Report: New Lotus Esprit gets the green light for production
We’ve been hearing about the delays to the next-generation Lotus Esprit for quite some time now. However, according to AutoCar the Esprit program has been given the green light and we’ll hear more details when the company’s new CEO Danny Bahr is due to reveal his seven-year plan.
A source said that the replacement for the Esprit, which could get a different name, would be an “essential brand image builder” and a “high-status purchase.”
Insiders say that Lotus is targeting a power-to-weight ratio of 275-325-hp per ton; to put that into perspective, an Audi R8 V10 has 319-hp per ton. Previous reports have suggested that the top-of-the-line Esprit could get a high-revving V10 engine from the Lexus LFA. A more affordable version powered by the 417-hp 5.0L V8 from the Lexus IS-F is also a possibility.
Look out for the Esprit replacement sometime during the end of 2011.
– By: Omar Rana
Source: AutoCar
