Lotus: Lightness in (fast) motion

The Lotus Esprit. Photo / Supplied

Lotus is planning to take its founder Colin Chapman's famous "just add lightness" mantra a step further with a Superleggera version of its next-generation Esprit, a supercar it says will be faster than British rival the McLaren MP4-12C.

The niche sports carmaker wants to own the title of "Britain's fastest car" and is reportedly stripping weight from the aluminium Esprit and reworking its in-house 4.8-litre V8 engine to produce about 460kW, or around 40kW more than its current 419kW.

Lotus' chief technical officer Wolf Zimmermann has confirmed plans for the flagship Superleggera, or super lightweight, version of the next-generation Esprit.

Zimmerman told British weekly AutoExpress that the new car would not simply be a stripped-out racer for the road, but a "carefully designed evolution of the standard Esprit".

He said the Superleggera would be the fourth model in the company's "new era" range, alongside the coupe, convertible and a glass-roofed Targa edition.

Based on projected figures for the standard car, the Superleggera could sprint from zero to 100km/h in under three seconds and hit a top speed of around 350km/h.

A seven-speed dual-clutch semi-automatic gearbox would offer rapid shifts, while an electro-hydraulic power-steering system will give the driver as much feel as possible.

"This car will not be like the McLaren MP4-12C," said Zimmermann. "It will be cooler - there will be more emotion."

Lotus is expected to use the 4.8-litre V8 for modular production, producing from it a six-cylinder engine for use in other models.

Zimmerman spoke at a meeting called by Lotus to answer criticism of its "new era" plan, which it laid out before the Paris Motor Show last year. Part of the plan is to launch five new cars in five years.

Lotus has also unveiled plans for a city car called Ethos - to rival the Aston Martin Cygnet - plus the 2+2 Elite, four-door Eterne and the Elise Evolution.

There was also news on the next Elan, which Lotus says it will put on hold until 2017, when it will replace the Evora.