Lotus Theory 1 is a lightweight supercar that takes the brand back to its roots

This is the new Lotus Theory 1, a new concept car designed to take the brand back to its roots.

It has three seats, which is not necessarily something you’d associate with Lotus.

But, it’s also very light.

That – by contrast – is definitely something you’d associate with a Lotus.

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Following Colin Chapman’s credo

Not so long ago, Lotus rebranded as an EV-only automaker.

From Emeya to the record-breaking Evija and Eletre SUV, they’re all electric nowadays.

Performance isn’t an issue, lack of a proper soundtrack might be, but one thing that Lotus enthusiasts always (and correctly) complained about is weight.

“Simplify, the add lightness,” Lotus founder Colin Chapman used to say.

It’s quite difficult to ‘add lightness’ with electric cars because they’re generally very heavy, but Lotus somehow managed to do that with Theory 1.

This car weighs less than 1,600kg (3,500lbs), which is still not a featherweight, but it’s certainly what you’d call progress.

Lotus Theory 1 is a performance monster

Despite the significant ‘weight loss’, Theory 1 is still three times heavier than the first Lotus Elise.

But – and this is not a moot point – 1,600kg isn’t a lot when you’ve got 987 horsepower to move it.

Every horsepower available only needs to move less than two kilograms, so the power-to-weight ratio is still better than that of the original Elise.

Theory 1 does 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in less than 2.5 seconds, and the car has a range of 250 miles (400km).

One last thing, Lotus will probably drop the three-seat configuration for the production version, but that’d be a shame.

Hopefully, they’ll keep it that way.

There’s only one elephant in the room.

Nearly every Lotus car ever made was called with a name that begins with ‘E’.

Theory 1 is just a concept but – as you’ll have already noticed – the word ‘theory’ does not begin with E.

So we’re thoroughly looking forward to the production model, the Lotus ETheory 1.