Promising to keep the core Lotus characteristic of lightness, the 2013 Esprit will be powered by a 5.0 litre V8 borrowed from the company’s preferred engine supplier, Toyota. However, for use in the Lotus it will be ‘pressure charged’ (which presumably means that either a turbo or supercharger will feature), allowing it to produce 611 bhp.
The styling is described as giving the car an ‘intense’ look and, as will be seen, it heralds a new design language that is used on all of the other new cars too. Generally it works well, although from some angles the kink in the roof line looks a bit odd.
With a projected price of circa £110,000, the Esprit will comfortably undercut supercar rivals such as the Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo. Its projected on-sale date is Spring 2013.
| 2013 Lotus Esprit Concept Specification | |
|---|---|
| Layout | 2 seats, mid-engined |
| Engine | Petrol, 5.0 litre V8 |
| Hybrid technology | Optional, incl. KERS |
| Power | 611 bhp / 456 kW / 620 PS |
| Torque | 720 Nm |
| 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) | 3.4 seconds |
| Top speed | 205 mph (330 km/h) |
| Weight | 1,450 kg |
| Transmission | 7 Speed DCT |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive |
| Production starts | End of 2012 |
| On sale | Spring 2013 |
| Price | Around £110,000 |
Related posts:
Five new Lotus sports cars
2013 Lotus Elan
2014 Lotus Elite
2015 Lotus Elise
2015 Lotus Eterne
