#esprit

Lotus is definitely working on a new crossover, but it’s not abandoning sports cars.

As if a standard Lotus Esprit crossing the auction block isn’t rare enough, this one is a definite one-of-a-kind after starring in the James Bond 007 flick The Spy Who Loved Me.

After rumors of the Esprit’s death were debunked, Lotus has charged ahead and according to inside sources, the brand’s newest sports car is all but ready to be built.

Contrary to what we reported on AutoGuide earlier today, Lotus has informed us that the cancellation of Esprit production is simply a rumor. 

Clearly,  Lotus wants to rid itself of anything that has to do with former-CEO Dany Bahar. The British automaker is now selling Bahar’s custom 2002 Esprit V8.

Following Lotus CEO Dany Bahar’s termination, the brand is abandoning the plan he championed to bring six new sports cars to market using the company’s engines and transmissions. 

Lotus has plans to release their new next-generation Esprit at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show and more details were recently released on their next sports car. The base model Esprit will be a hybrid, sporting a 100-hp electric motor and a naturally aspirated V8 engine.

Keep an eye on Lotus over the next six years, they just won a bid for this round of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

According to the CEO Lotus, Dany Bahar, the new Lotus Esprit will offer a more “authentic” driving experience than its rivals, the Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP4-12C. Bahar has also claimed that the Esprit will “have the character and emotion” that McLaren lacks.

Oh Lotus, you think you’re just so clever don’t you? With rumors flying that the British sports car company will be unveiling the next generation Esprit at this year’s Paris Auto Show, Lotus has just released these photos of company CEO Dany Bahar’s personal Lotus Esprit.

The upcoming Lotus Esprit may be powered by a 500hp Lexus V10 according to a report in the U.K.’s EVO magazine. Lotus has a long time partnership with Lexus parent company Toyota, using its Celica-sourced 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine for the Elise and Exige, as well as its the Camry-sourced 3.5-liter V6 for the Evora. According to EVO this relationship extends not just to the Toyota powertrain department but also to the Lexus division – and Lexus just so happens to be readying its LF-A exotic with a 500 horse V10. There is also the possibility that the IS-F’s 417hp 5.0-liter V8 could be an option, as well as an entry-level 300hp direct-injection V6 motor.