Lotus Already Revising its 'Firm Plan'

[ahmed_7erzon]

Lotus has dropped the idea of using modified Toyota engines in its next generation of sports cars. Instead it is rushing out an all-new engine family. It will be a lightweight, high-revving, naturally aspirated V-8 making 550 horsepower-plus. Later, a 90-degree V-6 and possibly inline-four modular derivatives will join the family for the replacements for the Evora (called Elan) and Elise.
At last fall's Paris and L.A. auto shows, the company said it would use a supercharged version of the Lexus IS-F's V-8 for its top models, the Esprit supercar, Elite front-engined 2+2, and Eterne four-door. But according to the firm's CEO, Dany Bahar, "People didn't like the idea of us using other manufacturer's engine."

The new engine is also more compact and lightweight, allowing the Esprit to be made a little smaller. Lotus' chief technical officer, Wolf Zimmermann, is a former engine designer at AMG, and says the Lexus engine, with supercharging, would have been bulkier and heavier than an AMG's outgoing, naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V-8. Bahar adds that Lotus planned so many modifications for the Lexus unit that it would been prohibitively expensive anyway, at up to half of what this all-new family is budgeted for.
When asked if the new engine has forced induction, Zimmermann pointed out that the McLaren MP4-12C's turbo V-8 has advantages in all performance numbers over the naturally aspirated Ferrari 458 unit. "But the Ferrari has more emotion, and we must compete with Ferrari." He describes the Esprit as a "proper sports car. It's not some neither-fish-nor-fowl thing. It's our soul. Lightweight intelligent engineering."

The Esprit is still on course for March 2013 unveiling, Bahar insists, and it will keep the visual design of the show car.
However, Bahar says that the Elan, the smaller 2+2 mid-engined V-6 car that Lotus also showed as part of its new range, has changed position since. The show car was, the buyers said, too close to the Esprit. So it will now be made more cheaply, with less power and content, so it'll take on more or less the role of the current Evora S.