Here’s one other Lotus new car unveiled at Paris Motor Show. It’s called the Elan, and it is the proof that you can have your cake and eat it too! The Elan is a high performance sportscar, but at the same time it manages to be soft enough so you can use it as a daily driver. It even has a powertrain that slots between the Elise and Espirit. It’s a 4.0 liter V6 Turbo with 450 hp.

So by the looks of things, it is Norfolk’s weapon against Aston Martin Vantage and Porsche 911, it is even priced in the same neighborhood and has a projected MSRP of £75,000.  Like other new Lotus models, the 2+2 Elan too can be ordered with the hybrid technology with KERS. Lotus says that Elan’s driving experience is so exquisite, it will raise the bar for this class.

2013 Lotus Elan Specifications

Layout 2 seater (optional 2+2), mid-engined, rear wheel drive
Engine Petrol, hybrid optional
Hybrid technology Optional KERS
Cylinder V6
Capacity 4.0 litre
Power/Torque 450 PS / 465 Nm
Rev limit 7,800 rpm
0-100 km/h 3.5 seconds
Top speed 310 km/h
CO2 approx (CO2/km) 199 g/km
Weight 1,295 kg
Seats 2
Transmission 7 Speed DCT
Drive RWD
Start of production Summer 2013
Enters the market Autumn 2013

Dany Bahar, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus, said: “If there was ever a car to make you drive the long way home, it’s the 2013 Elan. Perfect for both road and track, the 2013 Elan not only ticks all the boxes, it creates new ones too.”

“The 2013 Elan will convert people to Lotus, I would challenge people not to become addicted to driving it. It will also go a long way towards dispelling the old misconceptions about this class, that in order to have high performance you must sacrifice usability – those days are gone.” “Once you drive an 2013 Elan you won’t look back, it will give you things you didn’t even realise you were missing – that’s the essence of Lotus and the 2013 Elan perfectly captures that spirit.”