What is it?
This is the car that, until yesterday (30 September), we thought was Lotus' standalone Paris star. The Elite is a splendidly sleek 2+2 super coupé that the company hopes will lure Aston Martin buyers away from Gaydon and towards Norfolk.
Why's it here?
It's one sixth of a remarkable Lotus product offensive launched at Paris, for a start. The front-mid-engined Elite will cost around £100,000 and come with a 612bhp 5.0-litre V8. There's talk of a hybrid version too, featuring a kinetic energy recovery system based on F1 technology. The 0-62 sprint will be well under 4.0 seconds.
Show stopper or floor filler?
An absolute show stopper. This car - along with the incredible five other new models Lotus took the wraps off in Paris - is a stunning GT with looks that should have Aston worried. How capable Lotus is of pulling off all these cars is another matter, though...
Full Paris Motor Show report
Mark Nichol - 1 Oct 2010