Autoblog

Click above for more shots of the Lotus Eagle.

Lotus gave up some initial details about the 2+2(ish) tentatively known as the "Eagle" yesterday, and now Autocar has procured a few more shots of the coupe ahead of its unveiling at the London Motor Show next week.

Just to put the Eagle's dimensions into perspective, its wheelbase is approximately 275mm (about 13 inches) longer than the Elise/Exige, or slightly shorter (80mm) than the Porsche 911. The extra space makes for a more livable cabin for at least two of its occupants and allows Lotus to use the international automotive metric for measuring capacity – it can fit one golf bag in the boot.

As previously reported, a 3.5-liter Toyota-sourced V6 will send 276 hp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque through a Toyota-derived six-speed transmission that's been re-engineered by Lotus with a new clutch and a revised gear set. The Eagle's weight is estimated at just over 3,000 pounds.

According to Autocar, Lotus plans an eight-year life cycle for the Eagle, and a convertible version will be released two to three years after sales begin in May of next year.


[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a high-res image of the Lotus "Eagle."

Lotus has released the first image and all the details on its new coupe ahead of its unveiling at the London Motor Show next week. A 3.5-liter Toyota V6 mounted amidships, producing 276 hp and 250 lb.-ft. of torque will power the new 2+2. Performance estimates are sketchy right now, but assuming Lotus holds with tradition and keeps the pounds off, the 0-60 time should be below five seconds, with a top speed approaching 160 mph.

While it's still not clear if the new Lotus will carry an Eagle badge at its debut, it will be packing an extra set of "Isofix" seats behind the front seat passengers that can accommodate children up to nine years old or cast members from the Cirque du Soleil. Thankfully, there will be an option to convert the rear seats into a storage compartment.

Inside the leather-lined cabin, drivers get to enjoy amenities previously thought frivolous on the Elise/Exige, including storage bins, cup holders, blue LED lighting, air conditioning, traction control, tire pressure monitoring and a Alpine stereo with a seven-inch screen, Bluetooth connectivity and iPod connections.

Sales will be limited to around 2000 units per year when the Eagle hits dealers in the spring of 2009, with an approximate sticker of £45,000. A convertible version and a high-performance variant are also planned, and according to sources, the Eagle is considerably faster than the Elise around the Nurburgring and more planted at speed than the Exige.

The Eagle is part of the automaker's effort to broaden its appeal, and that will also include two new models due out in October of 2011.

Make the jump for the press release.

Lotus has apparently hired Charlie X as its new director of marketing, and the unlucky sods who were ballsy enough to laugh at his ideas in team meetings have apparently been punished accordingly (as seen at the 40:23 mark here), handed black suits and Lotus pendants, and sent to wander amongst the general public and freak people out. It's all part of the Lotus Eagle's "Faceless People" campaign. If you visit the website, you get a timer counting down to the car's London unveiling, when "true character will emerge." Until then, however, it's more faceless nightmare fodder for British tots.


[Source: Lotus via Jalopnik]

Click above to view video after the jump

The London Motor Show is coming up quick and that means Lotus engineers are working overtime to get the Eagle ready for its time in the spotlight. A video of Lotus' new 2+2 doing its thing on the 'Ring surfaced today that gives us a very brief glimpse of some of the Eagle's details. The cloaked prototype's Metallic Persian Blue mirrors are peaking through the camo, and it appears that the tail lamps are remarkably close to the units fitted on the Elise/Exige. The more we look at this oft-spied prototype, the more we're imagining an Elise that's been upsized by about 30-percent. The bulging fenders, low front end and ducktail spoiler all lend credence to that assumption, but we somehow doubt that Lotus' designers would be that lazy. Regardless, we'll have to wait another couple of months before we get an eyeful of the Eagle.

Hit the jump to check out the video and get up on all the details on the Lotus Eagle in our previous post.


[Source: Pistonheads]

With less than three months separating us from the official debut of the Lotus Eagle at the 2008 London Motor Show, Car has been able to procure a few more details about Lotus' new 2+2. The latest crop of spy shots shows the Eagle still wearing its form-obscuring camo, but viewed in profile, it's looking more Elise-like than before. The fender terminates into a ducktail spoiler, similar to that on the Elise/Exige, and the doors seem to stretch further back then previously thought to aid ingress and egress into the cramped confines of the rear seats. According to Car, the two back seats are only suitable for children nine years old and younger, or "flexible friends desperate for a lift back from the pub."

Motivation is still expected to come from a Toyota-sourced V6, likely the 3,458 cc found in the U.S.-market Camry, pushing out 262 hp and 248 lb.-ft. of torque to either a six-speed manual or some kind of automatic (!) gearbox complete with paddle shifters.

The Colin Chapman philosophy will be well represented with the Eagle, with extensive use of aluminum in the body structure and an incredibly rigid architecture that will be shored up with a carbon fiber roof. Braking duties will be handled by 350 mm cross-drilled rotors in front, mashed by AP-sourced Lotus four-pot calipers.

Production will begin late in 2008 with sales beginning in the spring of next year. Pricing is expected to start at £45,000 in the UK, slotting in nicely between the Elise and forthcoming Esprit replacement, and sales in the U.S. should begin shortly thereafter.


[Source: Car]

Large high-res gallery of all of the Lotus models available by clicking above

This week in LA, veteran Lotus development engineer Roger Becker told the assembled press about the changes we'll see in the Elise and Exige for 2008. He also talked a bit about some of the changes happening at the factory and even gave us some info about new models in the company's future.

The biggest recent news for Lotus was that the Elise SC and Exige S were given an optional power boost via a Magnuson-developed supercharger that raises horsepower from 190 to 218 or 240 depending on the application. Other changes were made to all 2008 model year cars in the lineup.

Aside from upgraded brakes and a few other tweaks, the biggest changes came inside, where a new security system has been installed that for the first time ever allows a single key for Lotus owners. As a nod to American driving habits, TPMS and a new information display were also added, because as Becker put it, we aren't too aware of when a tire is going down and need to have it pointed out. That line was delivered without missing a beat and expertly showed a typically dry British sense of humor. Funny guy. Follow the jump for individual model news and to hear more about the upcoming Eagle and Esprit replacement too!

[Source: Lotus]

It is a Lotus, it isn't a Lotus. It is a Lotus, it isn't a Lotus. Today we think it could be, despite earlier reports to the contrary. But whether that mysetrious test mule spotted with Lotus paperwork was actually a Lotus or not, the famed British sportscar company in fact does have a supercar planned for the near future. This right from the lion's mouth, the lion in this case being Lotus' American chief Mike Kimberly.

Not much is known about what form the car will take or what we'll find under the hood, but given Lotus' focus on handling as well as its current and past models, a mid-engine/rear-drive layout would be a safe bet. The supercar would cap a rapidly expanding range of sportscars for Lotus, and not just variants of the Elise like we have now. A new Esprit is on the way, despite powertrain-related set-backs, and the 2+2 known as "Project Eagle" is slated for debut at the British auto show before hitting the market in 2009.

The three new models are part of the company's plan to dramatically increase production from last year's 2,875 to 8,000 over the next several years.

[Source: Motor Authority]

click above image to view more angles of this cut-in-half Eagle Premier

We admitted our affection for the underappreciated Eagle Premier a while back, but seeing one irreparably sawed in half still makes us grin. This car was given its unorthodox chop job by California's Premiere Studio Rentals as preparation for a starring role in a TV commercial. The spot, called "In Half", promotes Dunkin Donuts new frozen confection disguised as an "energy drink," as if that softens the massive caloric blow to your system. You'd need a large living room to house this conversation piece, and TV props are never as pretty in person as they are on screen, so we'd expect a level of undesireable rattiness to this piece, especially after shooting. It would be a cool attention-getter for a body shop or something, though an even better demonstration of their skills would be stitching the sedan back together so the julienne slice was invisible. Somehow, we don't see reassembly happening. Get your bids in, though - currently, it's at $50 with 6 days left.

Check out the commercial in which this half off Eagle Premier stars after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Souce: eBay]

Germany has the fifth largest GDP in the world. It also has a thriving rap industry. And a huge pool of absurdly wealthy sports figures. What does that mean? Money, bling, and athletes. The perfect environment for a tuner like ASMA to grow in. It is somehow comforting to know that the country that gives us the understated Audi can also go where no Unique Whip has gone before. It is not exactly comforting, however, to lay eyes on the ASMA Eagle II Sport Edition. It was once an S-Class. It could be a Funny Car. If Morris Day and the Time were still in action, and on crack, and headed to a sonic battle with Prince in order to steal Apollonia away, this is what they would drive there. While wearing matching Stacy Adams'.

It cannot be argued, however, that the Eagle II has presence. And a nice set of 21" wheels. It means business. Exactly what business is up for a guess or two. And it will sell like mad. And for those of you who will be purchasing the new C Class, ASMA's kit for that comes out later this year. You can say it like the German rappers do: "Ja ja!"

[Source: eMercedes Benz]

click image for more pics of the Eagle Premier

By the early 1980s, American Motors Corporation was on the ropes. Its car line was seriously geriatric – the Eagle, Concord, and Spirit models were derivatives of the Hornet developed in the Bronze Age. AMC had turned to Renault for an infusion of cash in return for an entré into the US market for the French brand. The Renault Alliance, Encore and Medallion were US versions of the French automaker's vehicles distributed by AMC/Jeep dealers, laying the groundwork for the Renault 25-derived Premier. Originally badged Renault Premier, and part of the AMC portfolio, the car became the Eagle Premier following Renault's desperate sale of its AMC stake to Chrysler. AMC had an established brand and operation, a brand new plant in Bramalea, Ontario, as well as the money-making Jeep division, which is what Chrysler really wanted. It's ironic that 20 years later, the Jeep brand is reprising its role as a jewel within a struggling automaker. It's also ironic that while Chrysler acquired AMC for the Jeep brand, the Premier ended up supporting the '90s renaissance at Auburn Hills.