Lotus has unveiled their all new Elite, and it's unlike anything to ever come out of Hethel before.
For decades, the mantra at Lotus, as decreed by Colin Chapman himself, has been to "add lightness. " It's a philosophy that has served them well and produced some legendary cars. From the original Elan to the Elise and most recently the Evora, Lotus has stuck to building cars in their own unique way. However, this has never translated into huge sales numbers. Something about mainstream car buyers not wanting small, lightweight, impractical, fun to drive cars with no place to put groceries.
Lotus aims to change that with the all-new Elite. It's a front engine 2+2 GT which also happens to be the most powerful production car ever produced by Lotus. Under the hood sits the same five liter V8 found in the Lexus IS-F, but this time it's supercharged and produces 611bhp. Zero to sixty should come in about 3.6 seconds and top speed will be just shy of 200 mph. The Elite will also be available with an optional KERS system, which will keep emissions to a minimum.
The roof is a retractable hard top, but it's so well integrated into the design that you'd never know unless someone pointed it out to you. It's far more well-resolved than the similar fold-away tops found on the Ferrari California and the Mercedes SL. however, all these extra creature comforts result in a very un-Lotus-like curb weight of 3600 lbs. (1650 kg).
Speaking of the Ferrari California and the Mercedes SL, and despite what Lotus might have you think, the Elite is aimed squarely at these two cars. Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but expect it to be somewhere between a well-equipped Merc SL and the entry level Ferrari.
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