Lotus has been accused of losing its way under the ownership of Chinese car giant Geely, having launched a pair of heavy EVs alongside its increasingly diminishing line up of sports cars.
Now it’s looking to the past for its future flagship, announcing a V8-powered supercar is under development, currently only known by its working title of Type 135.
Due to be unveiled in 2028, a single image of the upcoming supercar has been revealed, showing a gold Lotus badge flanked by brake lights, sitting above two exhaust outlets.
According to Lotus, the supercar will be all-new and be able to produce more than 735kW, though technical details such as the V8 engine’s capacity and the layout of the hybrid system are yet to be announced.
However, Autocar reports it won’t be a plug-in hybrid, going back to the old weight-centric ethos of Lotus.
Lotus currently leans on its relationship with Mercedes-AMG to supply a turbocharged four-cylinder engine for the Emira, and could continue to partner with the German performance vehicle specialists for the supercar.
The British brand has also said the production version of the Type 135 “is expected to be manufactured in Europe”, however it’s not known if this extends to the UK, or could eventually be ignored and be produced in China.
“Lotus was born from the rebellious spirit of Colin Chapman, and that is not lost today,” said Lotus Group CEO, Qingfeng Feng.
“Focus 2030 will reset both the brand and the business to keep us true to our DNA. We are obsessed with engineering, obsessed with performance and obsessed with building drivers’ cars, and that is what will grow this business.
The return of V8 power for Lotus has been more than 20 years in the making, after the Esprit left production in 2004, having been upgraded with a V8 engine in 1996.
Rumours of a Lotus V8 first surfaced a year ago, when Feng reportedly told investors on an earnings call that the brand was “currently investigating the feasibility of the V8”.
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