The Lotus Esprit is coming back, and it's bringing a 670-hp twin-turbo V8
Lotus hasn't confirmed the Esprit name, but it's widely expected for Type 135, the mid-engine hybrid supercar due in 2028. Horse Powertrain has just revealed the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 that will power it: officially more than 500 kilowatts on its own, which is more than 670 horsepower and about 590 lb-ft of torque, and Lotus has already said the finished hybrid will make more than 1,000 PS, about 986 horsepower, with the electric motors included.
By Exotic Car TrendsPublished 6 min read
Artist's rendering of what a new Lotus Esprit could look like. Lotus hasn't shown the finished car.
Lotus's first true supercar now has an engine. On Nov 10, 2026, Horse Powertrain revealed the W40, a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, and confirmed that it and a new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission will debut in the Lotus Type 135, with an unveiling and on-sale date both planned for 2028 (Horse Powertrain). Horse's official figure for the engine alone is more than 500 kilowatts, which is more than 670 horsepower, before any electric motors help. Outlets including Autocar, Motor1, Car and Driver and Road & Track all report that same combustion-only number, and they expect the mid-engine hybrid to revive the Esprit name, though Lotus has not confirmed that badge (Autocar, Motor1, Car and Driver, Road & Track).
The Horse W40 V8 and 8LDCT transmission, the powertrain for the Lotus Type 135.
Horse Powertrain is the joint venture that Geely, which owns Lotus, set up with Renault to build combustion and hybrid powertrains. The W40 is Horse's first V8, and the company says it's ready for production.
The new eight-speed dual-clutch transmission that will be paired with the V8 in the Lotus Type 135.
What Horse has confirmed
A 4.0-liter V8 with two turbochargers mounted between the cylinder banks, a "hot V" layout that shortens the path from the turbos to the engine and keeps the package compact.
Official peak output of more than 500 kilowatts, which is more than 670 horsepower, and 800 Nm, or about 590 lb-ft of torque. Those figures are for the combustion engine alone, before any electric help.
A weight of about 200 kilograms, or about 441 pounds, helped by direct injection and what Horse calls extensive lightweighting.
A "hybrid-first" design, built from the start to work with electric motors rather than adapted later.
The 8LDCT transmission, an eight-speed wet dual-clutch automatic rated for up to 1,050 Nm, or about 774 lb-ft, with shifts in under 20 milliseconds and a pre-fill time of under 50 milliseconds.
A few write-ups, including The Supercar Blog, have put the engine at 662 horsepower. That is not a second official rating, and it is not a different engine. It is a conversion of the same Horse claim, "over 500 kW." In the horsepower numbers used in the United States, that is more than 670 horsepower; Autocar and Motor1 rounded the same figure to more than 671. The 986-horsepower number from May is something else: Lotus's claim for the finished hybrid car, written as "over 1000PS," engine and electric motors together. Neither Horse nor Lotus issued a new combined figure on Nov 10.
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Horse also says the engine's low-end torque suits pickups and off-road SUVs, so the W40 may not stay a Lotus exclusive (Horse Powertrain). Autocar reports that the gearbox itself houses an additional electric motor (Autocar).
By bringing these technologies together with Lotus' expertise in lightweight engineering and chassis dynamics, we aim to deliver a new generation of supercar performance.
The engine reveal fills in a car Lotus first confirmed on May 12, 2026, as the centerpiece of its Focus 2030 plan. In its press release, Lotus called Type 135 "an all-new car, featuring a V8 hybrid powertrain, with over 1000PS," with the unveiling and customer launch both planned for 2028, and said the car is expected to be manufactured in Europe. Over 1,000 PS is 986 horsepower. Lotus listed the price and which markets will get the car as "TBC" (Lotus).
Lotus's official Type 135 teaser, released May 12, 2026, with Focus 2030. It is a studio teaser, not a photograph of a finished production car.
