Upcoming V8 supercar’s twin-turbo engine revealed
The V8 engine which will power the reborn Lotus Esprit has been detailed by its makers, Horse Powertrain.
Lotus is developing its first mid-engined, V8-powered supercar in almost two and a half decades, with the Esprit name expected to be resurrected for the new flagship.
Announced in May as the Type 135, the new Lotus Esprit will not only be powered by a V8 engine, but also a more affordable V6, as reported by the UK’s Autocar in May.
Now, the V8 engine which will power the supercar has been revealed by Horse Powertrain, which is jointly owned by Lotus parent Geely (45 per cent), as well as Renault (45 per cent) and Saudi oil giant Aramco (10 per cent).
Called the Horse W40, the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is claimed to be “one of the most power-dense V8 solutions available on the market today”, capable of producing more than 500kW and 800Nm.
Weighing 200kg, it features direct fuel injection, two ‘hot-Vee’ turbochargers, and “extensive lightweighting techniques” to make it suitable for Lotus.
It will be paid with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (codenamed Horse 8LDCT), which Horse claims has a “world-class pre-fill time of <50ms and delivering a shift response of <20m”, while being able to support up to 1050Nm.
While Lotus has previously said the Type 135 will be a hybrid, and Horse has confirmed it in its media release, no details about the transmission-mounted electric motor/s were provided.
“We are excited to partner with Horse Powertrain to bring its advanced V8 engine and hybrid transmission technology to the upcoming Lotus Type 135,” said Lotus CEO, Feng Qingfeng.
“The Horse W40 V8 engine and 8LDCT hybrid transmission represent significant advances in powertrain engineering, combining exceptional power and torque density with a highly integrated design.
“By bringing these technologies together with Lotus’ expertise in lightweight engineering and chassis dynamics, we aim to deliver a new generation of supercar performance, combining outstanding power, efficiency, and the precise, engaging driving experience that defines Lotus.”
Both the engine and transmission will debut in the Type 135, before likely being made available to other Horse-related brands.
As previously reported, the hybrid V6 which will likely be offered in the supercar will be Horse’s W30, a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine had projected outputs of between 350kW and 400kW, and up to 600Nm to 700Nm of torque, while being able to rev up to 8000rpm.
Jordan Mulach
It’s not yet known whether the Esprit V6 will lean on the expected eight-speed dual-clutch automatic which is planned for the V8 version, as the latter is being engineered to cope with almost 750kW.
So far, all we know about the Esprit V8 is that it too will have its engine developed by Horse, though it won’t remain just with the supercar.
Lotus is already set to update its existing Emira sports car with a Horse powertrain in the near future, with its existing Toyota and AMG-sourced engines to be replaced with the same hybrid V6.
