Well, we had to expect it. With everyone from Maserati to Aston Martin to Porsche producing a four-door, the Lotus Eterne was a smart gambit on the current fad for four-door supercar sedans that look like coupes.

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar noted that the current Elise has been on sale for nearly 15 years, and we couldn’t but help wonder if it really needs replacing. In our minds, the Elise could go for another 15 and still look timeless, like the Citroen DS or Acura NSX.

The original Lotus Elan was an icon, a two-seat, four-cylinder roadster that weighed 1,400 pounds and was the inspiration for the Mazda Miata. The new one couldn’t be more different.

Lotus unveiled an entirely new product range today, with 5 new cars that mark a complete 180 for the brand. The most significant product for the company will be their Esprit flagship, which will set the tone for future cars as they prepare to do battle with Italy’s best.

With a 5.0L V8 displacing 620 horsepower, the Esprit can hit 205 mph and accelerate to 60 mph in an estimated 3.5 seconds. The Esprit will also offer a KERS system, similar to Formula 1 cars, that captures kinetic energy under braking and allows the driver to hit a button for an electronic overboost.

Hit the jump to read the official press release

Gallery: Lotus Esprit

Lotus is set to shake up the sports car industry at the Paris Auto Show on Thursday when it unveils numerous new vehicles and concepts, while announcing new industry partnerships and racing programs.

From Indy Car to the Lotus Cup, much of the details have already been discussed, but Lotus has just announced two new exciting motorsports programs. The first is a Lotus LMP2 car that will first compete in 2011 before preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012. It’s not year clear how Lotus will be involved in the project as most automakers competing in LMP2 use a recognized chassis and their own engine. The only problem is, Lotus gets many of its engines from Toyota.  Current LMP2 rules allow for a maximum of 3.4-liters and 8-cylinders for custom engines, or 4.0-liters for homologated production car engines, while forced induction motors are only allowed to be 2.0-liters and a maximum of six-cylinders. Where this leaves Lotus is anyone’s guess.

In addition to LMP2, Lotus will also build a GT2 race car, “based on one of our eagerly anticipated future road cars, set to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.” This could mean the new Elite, some other model, or even just the Evora S (which hasn’t technically received its auto show debut). After all, Lotus U.S.A. head Arnie Johnson has already confirmed with AutoGuide that the Evora can be delivered in anywhere from GT4 to GT2 trim, with a GT2 version sporting a Cosworth-tuned engine with 470-hp.

Also planned to help Lotus promote its racing and street programs are a new test track next to the Lotus factory in Hethel, while the British sports car brand will also launch the Lotus Driving Academy at its headquarters, followed by facilities and programs in the UAE and in Eastern Europe. Further expansion of the program will see Driving Academy’s set up in the U.S., Japan, Moscow, Malaysia and then a second U.S. facility.

AutoGuide will bring you full coverage of the big announcements and unveilings at the Paris Auto Show Lotus press conference on Thursday, September 30th.

Official release after the jump:

Raise your hand if you didn’t expect to see this surface on the Internet this quickly. Yeah, we thought so. No one has even seen the Lotus Elite in person, but the official photos released to the media were more than enough to get the creative juices of a few folks flowing. One of those folks just so happens to be an artist by the name of Jack Darton.

Lotus has just revealed what it claims is just the start of a “new era” for the historic British sports car maker; a 612-hp supercar dubbed the Elite. Output comes from a 5.0-liter V8 (likely sourced from the Lexus IS-F), but rather than that car’s 400+ horsepower number, the Elite makes an incredible 612-hp at 531 ft-lbs of torque.

Oh Lotus, you think you’re just so clever don’t you? With rumors flying that the British sports car company will be unveiling the next generation Esprit at this year’s Paris Auto Show, Lotus has just released these photos of company CEO Dany Bahar’s personal Lotus Esprit.

For years Lotus has relied on Toyota engines to power its incredible sports cars. Tuned by Lotus engineers, powerplants like the 1.8-liter 2ZZ came alive in lightweight Lotus vehicles, while Toyota’s reputation for quality, reliability and durability meant that owners never had to worry about how many miles they put on their car or how hard they beat on them.

Today Lotus and Toyota announced a future partnership that will see the Japanese auto giant produce “tailor-made powertrain solutions” for Lotus vehicles in the future.

The announcement was bade the the British embassy in Tokyo where Lotus CEO Dany Bahar presented Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda with the very last Toyota 2ZZ-GE-powered Lotus Elise to ever be built.

“The presentation of Toyota’s last 2ZZ engine in the Elise is a symbolic gesture of our continued respect and deep appreciation for our partner not only acknowledging our past but also looking forward to our future together,” said Bahar.

