2013 Lotus Esprit Unveiled

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By Alborz Fallah | October 01st, 2010

If you’ve been waiting for a Lotus Esprit since the model went out of production in 2004, then your wait is over. The all-new Lotus Esprit has just been announced at the Paris motorshow and is expected to go on sale in 2013.

The British car company calls it the ultimate Lotus and it may be right, given the Esprit is powered by a 5.0-litre V8 with 456kW and 720 Nm of torque. It will do the 0-100km/h run in just 3.5 seconds and go to a top-speed of 330 km/h.

Lotus says the Esprit represents all that Lotus has to offer in terms of exclusive supercar driving. The original Lotus Esprit was first built in 1976 and went on to become an icon for Lotus. It gained worldwide fame when it became the weapon of choice for James Bond in the 1977 classic “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

Nonetheless Dany Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus believes that this time around “the car is the star of the show.”

“One has to be very careful when taking on the challenge of reinventing such an iconic classic as the Esprit – everyone has an opinion. There’s a fine balance between acknowledging the greatness of the past whilst at the same time rapidly leaping forward to the future and ensuring that this car not only does the name Esprit justice but also the Lotus brand. I think we’ve managed to find the balance and in doing so created a new icon, a car people will find hard to resist.” he said.

The Esprit is a two-seater, mid-engined rear-wheel drive gunuine supercar, and as with all new Lotus vehicles, it can be optioned with hybrid technology. The V8 engine delivers its power via a seven-speed dual-cluth transmission. In total the car weighs just 1,450 kg.

It will cost around 110,000 British pounds ($180,000 + taxes).

Layout 2 seater, mid-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine Petrol, hybrid optional
Hybrid technology Optional KERS
Cylinder V8
Capacity 5.0 litre
Power/Torque 456 kW / 720 Nm
Rev limit 8,500 rpm
0-100 km/h 3.4 seconds
Top speed 330 km/h
CO2 approx (CO2/km) 250 g/km**
Weight 1,450 kg
Seats 2
Transmission 7 Speed DCT
Drive RWD
Start of production End of 2012
Enters the market Spring 2013
Price indication Circa £110,000

Justin

Damn, why couldn’t they use the V10 LF-A engine for that little bit of extra weight saving

My Cars Called T-Rex

Because the LF-A engine has poor low down torque.

ox

Another stunner from lotus, however I don’t think they’ved pushed the styling far enough with this one. Hard to tell the differnce from the Elan unless you look really close. Being the mack daddy of the lotus group it should be instantly distinguishable from the cheeper models. Shame it didn’t come with the LFA v10 as rumoured.
Sizzle

Looks they got a lambo pulled the badges off and stuck lotus on there…
Shak

Getting better. as i move up through the Lotus reveals, my mouth starts to get more dry…Simply Stunning.
Zandit

Excellent!!! Now they can finally shoot “Pretty Woman 2″!!!!!
Brownie

I feel like a school kid again – yay Lotus!! (flashbacks to reading Motor circa 1986, although eh hem, CarAdvice cr@ps all over Motor these days)
My Cars Called T-Rex

Very Nice,The whole range is impressive.
D

The figures for costs are incorrect for the new Esprit….if the esprit will be priced at 110,000 pounds in britain that will equate to around $350,000 in Oz…at least.

If you look at the price of the old esprit it cost 50,000 pounds in britain at the time and it retailed in australia for $250,000.

Like all the other cars too, for example if you look at an aston DB9 in britain in retails for approx. 80,000-100,000 pounds…here the car sells new for around $400,000.

Also a Lotus Evora is around 55,000 pounds in britain but here the car is $200,000 on road.

You don’t just assume that 110,000 pounds calculated is going to be approx. $180,000 in australia….bad journalism!

Shak

Mate they were just showing the amount Converted into AUD, and were not ascertaining to the fact that it would cost that much in Australia.

Taka

These guys sure know how to design cars!
Dave

The proportions look very non directional. There is enough visual features going on for about 3 designs. It looks like a blend between Ferrari and an older Lambo. I’m very disapointed as I was planning on getting one to replace my ’91 SE. Actually thinking about it Lotus should merely follow Porches philosophy when they redid the 911 about 10 years ago. Just take the iconic wedge profile of the Esprit and future it out to about 2020 or so. The style that’s shown here definitely does not look like an Esprit of the future.
BTW I am a graduate of Art Center and have been a professional car designer for my entire career. OK boys lets get back on those clays and computers and I want to see a real esprit next year and not some generic cartoon that looks nothing like an Esprit. Check out Porsche’s solution. The 911 looks like a 911 but is a huge improvement over what they had and is selling well. I believe that the current style you have shown will alienate the real Esprit customer like myself and probably not sell. Sorry I’m no journalist and have trouble making my point sometimes.
Thanks for hearing me. Good Luck!

D

Completely agree!!….bad front end, overall too rounded…where are the nice side air ducts as well….Sharper wedge front like a gallardo, since the esprit did initiate and revolutionisze the wedge.
Too evora looking.
Lucky it has the rear end it does or it would have been very average and disappointing!!

D

Why whats the point??
All the other proper jouno reports have actually put in the actual australian price the car will sell for.
Sounds logical to me….
sam

We will all warm up to the new espit in time but I was hoping for a much sutle transfermation I loved the old car and still do!…
Flying High

actually the new style does not do the former Esprit justice. Far too much of a transformation in the styling department imo.
Glen

Looks a bit like the McLaren MP4-12C. i like it

I’d bet good money if they evolved the old esprit design then you’d all be complaining they should of made it more modern looking.

Flying High

Well I would take you up on that bet. And you would lose.

I have always loved the traditional wedge shape of the Esprit, although I could have done without the sorry looking circular lights which made their way onto the last of the Esprits.

This new concept is a significant departure from that wedged design, and the poorer for it, if one intends to call this an Esprit. I did not say I did not like it, but the styling is just not an evolved Esprit.

Bring back the wedge.

Clancy

I guess you’re all complaining bou this car.. Well i loved the original esprit as much as all of you guys and wish they’d stuck a bit closer to home too.. But you also gotta remember that they’re claiming 330kmh outta this thing.. Now with techno improvements they have to ensure the car can do that safely too.. This is a new millenium and we gotta accept change. Looks are only half the package. Personally i think the car is a bit too complex internally but overall it’s a very beautiful looking machine. Just hope they can actually pull it off and make it work properly. We need something new to compete with the others.