Lotus Esprit V8

If ever there was a long-suffering candidate for a V-8, it has to be the Lotus Esprit. For 20 years, this mid-engined supercar has soldiered on as nobly as possible with various iterations of twin-cam four cylinders, in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged form. Sure, these high-revving small-displacement jewels, particularly the more recent versions, have managed to post some pretty amazing horsepower numbers: The turbocharged 2.2-liter in the current S4S cranks out a spectacular 300 ponies. But even the folks at Lotus recognized that to keep this aging veteran anywhere near competitive in a market segment dominated by high-dollar exotics with double and even triple its cylinder count was going to require a radical change. Their response: the new Esprit V8.

The heart of the hottest Esprit ever is an all-aluminum, twin-turbocharged 90-degree V-8. Code-named Type 918, this clean-sheet offering was designed entirely in-house over a period of just 27 months. Program manager John Owen characterizes the 3.5-liter 32-valve engine as evolutionary rather than revolutionary in concept: "The trick is knowing where to make suitable innovations that pay off in performance gains as well as making it easier to build." Exceptionally compact and suitable for either longitudinal or transverse mounting, the engine is based on a modular design ultimately capable of spawning inline-four, V-4, and/or V-6 offspring. The firm projects the Type 918 will be around for at least 20 years and hopes to market it to other manufacturers for use in suitable niche cars.

In street trim, running an 8.0:1 compression ratio and 10 psi of boost, Lotus' first all-new engine in a quarter century makes 349 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 296 pound-feet of torque at 4250 revs. According to the factory, driving through the mandatory five-speed manual gearbox should blast the 3040-pound Esprit V8 from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and give it a top speed of 175 mph. That would make it about a tenth of a second quicker to 60 mph and 13 mph faster than the current S4S. Even more important, the power- and torque bands are said to be broad and flat, greatly enhancing overall driveability. Last, but far from least, the engine clearly has loads of untapped potential. (Race-prepped for international GT1 racing, an intercooled single-turbo variant is already making more than 525 horses.)

Technical highlights of the Type 918 include a Lotus-designed engine-management system, multipoint electronic fuel injection, a single-plane crankshaft for smoother power delivery and better response from the non-intercooled twin Garrett T025 turbochargers, and cast-in iron cylinder liners for enhanced durability. Most important, unlike the turbo four in the outgoing S4S, the Type 918 was designed to be OBD-II-compliant and meets all '97-spec U.S. emissions requirements.

Look further, and it will seem as if Lotus engineers have mastered the space-time continuum; despite an extra bank of cylinders, the new engine slips right into the space formerly occupied by the old four-cylinder. In fact, capacity of the adjacent cargo area has actually been increased as a result of the powerplant swap.

The big under-skin changes aren't readily apparent from the curb. Up front, there's a modified valance panel, while the rear sports a "V8" badge and a pair of chrome exhaust tips. The other sole exterior cue is new optional six-spoke alloy wheels. Interior changes are equally subtle; only a "V8" logo on the tach and a speedometer that now goes all the way to 300 kph (about 185 mph) bear witness to its new engine and other functional upgrades, which include a high-efficiency air-conditioning system, stronger clutch, recalibrated suspension tuning, and all-new servo-assisted four-channel anti-lock brakes that provide greater stability and more feedback to the driver.