More details of the continued partnership between the two automakers will be announced at the Paris Auto Show on September 30th.

Official release after the jump:

Oh Nürburgring, how we love thee. Every performance car looks to tackle the famed course in order to prove its real world prowess but sometimes its easy to for drivers to get in over their heads in such high performance machines – on such a terrifying course. And that’s just what happened to the driver of this Lotus 2-Eleven.

Thankfully no one was hurt in this accident, but we have to admit, it’s painful to watch. Unfortunately the driver pushed it just a tad too far, losing control of the 2-Eleven at one of many corners on the Nürburgring where many accidents occur. The moment of impact and what happens to the Lotus quickly afterwards is gutwrenching, but it’s amazing how difficult it is for us to look away. And again, no one was hurt… we’re not really sadistic.

For those not familiar with the car, the 2-Eleven sports 252-hp with a weight of just 1,477 lbs. In other words, it’s more like a go-kart than car when it comes to pushing through the turns.

Watch the video after the break, but make sure you’re on an empty stomach!

And be sure to read AutoGuide’s Lotus 2-Eleven Review by Clicking Here

[Source: GTSpirit]

The Lotus F1 team has historically relied on power from three major engine builders; Cosworth, Renault and Honda. With Honda now out of Formula 1 racing and Cosworth’s powerplants providing unsatisfactory results, Lotus has turned to historic partner Renault for some mechanical motivation.

Hot on the heels of a press release from Lotus Engineering about a new lightweight vehicle study comes related news that the British sports car manufacturer will debut a new electric small car at the Paris Auto Show.

Lotus is certainly getting the reaction they wanted in the lead-up to the Paris Auto Show, with rumors continuing to swirl. In fact, it’s quite possible the Lotus display will be the biggest news out of the major automotive event.

Lotus will leverage their partnership with Toyota be equipping a variant of their new, flagship Esprit with the hand-crafted V10 used in the Lexus LFA.

Lotus has just officially confirmed the Evora S and IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) automatic transmission models, both of which are set to debut at the Paris Auto Show in just a few weeks time.

Lotus is readying plans to build two Evora hybrids but is waiting on funding for the project from the Technology Strategy Board, a publicly funded think tank in the United Kingdom.

Lotus has confirmed that it will unveil a new Evora S model as one of its many new vehicles a the Paris Auto Show and there’s little doubt that the “S” stands for Supercharger. Currently Lotus offers the Evora with a 3.5-liter V6 engine making 276-hp. That number should increase to around 340-hp with the blower installed.

A stroke of genius by the folks in charge of Lotus, the Exos Type 125 is billed as “The Ultimate Track Car” and by all accounts, they’re right. Essentially a Formula 1 chassis made entirely of carbon fiber and weighing just 1,433 lbs, the Exos 125 uses a Cosworth F1 engine to make 650-hp at 10,300 rpm. Pricing is set at a million dollars for one of the 25 limited edition race cars and includes several track events throughout the world.

Debuting in an unfinished forum at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year, Lotus how now officially unveiled the Evora Cup GT4 race car at at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Monterey, CA. And judging by the tires, this car has already seen plenty of track time.

Having just arrived in Monterey, the AutoGuide team headed over to Pebble Beach to pick up media credentials and when we got there we were shocked to see a massive Lotus display. With numerous vehicles on display (including the new Evora GT4 car) we quickly snapped a few photos of the Elise SC RGB special edition. The Pebble Beach Concours venue is the first time this car has been show.

Lotus Engineering has had inquiries from other manufacturers interested in using the Evora platform for their own applications.  The use of other companies utilizing a Lotus chassis is not without precedent, as the Tesla roadster and Vauxhall VX220 were both based off the Lotus Elise.

Lotus has just unveiled the Exos Type 125 “ultimate track toy” in Monterey and it’s wilder than we ever could have imagined. It’s not some car-based trackable sports car, but essentially a Formula 1 chassis and a Cosworth F1 engine.

Lotus will make three vehicle debuts at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, including the world premiere of an all-new track car, which will carry the 125 name. No details about the 125 have been provided, but judging from past Lotus models it’s likely a more hard-core version of the 2-Eleven, or a 2-Eleven style car based on the Evora chassis. (We hope!)

Another track-only model will also make it’s North American premiere, the Evora Cup GT4. Weighing 400 lbs less than the standard Evora at just 2,645 lbs and sporting a Cosworth 4.0-liter V6 engine with 360-hp, it’s a genuine track car built for the European GT4 series. Hopefully the debut at Pebble will be accompanied by an announcement that the Evora Cup GT4 will also compete in the U.S.

