1999 Lotus Esprit on 2040-cars

Auto blog

What has Lotus got in store for us in Geneva?

In its latest announcement, Lotus has reported a substantial increase in sales over the past nine months of this fiscal year to date. That's good news for the once troubled niche automaker, but the interesting part was hidden further down the release. After detailing the jump in sales by 54 percent worldwide, Lotus announced that it "is revealing an exciting new car at the important Geneva International Motor Show in early March 2015." While little in the way of details were confirmed, the company said that "the product will remain true to its core pillars of lightness, performance and driving purity by embodying all of them in a most desirable package." Sounds pretty Lotus-like to us, but just what form it will take remains to be seen. Given that the Malaysian-owned British automaker has scrapped all of its ambitious new projects, the overwhelming likelihood is that whatever it is preparing to reveal in Geneva will be based on one of its existing models: the Elise, Exige or Evora. The last we heard, Hethel was planning a revision to the Evora, convertible and even crossover versions of the same, as well as an even more hard-core version of the Exige to take the place of the extreme 2-Eleven track car. The announcement refers to the Elise S Cup that was the company's most recent reveal, but seems to indicate that the Geneva show car will be something different. 19 January 2015 Lotus sales up 54% world-wide for the first nine months of the financial year · 81% sales increase EU overall · 88% increase in UK · 143% increase in France · 139% increase in Germany · 29% up USA; 50% up Canada · 24% up Asia and Middle East · 130% sales increases in China; 125% in Japan · Lotus Motorsport shows 19% increase · 163 dealers, 25 more than nine months ago, 50 more in pipeline by the end of 2015. · Exciting reveal in Geneva Announcing that overall sales are up by 54% in the past nine months provides tangible proof that the forward strategy established by Lotus Cars is working. In volume terms, the increase of 551 cars over the previous year, to a total of 1,565, is an excellent result for the British sports car maker. Lotus has enlarged and strengthened its representation globally, with 25 new dealers enrolled across a number of territories in the past nine months, with another 50 new dealers joining Lotus by the end of 2015.

Yeah, it's more than 10 better | 2018 Lotus Evora Sport 410 Quick Spin

Doesn't it drive you crazy when you get a new toy and within weeks they announce a new, improved version? That's exactly what Lotus has done with the new Evora 400. Just as this two-plus-two coupe is wowing US buyers with its combination of light weight and old-school ride and handling, those sneaky devils have gone and produced a lightweight, sport version. Your correspondent attended the launch to test the waters, but in the process found that you'll still have time to enjoy your stock 400 model, since the Sport won't be gracing US shores before next summer – Lotus still has to engineer its lightweight construction for US safety regulations. And will you then want to swap for one at a likely price in excess of $105,000? Read on. Not if you plan to carry the kids, since the new Sport 410 is now strictly a two-seater. The vestigial rear perches, along with the air conditioning, stereo wireless, rear bulkhead glass, sound insulation, door trims, and even the mud flaps have been jettisoned to reduce mass. As a result, you can't see much out of the rear-view mirror except carbon-fiber stays. Other weight-saving measures include new carbon-fiber panels for the roof, rear deck, and front and rear panels. There's a new lithium-ion main battery saving 25 pounds and an optional titanium exhaust system that's lighter and sounds saucier. Total weight saving is 154 pounds compared to the 400, which makes the curb weight a feather-like 2,923 pounds despite the addition of a new transmission oil cooler. It pushes itself into the ground harder, too. Aerodynamic tweaks such as the front splitter and rear spoiler increase downforce from 19 pounds to 40 at 100 mph and from 71 pounds to 141 at 150 mph. Lotus has tweaked its inlet-charge-cooled and supercharged 3.5-liter V6 Toyota Camry engine to yield 10 extra horsepower for a total of 410 (hence the name) at 7,000 rpm and 302 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm. The 410 will hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds with the six-speed manual, or in 3.9 with the six-speed automatic. Suspension adjustments include re-valved dampers and an effective spring-rate increase thanks to the lighter weight. The hydraulically assisted steering and AP Racing brakes with two-piece rotors remain the same, as does the geared Torsen-type limited-slip differential. The Sport runs on specially forged Magnesium lightweight wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 19/20-inch tires front/rear.

Lotus recalling certain 2011 Evora S models for possible oil leak, fire

Last year about 80 examples of the 2011 Lotus Evora S were recalled over an issue with the oil feed pipe. The same number of 2011 Evora S', but with different manufacture dates, are back in the recall box again for a very similar issue; this time it's the engine oil cooler hose that could rupture and spray oil either onto the rear wheels or a hot engine part. Neither of those cases is good, and the latter could potentially lead to a fire.
Lotus is working on a solution, so a recall date hasn't been announced. The bulletin below from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more information.