Here’s a test: Name the first thing that comes to mind when you read the following: Ferrari (red). Lamborghini (V12). Porsche (bank vault). Lotus (featherweight). Have a conversation or read any car review about Lotus and inevitably, talk turns to weight. Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s primary design philosophy was to simplify, then “add lightness,” which will improve all areas of performance, not just acceleration. The cars that wear the famed green and yellow badge have always reflected that fundamental idea.
Enter, the Paris Motor Show. Lotus, owned by Malaysian automaker Proton, revealed five new concepts at the “Mondial de L’automobile”. Each of them promptly takes your original notions of what a Lotus should be, and burns them before your eyes. A quick glance at the stats reads like a Lamborghini handbook: 5.0 liter V8’s, 600+ horsepower, $190,000+ pricetags, real interiors, and (gasp!) curb weights heavier than a house fly. We’ll avoid the “turning over in his grave” cliché, but listen hard enough and you might hear old Colin’s muffled groans.
