We sat behind the wheel of the Lotus Theory 1 concept sports car – is this the new Esprit?

Room for three and some impressive tech for a sports car is a taste of what future Lotus cars will be like

The Lotus Theory 1 lectric concept car is packed with Nvidia tech (Lotus)

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Beyond the rhetoric that accompanies every concept car unveiling, the Lotus Theory 1 is clearly a car that the team at Lotus wants to build.

The smile on Lotus design boss Ben Payne’s face as he slides into the passenger seat beside me, reveals all. “I don’t like the word concept,” he says, “Because we wouldn’t do this if we didn’t want to explore things that could make it into production.”

Could that include the car itself, I ask? “This would never transfer absolutely directly into a production car, but you never know,” he said, with his smile getting even broader.

Sitting on the other side of this three-seater – with me sat in the central driver’s seat – is interior designer Ben Quaintance, armed with an iPad ready to demonstrate much of the tech inside the car.

There are plenty of remarkable features in the Theory 1, but one of the most remarkable is that three people could sit comfortably in this low, sleek sports car. Especially given I’m a six-foot-tall bloke who was once politely described as having a ‘rugby player build’. The two Bens sit slightly behind in a position I later tried and can confirm is just as comfortable.

Ben Payne, VP of design at Lotus Group, Ben Quaintance, interior design manager, and Independent motoring critic Steve Fowler behind the wheel of the Lotus Theory 1 (Steve Fowler)

The seats themselves are an integral part of the carbon-fibre ‘tub’ of the car. One of the goals was to reduce the number of parts in the whole vehicle. The carbon fibre is exposed and polished with a beautiful, flecked finish. The LOTUSWEAR tech, a robotic material that pulses to improve grip on the seats and alert you to upcoming turns or hazards, pokes me gently in the back, albeit in demonstration mode.

Lotus’s tagline of ‘for the drivers’ wasn’t mentioned during the whole Theory 1 event, but from the driver’s seat it’s clear who the focus is on.

You step into the car through the head-turning doors that slide back and upward, taking part of the roof with it for easy driver access. Then you perch your bum on the smooth carbon fibre in front of the passenger seat, and simply slide across into the central driver’s seat.

The view forwards and to the side is stunning; the windscreen feels as though it almost reaches your feet. The glass roof meets the windscreen with minimal interruption. The sports steering wheel – which also features that LOTUSWEAR pulsing tech – moves towards you, as do the two pedals. Being electric, this car is automatic.

Quaintance and his team of interior designers have clearly had some fun inside, focusing on minimal distractions and innovative use of things like ultra-thin laser lights that reflect a display into the windscreen in place of a usual, clunky, heads-up display. Attached to the steering wheel are a couple of screens, one in front of the other, with haptic controls and a pair of paddles behind to reinforce the analogue aspect of Lotus’s new “DNA”, which stands for digital, natural and analogue.

The Lotus Theory 1 concept car offers an IMAX-style view from the enormous windscreen, with the dashboard visible through a reflected HUD. (Steve Fowler)

And at the bottom of the deep windscreen is the driver information with speed and other details – for the record, 0-62mph will pass in under 2.5 seconds – while more reflective lasers give the driver more information. “We wanted to make sure the driver was entirely focused on the road ahead, so we give them additional information in their peripheral vision,” said Quaintance.

Hidden around the bodywork of the car are myriad sensors, including a LIDAR panel which pops up from a slot below the windscreen. You’ll struggle to even notice the subtle rear-facing cameras that feed the digital screens in place of door mirrors. Even the positioning of these screens – far further forward than you would normally get – is designed to keep the driver’s attention on the road as much as possible.

A few design details in ‘Lotus gold’ – a reference to the black and gold JPS Lotus Formula One cars of the 70s and 80s – are around the interior, including what appear to be F1-style inboard dampers for the suspension, but showing the Nvidia logo to reference Lotus’s tie-up with the American microchip brand.

Also part of LOTUSWEAR is the technology band, a narrow gold strip that runs around the cabin with inset laser lights to alert the driver and passenger to other road users or pedestrians. The technology band also features on the outside, again sporting the Nvidia logo, with an OLED display to warn people on the outside of the driver’s intentions.

Lotus has worked with numerous tech companies on the Theory 1 product, including MotorSkins on the robotic textiles and a 3D printing technology company called Carbon, which developed a springy sole for German sports giant Adidas. In the Theory 1, Carbon has produced the 3D-printed headrests, which are not only surprisingly comfortable, but also incorporate speakers from British audio experts KEF.

While unlikely to ever reach production, the Lotus Theory 1 is one of the most complete concept cars we’ve seen. (Steve Fowler)

Having sat and even driven many concept cars over the years, this is one of the best finished I’ve seen. You can barely open the doors on many concepts, let alone have three people climb in and play with the tech. The quality on show in the Theory 1 is a fine showcase for what Lotus can do – and is doing – with cars like its Eletre SUV.

Getting out of the Theory 1 is as easy as getting in, assuming you’re not climbing over a passenger, and then the doors slide shut gracefully with a wave of a hand underneath a sensor.

There are plenty of fanciful ideas in the Theory 1, but there is plenty of tech that you could imagine making it into the production of a future Lotus sports car, or even another Lotus SUV. And the spec of the concept car, with its 70kWh battery, 1,000hp output, F1 aerodynamics and bespoke tyres and brakes makes the car seem almost production ready. We’re assured that the car will move under its own steam, but it’s a long way off doing a lap around Lotus’s own test track at its HQ in Hethel in Norfolk.

So, will the Theory 1 morph into the next Lotus Esprit? Ben Payne referenced the Bond car, visible across Lotus’s London showroom from the driver’s seat through the deep windscreen of the Theory 1, talking about the similarities with the iconic wedge shape of the Esprit reimagined in the concept. “The Esprit S1 is the most iconic road car Lotus has ever produced,” he said, “And for our future vision design-wise it represents the spirit of the brand.”

From sat behind the wheel, I’d say a new Esprit in the spirit of Theory 1 is exactly what Lotus needs. And from the smiles on the faces of the design team when you ask them, it looks like it’s what they want, too.