The Lotus Etna was a one-off concept car that Lotus revealed at the 1984 British International Motor Show in Birmingham. Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also designed the Lotus Esprit, styled it, and Lotus sent an Esprit chassis to Italdesign with the new engine and gearbox so that he could work out the packaging. It was powered by the Type 909, a 4.0-litre V8 of Lotus design that Colin Chapman had asked the engineer Tony Rudd in 1978 to develop, and which ultimately produced 335 bhp. Only two Type 909 engines were built. Lotus promised that the Etna would be the first road-going Lotus with its new active suspension, together with traction control, ABS and noise cancelling. After General Motors bought Lotus in 1986 the Etna and its engine were put on ice and eventually killed, and the company turned to the front-wheel-drive Elan that appeared in 1989.
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Source Lotus Etna (Wikipedia)
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Source Lotus Etna (Wikipedia)
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1. Lotus Etna (Wikipedia)
Lead, premiere
It premiered at the 1984 British International Motor Show.
Lead, engine
It is powered by a 4.0-litre V8 of Lotus design, code-named the Type 909.
Lead, status
The Lotus Etna is a one-off concept car
Of Make: Lotus, Lead, make
The Lotus Etna is a one-off concept car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro
Exemplifies: Automobile Transport, Lead, concept car
The Lotus Etna is a one-off concept car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro
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