and handling will smoke the Mp4 and 458 and anything that Lambo cobble together.

i'll have a used one in 2016 at around the 70k mark

Dixie

733 posts

235 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
SWoll said:
So have you seen a Europa on the road or not. Totally confused, did you mean Evora?

And no, both sold badly and I haven't seen either on the road also.
Sorry, ment to say never seen an Evora at all.

kambites

67,578 posts

221 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Rawwr said:
Aston Martin managed to have a very profitable resurgence, albeit one that appears to have now run out of steam, and it'd be fun to see Lotus do the same.
I don't think it would be a resurgence, more a "surgence". Lotus have never really been major players in the road car market; whether they can become one, remains to be seen.

harryowl

1,114 posts

181 months

Wednesday 22nd June 2011
quotequote all
Tib said:
Creating their own engine is also a bit of a gamble I reckon, but I suppose Lotus have been drafted in to give advice on some of the Vauxhall units before, so they might be alright...
You make it sound as if lotus have never built their own engines? They've got the guy who was head of the engine department at AMG for like 20 yrs working for them!