Lotus Invades Paris - The Best Of The 2010 Paris Motor Show Part 1

The 2010 Paris Motor Show starts tomorrow and it looks to be a pretty good one.  All the auto journalists have been given access to the show and the cars ahead of the regular public and I've been checking out the coverage from the usual sites.  I thought I'd share some of my personal favorites from what I've seen.

Lotus made the biggest splash so far by bringing a total of 5 concepts to the show.  If you remember, they recently announced a complete change in philosophy, moving away from lighter is better in order to move the brand upmarket and compete with the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Aston.


Lotus Elite

The Lotus Elite is a four passenger GT with a retractable hardtop. In very un-Lotus like fashion this big girl weighs in at 3,600lbs however it is motivated by a modified Lexus IS-F V8 mounted in the front/mid position and producing over 600HP. That's good enough for 0-60 in under 4 seconds and a top speed of around 195mph. Lotus is looking at 2014 for production and a price tag of about $180,000.


Lotus Elan

Next is the Lotus Elan which appears to be a Porsche 911 fighter. Slated for production in 2013, it will come standard with 2 seats but you can add the option of two very small rear seats like the 911 has. Power comes from a mid mounted 4.0L supercharged V6 producing 450HP and it gets to the ground via a 7 speed dual clutch transmission, both from Toyota. That is enough to move the 2,849lb Elan from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds on it's way to a top speed of 193mph. The price target for the Elan is $118,500.


Lotus Eterne

The Eterne is Lotus' attempt at a competitor to the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide. It's a four door sedan powered by 5.0L Toyota V8 with around 620HP. There is also the option of a hybrid F1 style KERS system. Standard configuration will be rear wheel drive but there is the option of all wheel drive as well. 0-60 should take about 4 seconds and the top speed looks to be about 196mph. Lotus says that you'll have to wait until 2015 to see this car in production and it will cost you about $190,000


Lotus Elise

Ever wonder what all this moving upmarket would mean for the tiny but thrilling Lotus Elise? The answer was shown in Paris. The Lotus Elise Concept shown in Paris has grown in every dimension including it's weight. Weighing in at 2,409lbs, it's about 400lbs heavier than the current Elise. To make up for the weight increase, Lotus has fitted it with a turbocharged Toyota 2.0L 4cyl producing around 320HP and a 0-60 time of about 4.3 seconds.. Transmission choices are a standard 6 speed (thankfully) and a paddle shift automatic. The price has also grown. Lotus expects the car to start selling in 2015 for about $55,000.


Lotus Esprit

Finally, Lotus brought out the Esprit Concept. Rumors have been flying for years about Lotus returning to the supercar ranks with a new Elise and here it is. Powered by a mid mounted 5.0L Toyota V8 producing 620HP, it should be good for 0-60 runs in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 205mph. As on the Eterne, there may be a KERS type hybrid system to be used to boost performance at the touch of a button.  Lotus is aiming for 2013 as a production target for the Esprit and a price tag of $175,000.

That's it for now.  In the next part I'll touch on the rest of the cool stuff from Paris 2010.