Exclusive spy shots of the Lotus Eagle

The Eagle has landed! These amazing spy shots give you the best look yet at Lotus' all-new sports car – an Elise-based 2+2 called the Eagle.

Essentially a stretched version of the highly successful roadster, the hard-top Eagle features room in the back for two small passengers and swaps the Elise's four-cylinder engine for a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6.

As you can see from these pictures, the Eagle looks very similar to the Europa, but with a longer wheelbase. Sitting above that car in the company's range, the Eagle will be the most refined and practical model to come from the Elise platform.

However, while it will have more boot space and a more composed ride than both the Elise and Europa, it'll still be a hardcore driver's car. Likely to be seen in production form for the first time at the London Motor Show, sales will start toward the end of the year.