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" The Lotus Elan is a little front-engine, rear-drive roadster that was once sold as parts that would need to be assembled before enjoyed. This was back in the 1960s. Fifty years later, a new concept has arrived. If you&amp;#039;re squirming in your seat because you remember that front-drive Elan from the early 1990s, don&amp;#039;t worry\u2014it&amp;#039;s the only front-wheel-drive Lotus ever attempted.   This new concept isn&amp;#039;t exactly following in the footsteps of the original either. It&amp;#039;s said to be built on the Lotus Evora platform and weigh in around 2900 lb. Its aluminum chassis cradles a Toyota-sourced 4.0-liter V-6 making upward of 450 bhp. As in the Evora, this engine will be mid-mounted. It will likely be mated to a 7-speed twin-clutch transmission. At this time it&amp;#039;s unclear if the Elan engine will utilize forced induction.   We wouldn&amp;#039;t be surprised if the Elan had some form of KERS (kinetic-energy recovery system), and there might also be a convertible with a 2+2 seating option on the way. But it&amp;#039;s much too early for any final details.   When guest Mickey Rourke helped whip the cover off the edgy Elan Concept, it was revealed that the styling was inspired by Mario Andretti&amp;#039;s 1978 Lotus F1 car. We, however, had a hard time seeing any similarities.   Is this Elan a continuation of the past? No. It&amp;#039;s a new car that will push the performance limits formerly occupied by the Esprit. And that&amp;#039;s exactly what it will be. Like an Elise to an Exige. We only hope this new Elan lives up to the original&amp;#039;s reputation as a fun to drive car. Without a manual transmission, however, that will be hard to do. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/paris-auto-show/news/a16361/2013-lotus-elan/>