Lotus Etna

[sperry]

Found this on the SVX forums.... the Lotus Etna concept car. Designed by Giorgetto Guigiaro of Italdesign in 1984, lots of the look of this car ended up in the SVX, which he designed for Subaru in 1989.

Just thought it was a pretty slick looking car for 1984!

[Kevin M]

Rear visibility might not be the best, but all that glass in the roof would have been a pretty sweet feature on the SVX. Colin Chapman would never approve though.

[tysonK]

The rear glass structure is really great looking.

[Nick Koan]

For a concept car, that thing is freaking sweet.

[JC]

Looks like a heavy piece of shit.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by JC

Looks like a heavy piece of shit.

I'm sure it wasn't light... all that glass must have weighed a ton, and it's all on the top half of the car. In addition, as was mentioned, the rear visibility was probably limited, the cost of all that curved glass is prohibitively expensive, there's got to be next to no trunk space, and very limited room in the cockpit.

But that's why it's just a concept car that never made it to production.

[JC]

Originally Posted by sperry

But that's why it's just a concept car that never made it to production.

I just don't see why you'd build a concept to show what Lotus will never be.

[MikeSTI]

Originally Posted by JC

I just don't see why you'd build a concept to show what Lotus will never be.

so they could make the SVX

[sperry]

Originally Posted by JC

I just don't see why you'd build a concept to show what Lotus will never be.

Eh? A concept is to show what *could* be... they're not always successful, obviously.

Are you saying that concept cars are useless unless they're put into production?

[doubleurx]

After looking at it again, it looks more like the XT-6 than the SVX, especially if you block out the hatch part.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by doubleurx

After looking at it again, it looks more like the XT-6 than the SVX, especially if you block out the hatch part.

Yeah, it really does. Maybe not so suprisingly, the XT-6 is the previous generation of the SVX.

[JC]

Originally Posted by sperry

Eh? A concept is to show what *could* be... they're not always successful, obviously.

Are you saying that concept cars are useless unless they're put into production?

Concepts are to show directions the company may be moving in. Lotus will never (I hope) build a stupid top heavy glass roofed car.

[Nick Koan]

Originally Posted by JC

Concepts are to show directions the company may be moving in. Lotus will never (I hope) build a stupid top heavy glass roofed car.

Lotus has safely kept this designer at bay for 20+ years. I think we're safe.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by nKoan

Lotus has safely kept this designer at bay for 20+ years. I think we're safe.

Actually, he's working for Ferrari as of late:



http://www.fast-autos.net/italdesign...esigngg50.html

Not to mention the Lotus' he *did* design:

* Esprit - 1976–1977
* Esprit S2 - 1978–1981
* Esprit JPS (John Player Special) - 1978–1979
* Esprit S2.2 - 1980–1981
* Esprit Essex - 1980
* Esprit S3 - 1981–1987
* Esprit Turbo - 1981–1986
* Esprit Turbo HC - 1987
* Esprit Turbo - 1987–1990
* Esprit - 1987–1990



Notice the similarities to the Etna? I'm guessing the Etna was a design exercise to move the Esprit more upscale, and to clean up its lines.

[doubleurx]

I loved the submarine option on the esprit!

[sperry]

Originally Posted by doubleurx

I loved the submarine option on the esprit!

It's every car designer's dream to get to design a Bond car.

(also, before someone mentions it... yes, that Ferrari is *hideous*)

[Dean]

There is a white '78 Eclat (Font engine 2+2 version of the Esprit) siting in my Dad's garage with probably under 30K original miles that looks a bit like this later concept car.

Related to weight, remember that almost all the 76+ Lotuses are fiberglass.

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[Pat R.]

Dean: Is it for sale?

[Dean]

Originally Posted by Pat R.

Dean: Is it for sale?

No, it is currently keeping that portion of the garage from flying off into space. It's also currlently in the condition known to my family as Bernied(Bernie is my dad's name). This means my father has taken it apart, and only partly put it back together to some extent while having grandiose ideas on all the improvement that he might be able to make to it including putting a toyota transmission in it, relocating the cooling sytem, etc... Some of these were initiated, but never completeted. The top end was also rebuilt for no aperent reason, but put back in witht the cams 360 degrees out of phase, so now there is at least one bent valve as when he found it while turning it over by hand, he did not fix it, but just made sure it was out of gear until some future date. It was then placed in gear during it's move from the bay area which further mangled the valve/valves.

It is a beautiful car, and drives incrediably well for that vintage, but alas, I'm not sure it will ever see the road again... What a waste.

There is a 197, or so Lancia Scorpion sitting right next to it that actually runs last I knew, but has a main seal leak, and getting around to fixing that is not high on the priority list either. That one, I keep threatening to steal and get fixed.