Thread: Hybrid Lotus Elite Debuts in Paris

Ten days ahead of the official unveil at the Paris Motor Show Lotus has revealed their brand new Hybrid Elite. A sports car that will redefine “modern classic”, according to the sports car manufacturer.

The Elite gives the first taste of what’s to come from Lotus in the future. The retractable hard top version, the full hybrid transmission and the optional use of hybrid technology with KERS are brand new developments in the vehicle

Read more & see 4 more pictures!

Cool, Wtf is with the side view mirrors lol

I kind of like it.

Originally Posted by Shawn C

Cool, Wtf is with the side view mirrors lol

Are they cameras? Like the porsche 918?

Originally Posted by saintv90

Are they cameras? Like the porsche 918?

They have to be.

I'm liking the look of it. Put it into production now!

Originally Posted by Shawn C

Cool, Wtf is with the side view mirrors lol

In a car like that, what is behind you is not important.

It looks ok.

Still wish they would drop an all new bad @$$ Esprit.

To futuristic looking for me

looks good and with 600HP on tap, this thing is gonna fly.

Feast your eyes on the rakish new Elite from Lotus, scheduled for an official unveiling at the Paris Auto Show on September 30. This 2+2 front-mid-engine rear-wheel-drive sports car is about as far as you can go from Colin Chapman’s original. Slated to arrive in 2014, the Elite is expected to carry a price tag of around $180,000. Designed by the new Lotus styling team led by Donato Coco, the 181-in.-long coupe weighs in at 3700 lb. and features a retractable hardtop.

Power comes from a heavily revised Lexus 5.0-liter V-8 with an epicyclic hybrid gearbox with integrated electric motors and a front-mounted Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). Power is rated at 542 bhp, or 611 bhp in the R-tuned version. Lotus predicts the Elite will hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in about 3.6 seconds. The 4-cam V-8 features both direct and port fuel injection with scavenged cylinder heads and a charge-cooled supercharger.

The Elite marks the first stage in a highly ambitious 10-year, $1.2 billion program that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says will see Lotus challenge the likes of Aston Martin and Maserati by the middle of this decade, producing 7000–8000 cars per year. “Lotus can’t survive as a niche brand,” said Bahar. “It needs to be more appealing and has to exceed its rivals with better quality, class-leading emissions and performance at a better price.”