Last month, British sports car icon Lotus announced it is developing a V8-powered supercar, marking the first time since the Esprit in 2004 that it’ll make anything with more than six cylinders.
Currently known only by its working title of Type 135, the Lotus V8 will be unveiled in 2028, and has so far been previewed by a single image of its rear end.
While details were light at the time about the supercar – such as it adopting a hybrid system and producing more than 735kW – Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng has now confirmed more information about the engine.
“Since Colin Chapman founded the brand 78 years ago, we have been actively pursuing lightweight structures and aerodynamics,” Qingfeng told Automotive News Europe.
“However, we had to use engines from external suppliers, for example, Toyota and AMG. Now, with help from Geely, we will be able to get access to the V8 engine. This will greatly benefit [Geely] brands and our products as well.”
When asked whether the V8 engine will be developed by Horse Powertrain, a joint venture between Lotus parent Geely and Renault, the executive said, “yes”.
“Yes. And since we will be starting from scratch, we will make a lot of effort to improve the volume and weight of the engine.
“The plan is to build this [engine] globally, both in China and EU and maybe other locations.”
According to the executive, the V8 engine “will be used among Geely’s product portfolio including some off-road SUVs. We haven’t decided yet which brand. We want to leverage economies of scale.”
“In terms of sports cars, only Lotus will use it.”
The Lotus V8 supercar could reuse the Esprit name, with Qingfeng saying there’s a “logical legacy connection” between the upcoming model and the classic offering.
Set to be benchmarked against the Ferrari 849 Testarossa, the Lotus CEO added the Type 135 production model could be a three-seater with the driver sitting centrally, taking cues from its Theory 1 concept of 2024.
“That could be an option because in the past you needed to develop left-hand drive and then you needed to develop a right-hand drive,” he said.
“But if you put a driver in the middle, then there is no need for left-hand drive and right-hand drive.”
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 by a hybrid V6.
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