Lotus heads upmarket
An incredible six new models to come from the tiny Norfolk firm, but will it succeed?
Six new Lotuses, targeting Porsche, Aston Martin and Ferrari – that was the shock of the year at October’s Paris Motor Show.
We knew about the V8 Esprit, which will take on the Ferrari 458. But we uncovered the scale of the revival in Issue 1,125 with news of the Elite GT and Aston Rapide-rivalling four-door Eterne.
Bosses stayed silent, yet when the firm announced it was sacking its dealers, we realised this was huge. In Issue 1,130, we scooped the new Lotus city car, while in 1,133, we got an early peek at the Elite coupé-cabrio, which has the Ferrari California in sight.
Then came the mass unveiling at Paris, with a heavier, Porsche Boxster-rivalling, £50,000 Elise on display alongside the stunning Elan, which will tackle Porsche’s 911.
As expected, not everyone was impressed with boss Dany Bahar’s bold move upmarket. In our investigation into Lotus’s grand plans (Issue 1,138), automotive analyst Professor Garel Rhys concluded: “I hope this isn’t another gallant failure.”
