Educated guess or on target
As one might imagine, any mention of the replacement Esprit brings out heated debate and discussion from all corners of the Lotus Universe. It was no different when Car Magazine published their musings on the subject. After reviewing the discussions on several internet sites, it has become clear that nobody really knows if the car featured is what the new Esprit is going to look like.

2008 and 200mph
The replacement Esprit is now said to be slated for a 2008 debut with 200mph still targeted as the top end speed. Of course, pricing and performance specs are extremely preliminary at this point in time. However, if persistant rumors are to be believed, the Esprit will feature a world class engine and competitive pricing versus the Porsche 911 or Aston-Martin V8 Vantage.

Love it or hate it
Although the styling, as viewed in the picture, is most strongly rumored to be an exercise by the good people at CAR, it has rekindled discussions about possible body shapes in this time of extremely stringent safety regulations. Lotus will have to sell this car in the US to make back it's investment, so what can be done with the body is further limited by safety regs. Thoughts and speculations of a lambo-gallardo-esque look is probaly not too far off the mark considering the pressures for meeting these safety concerns.

In my opinion, better just to wait and see.