Paris Motor Show to Host New Lexus-Powered Lotus Esprit?

If you’ve been following Lotus lately, then you probably know that they’ve been talking about stepping things up a bit. No longer content to pander to the diminutive purist market, the British brand has eagerly been telling all that will listen that they intend to step into the exotic ring against such storied marques as Lamborghini and Ferrari, and have even gone as far as to kill off an entire dealer network in order to do so.

But just what Lotus plans to throw into the ring with the Italians has been up in the air for some time now. Although the Evora certainly moved the brand into a decidedly more luxurious market than that enjoyed by the Elise and Exige, it’s still a far cry from even the most basic sports cars hailing from Sant Agata and Modena. However, shoppers familiar with Lotus’ history already know the answer to the exotic Lotus question: the Esprit. A mid-engined supercar that gained fame as the best-handling way to pick up a prostitute, the Esprit suffered its eventual demise in the early part of the 21st century; the victim of Lotus’ re-invention at the hands of their current owner, the state-run Malaysian automaker Proton.

Having been almost forgotten, the Esprit appears to be set to return in a few weeks at the upcoming Paris Motor Show; the result of the Eagle development program that’s been routinely documented by sharp-eyed spy photographers. And while little is known beyond the rumours of the cars supposedly unparalleled performance, a chink has appeared in the latest Lotus’ armour in the form of this rumour: that the new Esprit will debut with powerplants hailing from their current engine supplier, Toyota. However, while the Japanese giant currently sends the British brand a steady supply of relatively sedate engines from the production lines of such bland vehicles as the Camry sedan, it would appear that the Esprit is going to break that tradition by borrowing the downright astounding V10 currently available in the LF-A supercar, with a lesser-spec’ed model earning the 5.0L V8 found under the IS-F’s bulging bonnet.