It seems that Lotus has finally decided to clear its inventory in order to make room for the upcoming models. Next to the Lotus Evora GTE road car, Lotus is planning the unveiling of three new models at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motor Show at their stand in Frankfurt, Germany.
The British car maker announced that one of the new models is the Elise S that replaces the Elise SC with a more capable 1.8-liter supercharged engine delivering 220-horsepower, while also returning lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
However, the other two new models, will remain a surprise until next month. Still the manufacturer did reveal that one of them will be “one of the quickest road cars” it has ever built while the other marks the return of the brand to “another adrenalin filled motorsport discipline”. We expect one of them to be this heavily revamped Exige we’ve seen testing over the past 12 months or so.
This one gets an extended wheelbase and possibly a wider track to accommodate the 3.5-liter V-6 engine used in the Evora. Peak output should match the Evora’s 276 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque.
Let’s move on to the car that is inspired by the race-developed version of the same name will join the three new Lotus models. We’re taliking about the new Evora GTE limited edition road car, a vehicle that produces over 444hp from the race developed Lotus Evora GTE engine, being the most powerful Lotus road car ever built. It was originally designed as a special limited edition for the Asian market, but the British brand announced that production will be expanded on the Evora GTE road car to meet demand and reach further markets.
“The response to this model in China has been so incredible, within days we had sold out with 114 orders,” said Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar. “In response we decided that the only logical step from a business perspective was to increase production and widen our reach.”
It uses a sequential AMT gearbox and many carbon fibre parts throughout the exterior and interior of the car including the doors, bumpers and rear wing, contributes to the 105kg (232 pounds) weight reduction over the standard model.
“What is unique about this car, is not just that it’s a serious race car – it’s a serious car. People get so excited when they see and especially hear it for the first time. It’s a very special car and will appeal to a very special type of driver – and they won’t be disappointed!,” commented Bahar.
Finally, Lotus will use the Frankfurt Show to exhibit two new options.
One of them is the latest gearbox option available for the 1.6 liter Elise is the SPS (Serial Precision Shift). This option utilises new lightweight robotised automated manual transmission technology to allow the driver to switch between manual and automatic driving modes via paddles fixed to the steering column giving an even more direct connection with the road.
In addition comes the second new option is IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) on the Evora S. The IPS combines all the power and handling of the supercharged Evora S (3.5 liter V6 delivering 350hp) with the versatility of an automatic gearbox. The optional paddle shift mode allows the driver to manually shift and the added bonus of switching to automatic mode. The S IPS will feature in the Evora model year 2012 line-up.
Source: Carscoop