The third model set to debut is a U.S.-spec version of the restyled 2011 Elise SC RGB Edition. The RGB name comes from long-time (but now retired) Director of Vehicle Engineering Roger George Becker, who dedicated 44 years of his life to developing Lotus vehicles. In Europe, RGB models are full-loaded, offering most option packages and items like light-weight forged alloy wheels. Four colors are offered in Europe: Aspen White, Starlight Black, Solar Yellow and Carbon Grey. All models will also get a numbered plaque and will be signed by Roger Becker.

AutoGuide will be sure to bring you complete coverage with plenty of coverage of all the Pebble Beach festivities.

Official release after the jump:

With 73 days until Lotus unveils it’s “ New Era” at the Paris Auto Show, the British sports car maker has once again teased us with a possible successor to the iconic Esprit. In a press release that looks back at the year 1975, Lotus recalls the movie Jaws, the birth of David Beckham and…. the launch of the original Lotus Esprit at the Paris Auto Show.

Now if that’s not a hint we don’t know what is.

But that’s not all. The press release issued by Lotus comments that, “35 years later, something breathtaking will happen once again. Once more in Paris. Once more at the Motor Show. Perhaps a new Esprit? Perhaps not. Or perhaps even more?”

We’ve got our money on the new Esprit and more as Lotus is tipped to reveal four new concept cars in Paris, including the Esprit concept, two new front-engined GT cars and a new roadster.

The newly released Evora rides on a chassis that was designed to be used for the Esprit successor as well. As for a roadster, it could easily be a top-down version of the Evora. Then, we have to think Lotus is also looking to unveil a V6 in the Exige, as the automaker recently dropped the 1.8L engine in Europe, and the 1.6-liter just isn’t suitable for the more hard-core version.

We won’t know for sure until the Paris Auto Show this fall. But we do expect several more teasers from Lotus in the coming weeks and months.

Official release after the jump:

Lotus F1, the Malaysian upstart team trading on the name of the famed British sports car maker, is apparently switching from Cosworth to Renault power for the 2011 season.

Lotus has just announced the appointment of a new Chief Technical Officer, while subsequently confirming the departure of the recently hired Chief Operating Officer Frank Tuch. Tuch is leaving for Volkswagen, but not without importing important information to the team at Lotus. According to Lotus ECO Dany Bahar, “We were able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement with VW which still allows Lotus to continue to benefit from Frank’s considerable experience before his departure. Frank will also continue to work for Lotus as an adviser and we wish him the very best of luck in his new endeavour.”

As for the new CTO, Lotus has appointed Wolf Zimmermann, who formerly oversaw the engineering and technical strategy at Mercedes-Benz. The announcement of Zimmermann joining Lotus is just the latest in a long line of executive appointments that includes Bahar and Design Director Donato Coco (both from Ferrari) as well as several other execs from Porsche and Aston Martin. Lotus also recently signed on Bob Lutz as as a consultant, and is looking to do the same with recently-retired BMW-exec Tom Purves.

These moves are all part of a larger plan by Lotus that will see the company set itself up as a competitor to the likes of Porsche and Ferrari, focusing on more mainstream models and higher production volumes. This restructuring plan has already seen Lotus axe its entire dealer network.

Lotus will give a glimpse at its “New Era” at the Paris Auto Show where the automaker is expected to debut four new concept cars.

Official release after the jump:

Details of what exactly the “New Era” for Lotus will entail have begun to slip out with reports that the automaker will show-off four new concept cars at the Paris Auto Show this Fall. According to some reports the vehicles will include a successor to the Esprit, two new front-engined GT cars and a new roadster model. It’s not clear if one of these new models will be the Exige, but Lotus is expected to announce the release of a V6 powered Exige soon. Several spy shots of the car have been taken and considering recent emissions regulations put an end to the 1.8-liter engine (in all its forms) for the European market, Lotus is left only with an underpowered 1.6-liter.

As part of its attempt to re-position the brand as a competitor to Ferrari and Aston Martin, Lotus is axing its entire European dealer network in an effort to revamp the level of customer service provided by its sales centers.

As part of a major expansion plan that will see the Lotus brand leave behind its niche-market history and expand into a more mainstream automaker, Lotus is poised to sign-on two long-time industry execs: Bub Lutz and Tom Purves. Lutz needs no introduction, having worked in the auto industry most of his life, holding senior positions at Chrysler, BMW and Ford, not to mention most recently at General Motors. As for Purves, he is a recently retired BMW executive.

We can already hear the cries of “sellout” from enthusiasts across the world. Lotus announced that they were abandoning their “lightweight and simple” design philosophy in favor of increasing volume and building more technologically advanced, luxurious and upmarket sports cars.

Lotus has chosen today, the first official day of summer, to announce (cryptically) the launch of a ‘new era’ for storied British sports car maker. What exactly the ‘new era’ will entail, will become much more clear in exactly 100 days at the Paris Auto Show says Lotus.

