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2013 Lotus Esprit Unveiled

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

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