First, the good news: Lotus will be building their own engine for the upcoming Esprit, instead of using the V8 from the Lexus IS-F. The bad news is that because of the extra time to develop the engine, the Esprit's debut will be delayed until late 2013 or early 2014. The decision to build the engine is wise because Lotus believes that if they're going to charge nearly $200k for a car, it should at least have a Lotus-built engine.

They have also filed a patent for their own seven-speed dual clutch transmission. And in related news, Lotus has confirmed they plan to restyle the Evora to bring it more in line with their new design direction. They will also be expanding the Evora lineup, beginning with the coupe to be available with an automatic transmission. An Evora convertible is also on the way, but the automaker hasn't stated whether it will be a targa top or a roadster. We can expect for the Evora convertible to go on sale sometime in 2013.