Lotus puts its crosshairs on the Porsche 911 with its new Elan sports car.The Elan has been through a few embodiments since the first one appeared back in 1962 as a front engined, rear wheel-drive roadster. A short foray into front wheel-drive for Lotus bring back the Elan badge in 1989, however by the time the third generation goes on sale in 2013, the name will be over 50 years old.
Together with the Esprit, the Elan will be the foremost of the new Lotus' to go on sale and its timing and positioning is conscious. It's designed to go head to head with the Porsche 911 - arguably the toughest task that any of Lotus' five latest sports cars faces.
The aspire here, according to Lotus, is everyday usability and versatility with high-quality refinement, but a weight of no more than 1300kg in spite of the fact it uses a seven-speed double clutch gearbox and optional KERS system, providing a more power boost.
As a result the engine is probable to deliver less than 200g/km of CO2, whilst propelling the Elan to 60mph in under 4sec (3.5 in the case of the R). Of all the cars Lotus is developing, it's this one that has the toughest task, in undertaking the Porsche 911.
Visit This Site: Car transport | Auto Transport | Business Travel
