2010 Lotus Esprit shell still abuzz even after engine scrapped forever

Lotus Cars had created a buzz back in 2010 at the Paris Motor Show with the display of five models. Out of these was the Esprit V8 Concept, which was touted to have a fully functional hybrid V8 engine developed in-house.

However,  the development of the hybrid V8 engine was officially put an end to in 2014, though it persisted longer than its other motor show concept siblings. Yet, the physical form of the 2010 Lotus Esprit is still on display and tends to mark the existence of the car that could have been the sensation in the decade gone by.

The reason that made this development so crucial and important is the engine, which could have been a state of the art had it seen the light of day. In fact, Danny Bahar, the then boss of this development, had mentioned that the V8 engine could even produce a whopping 570 horsepower, and would get a KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) as an option, a tech derived from the Formula One. Moreover, the engine was also said to be 40% smaller than the supercharged Lexus V8 and 80 kgs lighter too, though the Lexus engine was targeted to be more powerful at 620 hp and 720 Nm.

Following the major reveal at the motor show, there was quite some progress made on the hybrid V8 engine before it sank back. It was even taken for real-life testing by being installed in a Ferrari 458. However, at the time when Bahar’s tenure ended in 2012, all the models displayed at the motor show in 2010 were scrapped, though Esprit was still active till 2014. However, it was eventually taken off the books by Jean-Marc Gales and the promising development was reduced to being history.

However, the development from the last decade hasn’t stopped Lotus from working on cars and engines of great prowess. The current Evija is one of the most important developments in the company’s R&D, being the lightest EV to ever enter the production phase. Plus, with 2000 horsepower on the cards, it is also the most powerful car to ever enter production and is expected to hit a top speed of around 320 kmph.

The shell of the Esprit V8 might be a constant reminder for Lotus cars to do things the right way this time.

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