2005 Lotus Elise~saffron Yellow~only 10,978 Miles~1 Owner~2 Keys~never Tracked! on 2040-cars

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Lotus Esprit all but ready to go, but held back by management issues

Brief and disappointing is this report from Autocar on the status of the Lotus Esprit: it is finally ready and sitting at the light, but the light might not go green for a long time. The good news is that from being a concept two years ago at the Paris Motor Show, the aluminum and carbon fiber revival coupe is "purportedly almost finished." It is powered by a twin-turbo, 5.0-liter V8 with something like 650 horsepower, boosted by a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) and shifting through a seven-speed paddleshift transmission. Even with all that, the UK price is said to be around that of a Porsche 911 4S Cabriolet, and the car only needs "signing off and minor tweaking."
The bad news is that former company owner Proton couldn't stay independent long enough to see through the company's ambitious five-concept-car assault - led by then-CEO Dany Bahar who was hired explicitly to lead such a campaign - and was swallowed up by Malaysian auto supplier DRB-Hicom. For a brief spell Lotus had to shut down production for lack of funds. Then the new owner cleaned house, sweeping out Bahar and, according to the Financial Times just one month ago, the Esprit and every other concept with it. Just after the FT piece came out, Lotus denied the Esprit had been canceled. Still, according to Autocar, the management whirlpool is keeping the Esprit "far from becoming a production reality."
If we're honest with ourselves, we'll keep in mind that the Esprit has been slipping into and out of a terminal ether for what seems like decades. None of us knows what is going on inside Hethel HQ, but the fact that there really is a lightweight, twin-turbo, 650-hp Lotus Esprit finally ready to be produced has to be, in spite of all else, very good news.

Lotus Evora update coming, new models still on hold

The trials and tribulations at Lotus over the past several years haven't put the company in best financial position, and after the dismissal of Dany Bahar as CEO, the automaker seemed rudderless. Jean-Marc Gales (pictured above) is the new captain at the helm of the British sports car brand, and he seems like the complete opposite of Bahar. Where the former boss was hugely ambitious (perhaps overly), the current CEO has crafted a plan for a gradual turnaround under what he called a "logic-based" recovery in a recent interview with Autocar. The most logical part of Gales' plan is focusing on what Lotus can actually do. Instead of launching new products, he wants to continue to refine the current lineup. "We won't have the funds to build all-new cars in the next few years," he said to Autocar. The biggest of these updates includes a heavily revised Evora with more power and less weight to debut at next year's Geneva Motor Show. An even lighter-weight Cup model is planned for later. The Exige will get a revision in 2016. Gales also hints that a future, feather-light model like the 2-Eleven is on the docket, and a crossover is on the drawing board, according to Autocar, though not yet green lit. North America is also a priority. Lotus is forever linked to founder Colin Chapman's axiom to add lightness to the brand's models, and Gales is continuing that history with the Lightweight Lab. According to Autocar, in this huge room the company's models are completely disassembled with each part labeled. The entire staff is invited to come in and make suggestions on places to reduce weight and lower costs. "This brand is like a sleeping princess, but I believe she is starting to wake up," Gales said to Autocar, but he's keeping sales projections modest. Gales wants annual numbers to increase from about 2,000 units this year to 3,000 in 2015 with his streamlined workforce but intends to keep figures at that level for a bit, while the company stabilizes.

Lotus updates Elise with new Sport, Sport 220 models

There aren't a lot of models that stay on the market a full 20 years after their introduction. The Lotus Elise is one of those few, so to mark the occasion, the British sports car manufacturer is launching two new versions. Instead of simply dressing the Elise up with special trim and badges (which it has already done), the new models succeed the old ones by "adding lightness" and increasing performance in the classic Lotus style. Replacing the base Elise is the new Lotus Elise Sport, which cuts a good 24 pounds off the already featherlike curb weight – now down to 1,909 pounds. The 1.6-liter inline-four that is sourced from Toyota and enhanced in-house carries over with 134 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 time of 6.0 seconds and a top speed quoted at 127 miles per hour. Fuel economy and emissions figures improve thanks to the decreased weight, but Lotus says the difference is most felt in the brand's signature handling dynamics. Those looking for a little more oomph may be more enticed by the upgraded Elise Sport 220. Taking the place of the outgoing Elise S, the new Sport 220 benefits from the same weight reduction as the Elise Sport, but packs the larger, more potent engine. The 1.8-liter supercharged four delivers 217 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to deliver a 4.2-second 0-60 time and a 145-mph top speed. Along with the weight reduction, the new Sport models benefit from optimized throttle response, traction slip thresholds, and handling balance. They also feature new Bilstein dampers. Along with ten exterior colors available, buyers will also be able to choose between leather, Alcantara, or (our pick) classic tartan upholstery like the original 1976 Lotus Esprit S1. Unfortunately, we can't count ourselves among those potential buyers, since Lotus no longer offers the Elise in North America. The automaker is, however, tipped to bring the next generation back to these shores toward the end of this decade. And the incremental improvements that it constantly rolls out bodes well for what's to come.