Lotus has issued the first official picture of its new 2+2 sportscar known as Project Eagle, which will make its global debut at the British Motorshow in London next week.
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The V6-engined car will sit between the Europa and the successor to the Esprit in the Lotus range and the new name for the model will also be revealed in London next week.
It’s the first all-new car from Lotus since the Elise in 1995 and is designed to offer a more refined car in the Lotus range.
Powered by a 3.5-litre V6 supplied by Toyota and producing 280 PS, the new car employs lightweight chassis technology in keeping with Lotus tradition.
Lotus says that even in the very early stages of development testing, Lotus ride and handling engineers reported that it was considerably faster around the famous Nürburgring circuit than the Elise and more stable at speed than the Exige.
As well as being sold in a 2+2 configuration, the car will also be available as a purely two-seater, the space in the rear being allocated to luggage storage.
Other derivatives are also planned for the future, including a convertible and an ultra-high performance version.
Deliveries of Project Eagle will begin in Spring 2009, with planned build volume at 2,000 cars a year.
Lotus says that Hollywood actor and car enthusiast Patrick Dempsey is just one of the high profile collectors who are on the waiting list for a test drive.
Mike Kimberley, CEO of Group Lotus plc, said: “Project Eagle is the biggest milestone Lotus has achieved since the Elise was born 13 years ago. We are currently working at broadening the appeal of the Lotus brand through an aggressive 5-year model plan of which this car represents the first exciting step.”
Project Eagle is the first of three new models included in Mike Kimberley’s five-year strategic business plan initiated in October 2006 to support Lotus’ growth.
It is expected that the Project Eagle car will retail at around GBP45,000.
Speaking exclusively to just-auto late last year, Mike Kimberley outlined the major elements of Lotus’ new product strategy:
“Elise/Exige/Europa are marvellous – iconic cars, there’s no doubt about that. The aluminium structure and vehicle dynamics are absolutely exceptional. There’s a big ‘wow factor’. The exhilaration in driving the Exige S certainly gets the blood going.
“But these cars are not everyday cars and I think Lotus needs more of a lifestyle type of car. When I joined, the MSC – a new generation Esprit – was on the go and still is. MSC is a fabulous car, superbly styled.
“Our view was that we needed to look at where our customers are now and where they step up to, and that led us to the lifestyle 2+2 vehicle (codenamed Eagle) which is V6 mid-engine. There’s room in the back for the golf clubs or a couple of small kiddies. That’s more an everyday car.
“And when you become an empty-nester, then you move up into supercar territory, very high status premium.
“When I joined, I decided that MSC needed a reassessment and that meant some reworking – including going back to the powertrain provider to change the engine. That’s added about a year to that programme.
“In the light of that, the board decided to fast-track the Eagle lifestyle car.
“Sales of that car will commence in early 2009. The next generation Esprit MSC will be about a year later and further out we’re planning a supercar which will be a ‘jewel in the crown’”.
THE EDITOR’S Q&A: Group Lotus CEO, Mike Kimberley
