This is the first image of the forthcoming Lotus Eagle. The car has been testing for months, but with heavy disguise, it was hard to tell what it really looked like. The car will debut later this month at the London Motor Show. This is the first of three new models, Lotus will introduce over the next three years.
The car is a 2+2 mid engined rear wheel drive layout, using a 3.5 Litre Toyota VVTi V6 engine. The internal codename is 'Eagle' but we do not know if this will be the final production name.
Visually, its instantly Lotus at the front with the rounded air intakes, air outlets below the heavily curved windscreen. The harder lines remind me a little of the Tesla roadster, itself, based on the Elise and styled by Lotus designer (and ex-Uni colleague) Barney Hatt. It has quite a long front overhang. This could be because of European Pedestrian safety, but I'm not sure if a car with these low volumes need to meet those.
The windscreen 'graphic' wraps around into the side windows giving a visor appearance, similar to the Nissan GT-R. Nothing new, but it is nicely resolved. The surface treatment under the door is a little unusal and the engine air intake behind the door is integrated into the top of the rear fender, similar to the Ferrari F430. Although its hard to see, the rear engine cover tapers in quickly leaving clear air for the integrated rear spoiler to do its work.
We will bring you more details on this new Lotus towards the end of the month.
-Andy Blackmore