Lotus shocks Paris Motor Show with five concept debuts

It's been a while since something took us by surprise at an auto show. Usually we've seen the pictures and read the press releases a few days ahead of time, so there's nothing new revealed we weren't already expecting. Until today. We were expecting Lotus to reveal a pair of new Evora models, a new front-engined GT called the Elite, and if we were lucky, maybe the new Esprit. What we got was something much, much better.

As we arrived at the Lotus booth here at the Paris Motor Show, we spotted a total of five cars under cover. Perhaps a concept and some new versions of existing cars? What proceeded to happen was something entirely unexpected. Lotus CEO Dany Bahar addressed the crowd, announcing that Lotus would be entering a new era. In a matter of minutes, the wraps were pulled off the Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne concept cars, each time with a gasp from the crowd as the next concept's name was announced. This wasn't just the introduction of a few concept cars. We were witnessing the complete and utter revitalization, rebranding and rebirth of a legendary car company.