Why it matters: It’s a mid-engine, aluminum supercar designed to take on Ferrari and Lamborghini. Lotus’s move upmarket is a huge gamble for the brand.
Platform: A new alloy structure that shares a number of components with its somewhat less extreme sister model, the Lotus Elan.
Powertrain: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive platform with a V-8 engine of as-yet-undetermined origin. The V-8 is expected to make about 550 horsepower; a hybrid system should lift output to 620 horsepower.
Competition: Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo.
What might go wrong: Everything. This is Lotus, after all. Minor elements such as the source of the engine are still up in the air.
Estimated arrival and price: Lotus says the Esprit will appear in dealerships in early 2013 at a price of
about $175,000.
