[Wimbledon]

The next few years should prove to be very interesting times for us Lotus enthusiasts. The Evora is currently being launched to much media acclaim, and Lotus is working on bringing convertible and supercharged variants of the Evora soon enough.

In addition, Lotus plans to bring the next Elise to market as early as 2011 according to anonymous insiders from Lotus who spoke with Autocar. The next Elise will most likely be a development of the current Elise rather than a completely new chassis like the Evora.

Work on the next Esprit is also reportedly underway with a target launch date of 2012. The Esprit will be built upon a longer and wider version of the Evora chassis in order to fit a mid-mounted V8. The V8 from the Toyota Tundra pickup (5.7L 381 hp/401 lb.-ft. torque) is a likely choice both for its robustness and relatively low price, as a complete Toyota Tundra V8 pickup truck starts around $26K USD.

Whether the Esprit ultimately sees production is dependent upon sufficient funds being generated from the success of the Evora.

What would you like to see in the next Elise and Esprit?

 

[LotusStig22]

What would you like to see in the next Elise and Esprit?

Rockets. Or maybe a tad more comfy seats, and some mechanism to make it easier to get in/out. But mostly rockets.

 

[Dragon]

A free sample..

I'd like to see better weight distribution.

A 4 wheel drive version wouldn't upset me too much either...

 

[LotusStig22]

A free sample..

I'd like to see better weight distribution.

A 4 wheel drive version wouldn't upset me too much either...

I'd +1 the 4WD idea, then I could easily off-road an Elise.
Free sample, definitely, how bout a free underage license while they're at it?
Weight distribution, don't know what the issue is/possibly is with it so I can't comment :shrug:

 

[Dragon]

I'd +1 the 4WD idea, then I could easily off-road an Elise.
Free sample, definitely, how bout a free underage license while they're at it?
Weight distribution, don't know what the issue is/possibly is with it so I can't comment :shrug:

Car is currently around 62% Rear/38% Front... I'd like to see something more in the 55%/45% range as it would help the car turn better. A little wider wheel well for larger tires wouldn't disappoint me either..

Edit: I'm looking at this from a AutoX and street driving perspective.. The track guys would probably not prefer this setup...

 

[AnsisK]

Most interesting bit to me is the statement that says that the S3 won't share the VVH platform. Would the current chassis be used for another decade? That seems like a bit of a stretch, although it still is one of the best, and from the S1 days we know that there is the potential for it to produce something far lighter than what we have now.

 

[turbophil]

TRD, makes a TVS supercharger for the 5.7L truck... bet it would fit in nicely to the esprit:crazyeyes

 

[Sleazy E]

Things i'd like to see:

- Built in TVs in the rear headrest as a standard feature across all models.

- 3 different wheel options to choose from: Standard, LSS, and "Touring"

 

[Viggen]

I'd like the new exige/elise to have a engine that has a bit more torque especially in N/A form. for the turbo/super - charged version love to see a 2.3L turbo motor that can develop 300+hp/tq easily which is very easy to do.

With the esprit.... like the maintenance costs to be quite a bit lower then other exotics & also the last esprit v8. If they use the toyota v8 it definantly should be..... hopefyully they will make it sound good

 

[Vishus_1]

I hope it doesn't look anything like the 2010 Exige or continue that piecemeal styling theme.

 

[BUELL XB12R]

A free sample..

I'd like to see better weight distribution.

A 4 wheel drive version wouldn't upset me too much either...

AWD on a Lotus? Really? That is the last thing I would want. Talk about losing the Lotus Steering feel.

I would like to see the Esprit down to about 2500 lbs, but leave the Elise alone it is perfect.

 

[CosmosMpower]

I would like brakes that work every time, not every 3rd time on a bumpy road.

 

[chapster5]

More carbon fibre, fatter rear tyres, maybe a flip down sill to help with enter/leaving the car.... but thats optional

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

A truck motor in the Esprit? What happened to the BMW twin-turbo V8?

Seriously, WTF... That's not an appropriate motor at all.

 

[cdn_alien]

I'd like to see a gullwing hardtop roof (not the door, just the roof). I've seen an aftermarket one that flips up for ease of entry and then removes entirely. A bag slot for each panel behind the two seats would be nice too, so it doesn't slide around in the trunk. Then they can dispense with the softop, as I thought the hardtop looks so much nicer.

 

[BUELL XB12R]

A truck motor in the Esprit? What happened to the BMW twin-turbo V8?

Seriously, WTF... That's not an appropriate motor at all.

But it's a hell of a truck motor. With some performance exhaust, and some tuning it should be over 400 HP. It might be a little heavy though. Does anyone know what it weighs?

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

I bet it weighs a **** load. The BMW motor is better suited and will allow for greater HP output... They were talking about a 500hp version of the BMW 4.4l...

 

[def]

The engine is still speculation... no need to get all angsty just yet.


Supercharged output is impressive: TRD 5.7 Tundra Supercharger Specs - 504 HP and 550 LB-FT Torque! | Tundra Headquarters

According to this, it weighs 219kg which is 482 pounds (without supercharger)

The N62 engine (bmw 4.4) is 140kg which is 310 pounds... without twin turbos and other hardware. Thier 4.4tt might be a different engine block though, I just kind of googled around for a standard bmw 4.4 weight

 

[BUELL XB12R]

The engine is still speculation... no need to get all angsty just yet.


Supercharged output is impressive: TRD 5.7 Tundra Supercharger Specs - 504 HP and 550 LB-FT Torque! | Tundra Headquarters

According to this, it weighs 219kg which is 482 pounds (without supercharger)

The N62 engine (bmw 4.4) is 140kg which is 310 pounds... without twin turbos and other hardware. Thier 4.4tt might be a different engine block though, I just kind of googled around for a standard bmw 4.4 weight

Wow! That is heavy.

 

[DeanG]

For the new Elise I would like to see:
Better aerodynamic package in a less boy racer look
Easier entry and exit
Lighter
Full convertible!

The new Esprit should look like the 1/2 model that was show at LOG oh so long ago. The standard car should be able to kick butt on all except highest of the high end offerings from Porsche and Corvette.