The production model could feature the same McLaren F1-style three-seat arrangement as the Theory 1.
“That could be an option,” Feng said, “because in the past you needed to develop left-hand drive and right-hand drive, but if you put the driver in the middle, then there is no need.”
The 4490mm-long Theory 1 was designed to be an approachable supercar, rather than a hypercar, like the wild 2011bhp electric Lotus Evija. For example, weight was reduced by using a carbonfibre tub.
At the time, Lotus said 85% of the technology displayed in the model was ready for production.
The news of the V8 supercar is part of a wider shift within Lotus towards a mixed powertrain strategy after the company abandoned its plan to go all-electric by 2028.
Feng said that, based on current trends in the global market, there should not be “a single solution when it comes to power; the power solution should be diversified”.
How Autocar imagines the new Lotus supercar could look
Parent company Geely’s original plan for Lotus was to pivot to EVs only by 2028, but the plan was abandoned in 2024 after it proved harder than expected to convince customers to make the switch.