That teaser, a dark rear view, is still the only official look at the car. It shows a wide stance, a slim light bar with LOTUS lettering, and two large circular exhaust outlets. Design chief Ben Payne later told Autocar that the production car takes its cue from the 2024 Theory 1 concept, and that the Esprit name is a strong option because customers have asked for the V8 Esprit back since it went out of production in 2004. Lotus told CAR magazine that Esprit is an internal project name, not a confirmed production badge (Autocar, CAR).
On an Aug 27, 2026 earnings call, CEO Feng Qingfeng set a target weight of about 1.5 tonnes, or about 3,307 pounds, for the V8 car, to be met with an 800-volt architecture, a hybrid system, a V8 and electric motors. He said Lotus has used Formula 1 technology to cut a typical 150-kilowatt motor to 20 kilograms, or about 44 pounds, from the usual 75 to 95 kilograms. Feng also confirmed a cheaper V6 hybrid version, and said the car will sit between the Emira sports car and the electric Evija hypercar (Autocar, MotorTrend). Autocar expects the V6 to use Horse's W30 twin-turbo, quoted at 536 horsepower for the future Emira, but that figure is not confirmed for Type 135 (Autocar).
Later reporting, including Autocar, says Type 135 will be a conventional hybrid rather than a plug-in, so Lotus can use a smaller battery and skip charging hardware, not the Eletre X "X-Hybrid" plug-in system some May coverage suggested. Feng has pointed to the 1,036-horsepower Ferrari 849 Testarossa as the main rival. Autocar reports the car will be built at Hethel in Norfolk alongside the Emira; Lotus's May text only said Europe, though CFO Daxue Wang later told investors that Hethel will focus on combustion and plug-in hybrid sports cars (Autocar, MotorTrend).
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The Esprit that came before
The original Esprit was Lotus's mid-engine flagship from 1976 to 2004, first shaped by Giorgetto Giugiaro and later restyled by Peter Stevens, and famous as James Bond's car in The Spy Who Loved Me. In 1996 Lotus fitted its own 3.5-liter twin-turbo V8, with 350 horsepower, and built about 1,613 V8 cars before the last Final Edition left Hethel in 2004 (Lotus). If Type 135 does wear the Esprit name, it would be the first factory Lotus V8 road car in more than 20 years.
What's still unconfirmed
Neither Horse nor Lotus gave a combined hybrid output on Nov 10. Lotus's own claim remains "over 1000PS," which is about 986 horsepower with the electric motors included, and Feng later told investors the V8 version is targeted to produce more than 1,000 horsepower, so treat the final number as open. Battery size, 0-60 time and whether electric motors will drive the front wheels have not been confirmed. Feng has said a McLaren F1-style central driving position "could be an option," but that is not a decision. He has also said an unnamed Geely brand will use the V8 in an off-roader. No test-car spy shots have been published (Motor1, Autocar).
Analysis
Our take
A brand-new V8 is rare news in 2026, and this one matters because it gives Lotus a purpose-built engine for a car priced against Ferrari and McLaren. Recent Lotus sports cars have leaned on bought-in engines, and its newest flagships have been electric. A hybrid V8 from inside the Geely group, with a serious weight target, is a more convincing foundation. The open questions are how much of the 1,000 or so horsepower comes from the battery, what the car costs, and how it drives against the Ferrari 849 Testarossa Feng has named as the rival.
What it means for buyers
Nothing to put a deposit on yet. Lotus has not said what the car will cost in the United States or Canada, or when dealers will take orders, and its own product table still lists those as to be confirmed. In the Focus 2030 plan, North America is "anchored in sportscars," with a new SUV opening in Canada (Lotus). If Autocar is right and the car is built in Britain, it should be easier to bring into the United States than Lotus's China-built Eletre and Emeya. If you're shopping for a hybrid supercar you can actually buy now, the Ferrari 296 GTB and McLaren Artura are already on sale. We'll update this story when Lotus shows the car.
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