While it's been no secret that Lotus would very much like to build their own V8 engine for the upcoming 2013 Esprit, we hadn't heard anything official to confirm this would actually happen. Until now. Lotus officials have revealed to the guys over at Autoblog that they're working on their own in-house 4.8-liter V8. In addition to powering the mid-engined Esprit, it'll also give life to upcoming front-engine Elite and Eterne. Lotus has also confirmed that output for the base 4.8-liter will be 570hp.

An even more powerful version that won't use turbos will produce some 620hp. Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has previously stated that building a V8 should be a priority instead of outsourcing one from another automaker, such as Toyota. He also rightly claimed if his company wants to progress as builder of modern supercars, then it would be essential to build engines of their own. First revealed at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, the Esprit concept was well received and is considered by Lotus to be the key to their revival. The production version's styling won't likely differ much from that of the concept, but we'll have to wait another year for its official premier.