Lotus Evora (Spy)

[Autodelta85]

Argh...uff...sgrunt...aspetto l'esprit ma elise a parte vedo un leggero snaturamento pure in Lotus.

va bene allargare la gamma e fare il 2+2 ma chi te la compra?forse io se non fossi un barbone senza soldi

mah...vedremo

[Touareg 2.5]

You’re looking at the first pictures of Lotus’ new £45,000 GT model. Codenamed ‘Eagle’, the four-seat mid-sized coupe is the company’s most important model since the original Elise, and our spies caught it out in the open for the first time earlier this week.

Don’t be deceived by the familiar styling. This Eagle test mule is wearing old Esprit body panels to disguise its origin. Powered by a mid-mounted Toyota V6 thought to be developing around 300bhp, the car’s body structure is based on a stretched version of the Elise’s aluminium monocoque, with an extra row of seats squeezed into the rear.

Company boss Mike Kimberley has brought production of the new car forward because he feels this new coupe is vital to Lotus’ rejuvenation. Sales will begin early in 2009, when the ‘Eagle’ will cost a Porsche Cayman S-rivalling £45,000 to £48,000.

The Eagle will be available with a semi automatic paddle-shift gearbox – something that Lotus had previously ruled out offering on any of its cars. “That’s what buyers want in the US and Japan,” says Kimberley.

Eventually there’ll be seven versions of the Eagle, including a convertible, and it’s widely believed that the new model will make the unpopular Europa obselete in Britain. The Europa may then be hived-off to a Chinese manufacturer. After the Eagle is launched, Lotus will focus on its lower-volume, range-crowning supercar, a successor for the Esprit, due in 2010.

While details on the Eagle’s looks remain a closely guarded secret, hence the old Esprit-bodied mule, inside sources suggest it may share similar styling with the M250 concept we saw back in 2000. Concerns have been raised over how Lotus will package a mid-engined 2+2 layout while maintaining sleek and elegant proportions. The M250 was originally canned after being deemed too expensive to engineer in this way.

autocar

[j]

http://www.lotusespritforum.com/forums/uploads/monthly_12_2007/post-871-1198518453_thumb.jpg

da lotusespritforum.com

[VeeSix]

forse mi sbaglio... ma a me sembra che questo muletto è stato solo coperto con la carrozzeria della Europa S... quindi non c'è niente di definitivo nel suo aspetto estetico...

[Touareg 2.5]

autocar.co.uk

A quanto pare.. eccola.

[nicogiraldi]

devo capire come fanno a farci stare 2+2 persone.

Mi pare che il concetto sia fare un 1-11 in scala 4:3 .

[j]

da Jalopnik.com

[Regazzoni]

Premio costume più originale al carnevale 2008?

[MeneS]

Questo si che è una camuffatura! sfido chiunque a capire come sarà il frontale!

Non è molto bello lo scarico..ok che sarà posticcio ma uno scarico centrae su questa auto non c'è lo vedo bene.

[nicogiraldi]

Lotus Eagle spied

Lotus Eagle spied

By Ben Pulman and Daniel Harrison

Spyshots

26 February 2008 18:00

The new Lotus Eagle is set to use a 3.5-litre V6 from an American-spec Toyota, CAR has learned. Our spies have spotted the 2+2 coupe cold-weather testing ahead of its debut at the London Motor Show in July 2008 – and a registration check shows this prototype runs a 3458cc engine.

We know Lotus will use a Toyota engine (as it does on the Elise), so this V6 is almost certainly the same motor that powers a number of Toyota products across the Pond. In the Camry the 24-valve V6, which has variable valve timing, produces 262bhp at 6200rpm and 248lb ft at 4700rpm. Don’t expect those figures to change much in the production Eagle.

The engine passes through American emissions legislation, which is crucial for Lotus to sell the Eagle Stateside. Whether the Hethel-based manufacturer will compromise and also offer the Eagle with the Camry’s six-speed auto ‘box remains to be seen.

The Eagle's styling looks a bit strange…

Ignore the jutting extremities, for that is mere disguise. Our first shot of the Eagle showed the 2+2’s real swooping bodywork. Quite how the curvy roofline will allow the Eagle to accommodate four is befuddling us though. Lotus boss Mike Kimberley has told CAR that the rear seats accommodate children up to nine years old.

So how much for the Eagle?

Expect to pay £45,000. The Eagle is the first properly new Lotus in 13 years, and will showcase the firm’s new versatile vehicle architecture. The same basic system, which has set hardpoints for the four corners of the car but can be extended vertically and horizontally between them, will also underpin the 2010 Lotus Esprit replacement.

Production is expected to be underway at Lotus’s Norfolk factory by October 2008, with first deliveries coming towards the end of 2008.

alcune notizie ggiuntive.

comunque lo scarico centrale (bruttino) è già utilizzato sulla exige supercharged.