Project 'Eagle' Pr + Pics

Oversteer · 17 July 2008 11:23

Article on Autocar:

Lotus, at last, is bound for the big time. On the 22 July at the London motor show, it will reveal this revolutionary ï¿½45,000, mid-engined, 2+2 coupï¿½, codenamed the Lotus Eagle.
This is the car that Lotus believes will take it right to the heart of Porsche territory and transform Lotus Cars into the vibrant, 5000-cars-a-year manufacturing business that successive bosses have wanted for so long.
The 280bhp, 3.5-litre V6-powered coupï¿½ is being launched in both 2+2 and 2+0 forms. It takes Lotus back into the 170mph league it vacated when the Esprit ceased production in 2004.
Due in showrooms in early summer next year, the carï¿½s real handle ï¿½ a new ï¿½Eï¿½ name never before used by Lotus ï¿½ wonï¿½t be revealed until the London show. Three names are still under consideration, and a decision will be made at the very last minute.
Design
The new coupï¿½s wheelbase is just 275mm ï¿½ around 13 inches ï¿½ longer than that of the Elise, but into that space goes an extra 75mm of driverï¿½s seat travel, a V6 engine instead of an in-line four and enough rear legroom for a 5ft-tall female passenger.
Despite the fact that the overall length is 4344mm ï¿½ 80mm shorter than a Porsche 911 ï¿½ the safety structure waltzes through todayï¿½s toughest crash tests, and the boot can house a full set of golf clubs. ï¿½We set out to build a Tardis,ï¿½ says Kimberley, ï¿½and I think weï¿½ve succeeded.ï¿½
Thereï¿½s nothing too radical about the interior, but itï¿½s far classier and more comfortable than anything Lotus has done before. A key part of interior designer Anthony Bushellï¿½s job has been searching out and negotiating with suppliers of prime-quality trim materials; Lotus is determined to convey longevity and class in the Eagle interior.
Body, chassis
The Eagle chassis uses Elise principles; itï¿½s a self-supporting, bonded and riveted structure that combines folded sheet aluminium and extrusions.
This time, however, it is made in three pieces. A rear structure houses the V6 engine and impressively compact double wishbone rear suspension. A bolt-on front structure carries the double wishbone front suspension and provides a crash structure, which has proved a huge success in crash testing.
The Eagle suspension is the same ultra-modern assembly of forged aluminium wishbones, coil-over shock absorbers and specially designed uprights shown in Geneva earlier this year.
Some pretty extreme testing of the car at the Nï¿½rburgring has established, according to engineering director Roger Becker, that the car is already ï¿½a peachï¿½ to drive.
Engine, performance
Lotus has a close relationship with Toyota (which supplies its Elise engines) so itï¿½s no surprise that the Eagle uses a 3.5-litre, Toyota-sourced V6. The electronic engine controls are Lotusï¿½s, however, allowing it to have a sportier-than-Camry character.
Again, there is scope for development (the cleverly packaged engine bay is believed to have room for a supercharger) but for now Lotus believes that 280bhp in a car weighing less than 1400kg car is enough. The engine drives through a Toyota six-speed transmission, but this isnï¿½t a link that Toyota makes in its own cars, so Lotus has engineered the clutch and gearchange.
The car is usefully faster around a track, we hear, than key rivals such as Porscheï¿½s Cayman S. We suggested 165-170mph as a top speed and a 0-60mph time in the five-second bracket, and no one disagreed. The car is also expected to be easier on fuel and produce less CO2 than ï¿½50,000 performance cars usually do.
The future
Lotus planners foresee an eight-year life for the Eagle, and will launch a drophead version between two and three years into the carï¿½s life. As with the Elise, there will be other versions of the car, which is even more versatile in its structure than its smaller sibling.
The Eagle will be made on a new production line alongside the Elise at Hethel, at a volume of around 2000 a year. Assembly of fully fledged production models will start at the very end of this year, with a target for first customer delivery of 1 May 2009.
At that stage, according to Mike Kimberley, Lotus will have changed its centre of gravity completely, while staying entirely true to its principles.

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