Lotus Esprit to Receive Homegrown 4.8L V8: Official Info and Specs

Appearently, Lotus has really big plans for the supercar market, since it has been working on this 4.8L V8 engine at its headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk where engineers have achieved 570 HP at around 9000rpm and 398 lb-ft of torque at a bit higher than 3000rpm. This is their very own high-powered V8 engine perfectly fit for the future Esprit.

And as if that weren’t enough, Lotus Chief Technical Officer, Wolf Zimmermann is telling us that the engine is able to reach up to 630 HP at 9,400 rpm and 424 lb-ft of torque between 5,500 and 6,000rpm. The V8 weighs in at about 375 lbs, which is about 176 lbs lighter than the original 5.0L V8 Lotus was going to borrow from Lexus, but due to the fact that Lexus’s engine was way too heavy, they decided to go ahead and create their own modular engine.

A forged aluminum wishbone suspension and electro-hydraulic power steering will add up to the performance of the car, which will be entirely made of aluminum, having as goal not to surpass 3,220 lbs.

“There’s a fine balance in acknowledging the greatness of the past while rapidly leaping forward to the future and ensuring that this car not only does the name Esprit justice but also the Lotus brand.

I think we’ve managed to find the balance. The design is aggressive. You have to see it to appreciate how low and wide the proportions are, but it still retains a level of dignity, of class and, most of all, exclusivity.” says Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar.