"http://www.youtube.com/v/hvPqhMZEVzw?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"
FRONT-ROW SEAT: Watch the unveiling of five new Lotus models at the 2010 Paris auto show.
Lotus rattled a lot of cages at the 2010 Paris auto show by revealing not just one new model but an entire range - five all-new production-ready prototypes, all due to go on sale within the next five years.
Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar gathered a cast of celebrities from racing legend Sir Stirling Moss to actors Stephen Baldwin and Mickey Rourke to musician Brian May to supermodel Naomi Campbell (she's in the video!) - but not even the incomparable Miss Campbell could upstage these five lovely ladies.
So here they are, ladies and gentlemen, in the order in which they are due to reach production, introduced by Dany Bahar, the five cars that will put the words "Lotus" and "supercar" in the same sentence:
ESPRIT
This, says Bahar, is his personal statement of intent, his vision for the future of Lotus - and it's due for release in the second quarter of 2013.
It has a mid-mounted, pressure fed, five-litre V8 delivering 455kW to the rear wheels, with exceptional performance thanks to its lightweight design, making it a real supercar and redefining ride and handling, performance, comfort and exclusivity.
"The Esprit is the ultimate supercar," Bahar said. "In the past when people thought of the Esprit, they thought of the movies - Bond, Pretty Woman, Basic Instinct - but, this time around, the car is the star of the show.
"One has to be very careful when taking on the challenge of reinventing an iconic suchas the Esprit - everybody has an opinion. There's a fine balance between acknowledging the greatness of the past while at the same time moving into the future and ensuring that this car not only does the name Esprit justice but also the Lotus brand.
"I think we've managed to find the balance and created a new icon, a car people will find hard to resist."
"Not only does the Esprit look great but it has the performance to match. We've stuck to the Lotus core values of performance through light weight and teamed them with future technology and exceptional engineering to ensure that the Esprit will be the leader of the pack.
"The design is aggressive, you have to see it to appreciate how low and wide the proportions are but it still retains a level of dignity, of class and most of all exclusivity. I'm very proud of this car."
ELAN
An old cliché says you can't have your cake and eat it. Lotus says you can, in the Elan.
Set for release during the second half of 2013, it's a high-performance sports car but with everyday usability too; in 2+2 format it should be the only car you need.
It has a 330kW, turbocharged, four-litre V6 and weighs only 1295kg; its performance should be electrifying. It wall also be available with optional hybrid technology with Kers.
Bahar put it thus: "If there was ever a car to make you drive the long way home, it's the Elan. Perfect for both road and track, the Elan not only ticks all the boxes, it creates new ones too.
"The Elan will convert people to Lotus, I would challenge people not to become addicted to driving it. It will also go a long way towards dispelling the old misconceptions about this class, that in order to have high performance you must sacrifice usability - those days are gone.
"Once you drive an Elan you won't look back; it'll give you things you didn't even realise you were missing - that's the essence of Lotus and the Elan perfectly captures that spirit."
ELITE
"http://www.youtube.com/v/8wq603lqRRU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"
STAR OF THE SHOW:
The Lotus Elite lives up to its name
The Elite is a whole new ball-game for Lotus with the same 455kW V8 as the Esprit but in this case front mid-mounted, driving the rear wheels and taking it from 0-100km/h in about 3.7sec.
Set for release in the second quarter of 2014, it's a 2+2 GT with a retractable hard top and will be available with optional hybrid technology with Kers.
Bahar said: "There's no denying the Elite is beautiful to look at but it's much more than that. It's a car of perfect contradictions, compact yet spacious, high performing yet low emitting, lightweight yet still reassuringly solid.
"It's a car that we are exceptionally proud of at Lotus and we truly believe that there is nothing else like it out there both in terms of styling and performance.
'Make no mistake, there's a definite market requirement for the Elite. There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars but we didn't take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly. It's based on months of careful research and planning."
ELISE
There's still room for the Elise at Lotus, says Bahar - but what a difference a decade or two can make. This Elise, due for release in 2015, is a sexy, agile beast of a car; it has finally come of age.
It's also more practical, easier to get into and out of; no more acrobatics but still all the fun you expect from an Elise.
Bahar said: We worked very hard on getting the Elise 2015 exactly right; it's our entry-level car so it needs to give a proper introduction to the Lotus driving experience.
"The Elise you can buy now is still a fantastic car, make no mistake, Lotus remains very proud of it, but this is a natural progression for us.
"The design of the Elise 2015 is perfect for the target market - it's young, strong, confident, verging on ruthless, it mirrors the engineering and technology. It's the next-generation Elise for a new generation of Lotus drivers."
The Elise 2015 has a turbocharged, two-litre, four-cylinder engine rated at 235kW that will take it from 0-100 in less than 4.5sec.
ETERNE
Enter the Eterne (well, in the second quarter of 2015, anyway) the four-door super-sedan from Lotus. It has the big V8 of the Esprit and Elite and will also be available with optional hybrid technology with Kers.
Bahar said: "The Eterne is sensational to look and, like the Elite, it's a car of contradictions - compact yet spacious, high performing yet low emitting, relatively light yet reassuringly solid.
"We believe there is a market for the Eterne, there is nothing else like it out there in terms of design, capacity or performance.
"The biggest difference between the Eterne and competitors is that it's not an evolution of an existing two-door model, it's a deliberate and considered stand-alone creation. It's the ultimate four-door sports car."
Sometimes, says Bahar, there are no rules to be broken, so it is time to define them instead.