P’ssst.
This ain’t no rumour. Trust me on this one. Its inside knowledge from Hethel. Lotus are going to announce a total new car in August/September. Its going to be a killer. Something that will blow all those Vauxhall Turbos into the weeds. Its going to be totally different from the current Elise shape but it will still be about the same size. So if your contemplating getting a new car in the near future wait out. You have been warned. The Lotus under cover dude ain’t often wrong!
Not according to my source.
Apparently nothing until the new Elise in 18 months(ish).
If you really want to know Lotus stuff I understand the best method is to get your hair cut near Hethel - they know more than the engineers!
Husky Dog…First a Mk2 Exige and now a Elise replacement!
Lotus are going to announce a total new car in August/September. Its going to be a killer.
think your talking aload of B*llocks!..Sure your source doesnt work for Rover???
Lets just wait and see shall we.
I’m confident of the info source. Enough to place a wager!
Could that be the new US Elise? There are two mules at Lotus Cars USA now. They look like the 111s with different rear wheels and the exhaust gos down under the car (not out the back). They are very, very quiet…
Roy
Very old picture from last year, it was a one-off for a German customer (apparently)
Anyone note that image is a reverse of the original??
Also, if this car was a one-off wouldn’t someone have seen this car at a track event or on the road by now?
I’d love for the S1 Exige to be the only Exige model built, but things might be starting to point another direction.
I spoke with a Lotus employee recently and asked about the car in this picture (as I was there the day it was taken) and was told that there are 2 of these cars floating around the factory and they were engine development mules for the M250’s V6. One car has been bought by a wealthy Greek guy who is having lots of modifications made and the engine of his choice dropped in (can’t remember which engine though ).
He did say that Lotus did play with us a little over this
Hope that clears it up.
Mike
Okay you gamblers. I say [color:“red”] Mk2 Exige [/color] , beginning of November, project codename [color:“purple”] ‘Cyclone’ [/color] (there is a clue in there)
not what I was hoping for, I had hoped that more details would be provided
Okay you gamblers. I say [color:“red”] Mk2 Exige [/color] , beginning of November, project codename [color:“purple”] ‘Cyclone’ [/color] (there is a clue in there)
I’m trying to figure out this clue. I guess you mean it’s powered by either a Wankel rotary, or a Dyson?
I definately believe we will see a new Exige in the next few months. I think it will have the Toyota 4 cylinder VVTi motor but tweaked slightly by Lotus.
A few people have commented that Lotus struggled to sell the Exige MK1 and so they wouldn’t do a MK2. True, they struggled at first, but after people started to see how fast they are on track days, and after the price was dropped, the last few were sold quite easily.
I understand the car was quite profitable due to the cost of upgrades and accessories.
Lotus clearly need new models to extend their product range, and an Exige is a pretty easy and cheap way of getting something that looks different out in the marketplace.
Or its a VX turbo clone …
Re Cyclone, the Lotus project codename for the VX Turbo was [color:“red”] Tornado [/color]. Both Cyclones and Tornados are well known for fast moving air.
Regarding this recurring story about Lotus struggling to sell the MkI Exige, when they started with the Elise they were projecting annual builds in the region of 700 units. In their prime 3000 were going out of the door per year. To sell about 250 Exiges per year, of what was clearly a niche car in a niche car market, is a considerable achievement. Certain economies of scale apply, for example if you build 500 units of a car then your margin is x, if you build 600 your margin could well be 2x on all 600 and then it does not matter if the last 50 move slowly.
So, are you saying it’s turbocharged, or supercharged?
Are you guessing, well informed, or just winding us up?
Scouring around the internet and came across this:
[image]http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/pictures/eliseracing/s2exige.jpg[/image]
![http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/pictures/eliseracing/s2exige.jpg[/image]](http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/pictures/eliseracing/s2exige.jpg%5B/image%5D){kind=link}
Could this be it?
Kev
So, are you saying it’s turbocharged, or supercharged?
Are you guessing, well informed, or just winding us up?
Yes
Kev
Like the photo above that’s also an old wind-up courtesy of a favourite paint-shop near you!!
I lurrve these speculative threads – all sorts of interestin stuff comes out of the woodwork… I hope we get 250bhp weighing 650kg with fully adjustable suspension and geometry and 150kg of downforce at 100mph and hardly any drag for about �30k and looks to die for jut like my exige
An interesting comment in this weeks Autocar, in the article on the new VX Turbo Sprint (lighter, more power etc - and it has Exige wheels!)
“Another big clue to itstrack qualifications is the full-on, Lotus Exige chassis”
Is this a small clue?