You’re looking at an all new model for the Lotus brand, it’s called the Elite. In the video below it is described as a “gentleman’s car”. Basically it’s a 2+2 grand tourer fitted with the same 620PS 5.0 litre V8 from the new Esprit.
Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar, says the company is moving with the times by providing a more luxurious sportscar. What he’s really doing is softening the blow made by the Elite’s 1650kg weight, which is starting to push the boundaries of Colin Champan‘s legacy of “simplify and add lightness”.
Bahar continues his defence accordingly, “Make no mistake, there’s a definite market requirement for the Elite – it’s the ultimate sports car feel with comfort and space. There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars but we didn’t take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly, it’s based on months of careful research and planning.â€
The Elite continues the new visual language so clearly defined at Paris this year and it’s certainly no slouch. Able to reach 100km/h in 3.7 seconds before achieving a v-max of 315km/h the Elite is due to go on sale in the second half of 2014.
More pics, video and official press release are available after the break.