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The legend is back! Lotus has unveiled today the new Esprit sports car. Described as the "ultimate Lotus," the new Esprit will go into production at the end of 2012, with first deliveries beginning in late 2013, early 2014. Lotus announced an estimated price of £110,000 ($175,000 at the current rates). At the unveiling of the Evora S model in San Jose in June 2011, Lotus Cars USA PR boss, Kevin Smith, confirmed that the Esprit supercar would be getting Lotus’ in-house V8 engine and both a manual and a dual-clutch transmission. This V8 engine was originally said to deliver between 550 - 570 HP, but actually achieved 570 HP at around 9000rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque at a bit higher than 3000rpm. Lotus Chief Technical Officer, Wolf Zimmermann, says this engine can reach up to 630 HP at 9,400 rpm and 424 lb-ft of torque between 5,500 and 6,000rpm. The V8 weighs in at about 375 lbs, which is about 176 lbs lighter than the original 5.0L V8 Lotus was going to borrow from Lexus. It will be used for both the Esprit and, as confirmed by Smith, an even more exotic Elite. "One has to be very careful when taking on the challenge of reinventing such an iconic classic as the Esprit – everyone has an opinion. There’s a fine balance between acknowledging the greatness of the past whilst at the same time rapidly leaping forward to the future and ensuring that this car not only does the name Esprit justice but also the Lotus brand. I think we’ve managed to find the balance and in doing so created a new icon, a car people will find hard to resist." UPDATE 11/21/2011: Lotus officials has confirmed that the next generation Esprit will be powered by a 4.8 liter V8 engine. This new engine will deliver a total of 570 HP in standard version, but the company will be also offering a higher-tuned variant with an output of 620 HP. (Autoblog) UPDATE 12/12/2011:New details about the future supercar revealed that the Esprit will, in fact, be offered in two versions. A base model will combine a 100 HP electric motor to a normally aspirated V8 engine and a more powerful version will drop the hybrid system and focus on weight-saving measures. (AutoCar) UPDATE 10/04/2012: According to Lotus Forums, the Esprit has officially been axed. leaving the Elise, Exige, and Evora as the only standing models on the company’s new era lineup. Press release after the jump. Press release The most eagerly anticipated Lotus makes its return. Without doubt, this is the car that the true Lotus aficionados have been waiting for: The ultimate Lotus.   Dany Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus, said: “The Esprit is the ultimate supercar. In the past when people thought of the Esprit, they thought of the movies, Bond, Pretty Woman,  “Not only does the Esprit look incredible but it has the performance to match. We’ve stuck to the Lotus core values of performance through lightweight and teamed them with future technology and exceptional engineering to ensure that the Esprit will be the leader of the pack. The design is aggressive, you have to see it to appreciate how low and wide the proportions are but it still retains a level of dignity, of class and most of all exclusivity. I’m very proud of this car.” Specifications
64 comments: Lotus Esprit Well, it’s a good thing that they have done on what they promise! The figure performance of the car is really impressive! I bet it would be a reliable car.
 I first heard the Superleggera in the line-up of Lamborghini vehicle. The sportiness of the car is quite drooling plus its speed performance. I can’t wait to see the production of this vehicle!!
 This one is truly getting better every minute, just as expected. It is really a good news that they are continuing the development of the Elan.
 Now I understand why the guys at Lotus decided to drop the Elan model. Aside from looking too much like the Evora, that one also has a bit of the looks of this baby. Good thing they really decided that.
 Well, it’s a great thing this is not the final production for the Esprit. I was thinking if they are going to kill this production, then there will be no higher speed performing in the production of Lotus.
Given the poor quality of both brands that’s like picking between the browns or the lions as the worst NFL team. So many ways they can be bad... But most assuredly, they’ll be bad.
 I first heard the Superleggera in the line-up of Lamborghini vehicle. The sportiness of the car is quite drooling plus its speed performance. I can’t wait to see the production of this vehicle!
 The Elise and its electric cousin are awesome pure sports cars, but a more luxurious and powerful one seems like it will just be an overpriced cayman. What I would really like to get some inside information on is some of their consulting projects.
 It looks better with its simple styling and detailing. I also noticed that even its exhaust system is so perfect on it. Just too bad, it is very expensive with its market price. Good thing that they will unveil it on 2014. 
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Posted on
01.13.2012 @ 03:31