MidWeek Motoring with Gavin D’Souza
As the Paris Motor Show wound open over the past week, I began almost immediately to take pace notes of the more exciting developments so as to prepare for this week’s story – a look at the highlights of what was promising to be the most exciting show of the year.
I was not let down either, as there were heaps of exciting revelations – Porsches, Ferraris, Audis, Lamborghinis and one very special and very secret Jaguar (more on this guy soon).
It was coming together quite admirably, if I do say so myself, until September 30 rocked around, and all my hard work was binned within an instant.
Out of the deepest of blues, Britain’s Malaysian-owned purveyor of lightweight engineering – Lotus – rolled not one, nor two, but six brand new concept cars out on to the glitzy Parisian convention centre floor.
While it’s not unusual for big manufacturers to bring this many or more models to a motor show, we must remember that Lotus is a niche sports car maker that has never had more than three models (not counting derivatives) in its range at any given time.
But that was the old Lotus; the Lotus content with building a few simple, albeit very serious sports cars which were famous for being more manoeuvrable than mosquitoes. Not any more.
The move upmarket started with the Evora in 2009, which was the first serious attempt at penetrating markets outside the niche the company was beginning to wallow alone in with the Elise and Exige.
Then, just about a year ago, former Ferrari man Dany Bahar was appointed CEO of Lotus cars and allegedly began work on the six concepts almost immediately.
His goal was to create a Lotus for every segment of the established sports car market, and with specific competition in mind, to raise the standards of quality and equipment levels (two big Lotus criticisms) accordingly.
Of course there are detractors who claim this move is a gross bastardisation of everything company founder Colin Chapman established with his ‘simplify, then add lightness’ principle of car design, and this is true.
However, no car company can survive on a diet of specialist track-day weapons alone, and the move will do well to introduce Hethel’s engineering prowess to markets it has never seen before.
Regarding the unorthodox practice of revealing six prototypes at once, Mr Bahar says it was necessary as a statement of intent to show the world how serious Lotus is about playing with the big boys.
And what a statement it is; the concepts are a powerful evolution of the brand’s current design language and manage to look distinct from one another while maintaining similar lines.
Most of all, they do not look too far away from production-ready – especially if the existing Evora is anything to go by.
Dany Bahar maintains his intentions are not to desecrate the legacy of Colin Chapman, but merely to usher the brand into the future it rightly deserves. What do you think?
Here are a few details on the six concept cars from Paris.
City Car Concept (2014)
In spite of some of the other concepts touting advanced, planet-healing hybrid systems, they are but concepts and the production reality may differ considerably. This city car is the company’s real solution to keep fleet emissions down; much like Aston Martin intends to do with its Cygnet city car.
Likely competition: Aston Martin Cygnet, Smart ForTwo, BMW Megacity
Espirit Concept (2013)
The Espirit is the biggest and baddest of the six, and will also be the first to go on sale. The mid-engined supercar is technically a successor to the Espirit that met a bloated, Elvis-like demise in 2004. It will use a high-revving version of the 5.0-litre V8 from the Lexus IS-F, belting out up to 462kW.
Likely competition: Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, McLaren MP4-12C
Elan Concept (2013)
The middle child, and to these eyes the most striking to look at, this Elan is mid-engined unlike previous Lotuses of the same name. The 4.0-litre motor is a bored-out version of the 3.5-litre unit currently used in the Evora, and with a promised 350kW, it should erase any allusions to the Toyota Camry from which it is borrowed.
Likely competition: Porsche 911 Carrera S, Audi R8 4.2, Aston Martin Vantage
Next-gen Elise Concept (2015)
The most likely of the lot to stick to the Chapman’s mantra, the Elise is a brand unto itself. Although larger than the current car and incorporating more upmarket features, it will still weigh less than 1,100kg. Power will come from a supercharged 2.0-litre Toyota four, pushing up to 260kW.
Likely competition: Itself, base model Porsche Boxster, Audi TT RS
Elite Concept (2014)
The loping GT, this front-engined V8 hybrid coupe may even come with a (gasp) folding hard-top roof. Luxury and comfort were always tertiary concerns with Lotus cars, but here they could take precedence. It will use a hybrid system based off the Lexus LS600h, kicking out an altogether un-Lexus-like 450kW.
Likely competition: Aston Martin DB9, Maserati Granturismo, Ferrari California
Eterne Concept (2015)
Lastly, the one to make poor Colin turn over in his grave, the Eterne is a four-door version of the Elite. It is neither simple nor lightweight. Oh, the blasphemy! But given the success of the Maserati Quattroporte and especially the Porsche Panamera, it would be foolish of New Lotus not to go there.
Likely competition: Aston Martin Rapide, Porsche Panamera
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