Our minds are already racing with the possibilities. For starters it could be a new high-powered exotic, based on the Evora platform and paying homage to the Esprit. Then again, it could be a supercharged Evora, or even a V6-powered Exige (which Lotus is pretty much guaranteed to offer now that the 1.8-liter engine has been cut from the Lotus lineup in Europe).

Either way, we’re betting its something big. Lotus has been making big changes over the past few years as it plans to take on the world’s top-tier exotic and sports car makers.

See the official release, talk of Druids and the Summer Solstice after the jump:

Lotus will launch two special editions models at the end of this year, both to celebrate the dedication of its long-time vehicle engineer Roger Becker, and to mourn the loss of the 1.8-liter engine. That’s right, new Euro 5 emissions regulations are set to mark the end of the 1.8L-powered Lotus Elise and Exige and so the British sports car company will give both the engine and Becker a special send off with the RGB special edition Elise SC and Exige S.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Veyron-killer is here. Today marks the delivery date of the first production Lotus Elise-based, ZR-1 powered supercar known as the Hennessey Venom GT. While several engine configurations are available, including 725-hp and 1000-hp versions, chassis #01 packs the full 1200-hp punch. All that twin turbocharged madness has only 2,800 pounds to move around, which results in a power to weight ratio about 70% better than a Bugatti Veyron. The Ricardo 6-speed transmission, the same unit used in the Ford GT, is geared to 260 mph.  It’s also cheaper and rarer than the Veyron.  And it actually looks good.

Gentlemen, turn up your speakers. The title really needs no further explanation. A Lotus Exige S, Bugatti Veyron and a Ferrari F430 get together and go toe-to-toe on Laguna Seca. There aren’t too many in-car shots, but the ones that do exist show the Ferrari driver shuffle steering (a big no-no among race car drivers) and a not-quite-rapid pace through some of the turns (especially through the Corkscrew). We can understand not wanting to put your Ferrari at risk on an open lapping day, but if you’re going to baby the car, then ditch the race harnesses and the firesuit. A t-shirt, 3 point belt and an SA-rated helmet would be more than enough.

[Source: Motor Authority]

According to previous reports, a deal between the two automakers would see Proton get platforms and engines from VW to use for new models in its home market, while VW would presumably get getter access to Asian markets. It’s likely that VW’s recent stake in Suzuki has made that mostly redundant, while an ongoing Proton-Mitsubishi partnership would only have complicated the bargaining process.

What appears to be a V6-powered Exige has been spied once again testing just outside Lotus headquarters in Norfolk. Spy photos of the more motent Exige model first surfaced last year.

Lotus will cease production of the slow-selling Europa model later this year. Designed as a more refined option to the Elise and Exige twins, the Europa was also based on the same chassis. Introduced in 2006, it essentially filled a slot in the Lotus lineup until the Evora was introduced, filling a spot for a more comfortable and luxurious model. Proof that even Lotus execs thought it didn’t do a very good job as a placeholder was the fact that the British sports car maker never brought the car to North America.

In the past few months Volkswagen has expanded to become an even larger global player, taking over Porsche and announcing a majority stake in Italdesign Giugiaro. Now Germany’s largest automaker may be looking to add yet another brand to its stable – Proton. The Malaysian automaker might not be all that familiar to audiences in North America, but we’re certain you’ve heard of its sports car division – Lotus.

Professional drifter Tyler McQuarrie continues to bring a lot of attention to the World Challenge series in his Lotus Exige S race car. After topping the podium with the No. 19 LPL/DRS/Switcars/LCS/Dayco/M&T Lotus Exige S during its first race at Long Beach a few weeks back the car has since received some rewards weight and had its power cut to ensure a competitive field in the mid-level GTS Class.

In a truly heroic display of automotive badassery, Roger Green, a writer for England’s own Evo magazine, jumped from his burning Lotus Exige race car during the 24 Hour race at the Nurburgring, Germany’s famed race course affectionately known as “The Green Hell.”

If the inferno wasn’t enough, Green’s brakes also failed, forcing him to find a way to slow the car. He was able to do so, brining the car to a crawl near a barrier, at which point he lept from the vehicle and let the marshals handle the rest. If you’ve ever driven a car with a fixed bucket seat, a five-point racing harness and a quick release steering wheel, you’ll know that getting in and out while stationary is a task for Cirque De Soliel acrobats, and doing it while you’re high on adrenalin, rolling down a Nurburgring and on fire is no easy feat. Fortunately, Green walked away from the accident unharmed, and while he didn’t finish the race, his legendary bail will be enshrined in the hallowed halls of Youtube for all eternity.

Video after the jump

[Source: Autoblog]