Nuova Lotus GT

NEW LOTUS GT

World exclusive pictures in this week's mag prove Lotus is working on a new GT - and it's set to take on the Noble M12. The mag's spies caught the stunning newcomer testing near the company's headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk

Bosses at Lotus say the car is currently a prototype, but is being seriously considered for a showroom debut. Our sources have hinted that the green light for production is merely a formality, and that the machine could easily be on sale in the UK as soon as 2006.

The manufacturer has already taken on an extra 100 employees recently, chiefly to satisfy increased demand for the Elise both at home and abroad - but it's likely that an all-new model could mean even more jobs being created. The car, which could see the famous Excel or Elite names making a comeback, will slot into the Lotus range above the Elise, and is tipped to weigh in at around the £40,000 mark.

A 2+2 version of the newcomer is also being considered, with a larger cabin allowing for two occasional seats in the rear. If this machine gets the go-ahead, it will be the first four-seater Lotus has produced since the 1984 Excel.

A source told us: "There's a huge amount of excitement surrounding the project. Officially, the machine is a concept in development.

"This is not a replacement for the Elise, but a car that offers touring capability and will be positioned above it in the market." The model will feature a sporty new chassis, using the same bonded aluminium structure as the Elise, and will come with a mid-mounted engine.

The company has yet to finalise what the definitive powerplant will be but, as with the Elise, it's likely to be sourced from Toyota, as the two manufacturers have a strong working relationship. Insiders have hinted that the glassfibre-bodied GT is set to offer around 300bhp, and will be fitted with a close-ratio six-speed manual transmission.

But while it will be seen as a sporting car, the newcomer will be more geared up for touring than track action. The mag's spy shots show how it will be significantly wider than the Elise, giving a more comfortable and spacious interior. The revolutionary model will also aim to be the most practical Lotus since the last Elite went out of production back in 1991, with a genuinely roomy luggage bay at the rear, behind the engine cover.

Company engineers are believed to be working on a unique suspension set-up for the car, with softer spring rates than those on the Elise and an all-new wishbone arrangement at the front. But that's not to say the GT won't have the fine handling for which Lotus has become renowned over the years - insiders have hinted that the wide track will give it even more grip than the already limpet-like Elise.

The secret model coincides with the firm's ambitious plans to expand into new markets around the globe. "We want it to be a world car, as we have stated in the past," revealed our source. "It will take on America and other markets where we want the brand to grow."

Lotus is already expanding in the US, after the latest-generation Elise was granted a temporary exemption from stringent crash test legislation that would otherwise have made it impossible to sell the model in the States. Although law makers recognise that the Lotus is a safe vehicle, the regulations declare that all cars sold in the country must have bumpers of a certain depth - as it stands, the Elise doesn't comply, although negotiations are currently underway to get the issue resolved.

The British company has been absent from the American market since the Esprit went out of production earlier this year. However, it is now looking to expand its dealer network to distribute 3,000 cars annually on the other side of the Atlantic. The new GT is expected to boost sales even further, with as many as 5,000 examples tipped to be exported every year.







Fonte: http://www.carspyshots.tk/ & Autoexpress

 

Dovrebbe essere la sostituta della Esprit di cui tanto si parlava con il motore 5,0l V8 da 400CV della M5 E39!!!!!

 

Sbagliato!!!!!!!!

La nuova Esprit dovrebbe essere questa:

LOTUS AIMS HIGH WITH ESPRIT FOR 2006

Lotus is working at top speed to design and develop a secret new £75,000 supercar to replace the 25-year-old Esprit in two years’ time. The Norfolk-based manufacturer recently invited Autocar up to its headquarters; as well as allowing us lap their test track, as you can see in the video section, they revealed their plans for the next five years.

Pictured above is an official Lotus drawing and above and in our gallery, enhanced by computer design, the new Esprit – a mid-engined two-door coupé with compact styling and dimensions, sophisticated aerodynamics, ultra-agile handling and a top speed close to 200mph – is being engineered to suit all the major car markets of the world.

Lotus aims to offer markedly better performance and value for money than established opponents like the Porsche 911, Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Gallardo. The two-seat supercar’s launch is probably being planned for Geneva 2006, because the original production Esprit made its debut there in 1975.

Another new Hethel supercar will be launched about a year later, in 2007, to fill the price gap between the Elise and Esprit. The car is likely to be a two-plus-two front-engined coupé priced at around £50,000, quite different in mechanical layout to the others, but sharing a remarkable number of its chassis components and running gear with them.

This new three-tier product line-up shows for the first time how Lotus plans to fulfil the forecast made last year by the company’s deputy chairman, Victor Kiam, to develop Hethel as a 10,000-a-year sports car manufacturing business.

Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) allows models as disparate as a front-engined four-seater and a mid-engined two-seater to share high-investment chassis parts, leading to a dramatic cut in development and manufacturing costs. The process is so flexible, say Lotus engineers, that it will eventually be adopted for all three Lotus models: the £25,000 transverse mid-engined roadster (the Elise replacement); a £50,000 front-engined two-plus-two coupé; and a £75,000, 200mph mid-engined 21st century Esprit.

Two years from launch, the team was reluctant to go into too much detail about the new supercar. Autocar’s own deductions about the new mid-engined supercar and its future are that it will probably not use the Esprit name. The construction method will be so different and the level of design sophistication so much greater than the old car’s, that the two would have little in common.

It will use a longitudinally mounted engine, probably a forced-induction V8, mounted behind the occupants’ heads, possibly supplied by Toyota. Lotus may, however, eventually build its own engine for the top two models, whose volume could reach 2000-3000 a year.

The car’s 1300kg weight and 1900mm width targets will make it a very agile car. Lotus is already admitting its dimensions will probably allow a return to racing for the quickest versions.



E da un recente articolo su AutoCar:

M5'S ENGINE COULD POWER NEXT ESPRIT

The next Lotus Esprit is tipped to use one of Autocar’s favourite engines of recent years: BMW’s firecracker V8 from the recently departed M5 saloon (right).

Senior-placed sources have confirmed that Hethel is considering the 4.9-litre lump from the outgoing E39 5-series. Lotus had previously been linked with Toyota, following the deal to supply the Celica engine for the latest Elise 111R.

In BMW’s application, the V8 developed 400bhp and 369lb ft of torque. Lotus is considering a forced induction system to raise outputs further and has proven experience from turbocharging the previous Esprit.

Following the classic supercar formula, the V8 will be mounted longitudinally amidships in the Esprit’s extruded aluminium chassis, driving the rear wheels. The car’s modern, wedgy shape was first revealed in our scoop on 3 February.

The current Esprit ceased production this spring and its successor – tipped to carry a different name – will be launched in 2006. Priced at around £75,000, it will rival supercars such as the Porsche 911 Turbo, Ferrari 360 Modena and Lamborghini Gallardo.



Fonte: http://www.bilsport.se