The first official details and image of the new mid-engined Lotus 'Eagle' have emerged. The car is set to debut at the British Motor Show but here is a sneak preview of what it will look like.
It is the first all-new Lotus since the Elise in 1995 and the name will be announced at the show. The car will be powered by a 3.5-litre V6 producing 280bhp and has an innovative lightweight chassis.
Even in the very early stages of development testing, Lotus ride and handling engineers said that it is considerably faster around the Nürburgring than the Elise and more stable at speed than the Exige. Deliveries of Project Eagle are set to start in Spring 2009, with only 2000 cars planned each year.
Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc, said: 'Project Eagle is the biggest milestone Lotus has achieved since the Elise was born 13 years ago.'
For a Lotus the car will have a number of luxuries such as sat nav, Bluetooth and an iPod connection - it even has cup-holders. The company says the car will have a maximum speed of around 160 mph and 0-60 mph in less than 5 seconds.