Iconic British carmaker teases first look of new sports car – with rumoured name to break 65-year tradition
AN ICONIC maker of sports car has unveiled a teaser image of their upcoming model – which will have a curious nameplate.
Lotus will unveil their new sporty motor next week and we can already tell it will boast an aggressive-looking rear spoiler.
Strangely, though, the new car will be called the Theory 1.
The brand’s marketing chief, Qiao Xinyu, made the announcement on Chinese social media last week and posted a close-up teaser image of the rear end and spoiler.
Autocar suggests that the car will likely not be put into production – but is instead merely a forward-thinking concept.
That’s because, with the exception of the track-focused 2-Eleven and 3-Eleven, Lotus have named all of their road cars words beginning with the letter ‘E’ – ever since the Elite was released in 1958.
That means if the Theory 1 was to be released as a road car, that would end some 65 years of tradition.
One possibility is that the Theory 1 will serve as a preview to the brand’s upcoming all-electric sports car known as the Type 135, their replacement for the Emira and the long-term successor to the much-loved Elise.
So far, little is known about the car that is set to go on sale in 2027 other than it could be priced from around £75,000.
Lotus recently hinted that this release date could even be pushed back until battery tech catches up with their ambitions for a smaller, lightweight EV in the same essence of the Elise.
The Elise is considered a modern classic by petrolheads in 2024, and is today one of the most desired second-hand sports cars money can buy.
Earlier this year, we asked expert James Russell to name the quintessential modern classic and he instantly picked the British icon.
He said: “For me, it’s the Lotus Elise S2 – it pops into my brain I think because they were so iconic in their era.
“And now they’re snowballing into excellence, I think they are so underappreciated, particularly if you want to get a decent 111S.”
Only a handful of top brands have released mass produced smaller-sized EV sports cars so far – including MG with their recent Cyberster and even Tesla with their 2011 Roadster.
Elsewhere, Honda recently revealed plans for sporty model with a nameplate they discontinued 23 years ago – with an elegant new look.
And a rarely seen motor that was once hugely popular in the UK can now be yours for a bargain price.