Emira

Make
Lotus
Segment
Coupe

As it aims to position itself as a serious threat to Porsche, Lotus has gone through somewhat of a rebirth in recent years. In 2017, China's Geely became the majority shareholder in the boutique sports car maker, which has since introduced the all-new Emira.

Fans of the brand may not be pleased with the direction in which the company is heading, but Lotus realizes it needs to stay relevant - and the best way to do that is with an electric SUV. They shouldn't be too down though, as the automaker is keeping an eye on its heritage too.

The recently established Lotus Advanced Performance (LAP) division is promising great things. According to LAP's Simon Lane, we can expect some extraordinary bespoke creations in the near future. He told Autocar that his team of experts is "well advanced" on plans to build custom restomod cars inspired by the marque's classic vehicles.

But, if you're expecting a modern-day incarnation of the delightful Elan roadster, you may be disappointed. Lane says that these new models will be based upon old drawings and designs that "never saw the light of day." While there's reportedly very little technical detail, LAP's big boss sees this as an opportunity. "It gives us a little bit of free license."

In terms of design, we can expect to see reimagined sports and concept cars from the 1960s reinterpreted for the 21st century. "A number of these drawings were done [in the '60s]. But we can reinterpret them and use modern materials, suspension, and brakes." If you're wondering whether these exciting creations will run on electricity, fear not.

Lane has said LAP is "reserving the right to still play with combustion engines". We're not entirely sure what to expect, but we anticipate the Emira's four-cylinder and V6 engine options may be utilized.

The division originally teased an image of a rear wing, hinting at an entirely bespoke and modernized F1 car tribute. LAP's first official project debuted in May as the Emira GT4, a performance GT racer made out of advanced composite materials and powered by a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 with 400 horsepower on tap.

Of course, the Eletre pictured below shows that things are changing for Lotus. Not only is this the company's first SUV but also its first electric vehicle. In typical Lotus fashion, it will be lighter than the competition and stir up the sales needed to fund exciting, new sports cars and the LAP division.

Speaking of electrification, LAP isn't closed off to the idea of converting classic cars into refreshed EVs. Lane says an electric restomod package would be popular with many. "There are customers who want to drive a classic but want to feel responsible ... an electric drivetrain can completely change how a classic car drives."