Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept: Lotus’s Ambitious Supercar That Time Left Behind

Unrealized Brilliance - Sometimes the most fascinating cars are not the ones we see tearing down highways today, but the ones that almost made it into production—machines that were ahead of their time, bold in ambition, and still manage to spark curiosity decades later. One of those remarkable examples is the Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta, a concept car that debuted in 1984 and has since become a legend for what it promised, and what it ultimately never became. 

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept, a concept car that debuted in 1984 and has since become a legend for what it promised, and what it ultimately never became.. (Picture from: AdrianFlux)

The Etna first appeared at the 1984 British Motor Show in Birmingham, and it wasn’t shy about showing off. Styled by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Etna’s lines were sleek, futuristic, and designed to outshine the crowd. Its drag coefficient of just 0.29, paired with a dramatic Perspex upper body, was the kind of detail that usually made concept cars front-page news. But the Etna offered more than just pretty bodywork. It was built on the backbone of the Lotus Esprit and packed with innovations that, for the mid-1980s, sounded closer to science fiction than road car reality. Lotus suggested features like computer-controlled active suspension, anti-roll and anti-squat systems, adjustable ride height, traction control, anti-lock brakes, and even an early attempt at active noise cancellation. This was Lotus essentially saying: “Yes, we can dream big.” 

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept first appeared at the 1984 British Motor Show in Birmingham, and it wasn’t shy about showing off. (Picture from: Cars.Bonham)

At the heart of the Etna sat the Type 909, a brand-new V8 engine crafted with both ambition and pragmatism. Colin Chapman, Lotus’s visionary founder, had given the task to engineer Tony Rudd years earlier. The goal was a 320 horsepower, lean-burn V8 that could clear strict U.S. emissions while sharing parts with the company’s existing four-cylinder engines. The result was surprisingly close to production reality: 335 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque, wrapped in an efficient, lightweight package. For a company of Lotus’s size and resources, this was a major achievement. 

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept, styled by the legendary Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, featured sleek futuristic lines and a dramatic Perspex upper body with a drag coefficient of just 0.29. (Picture from: AdrianFlux)

The press immediately fell in love with the concept. CAR Magazine put it on the cover with headlines that celebrated Lotus’s potential to rival the world’s greatest supercars at the time like the Testarossa and Countach. Yet even with that buzz, financial troubles loomed over Hethel. Following Chapman’s death in 1982, the company was struggling. By 1986, when General Motors acquired Lotus, the Etna and its promising engine were quietly shelved in favor of projects that seemed more commercially viable, like the front-wheel-drive Elan. The Etna, instead of being the UK’s first true mid-engined supercar, was left as a one-off showpiece. 

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept’s interior featured a futuristic, minimalist layout with digital displays and experimental electronic controls. (Picture from: Cars.Bonham)

But the story didn’t end there. After years in storage, the Etna passed through the hands of collectors until it reached Olav Glasius, a dedicated Lotus enthusiast. In poor condition, the car was sent to restoration specialists Ken and Neil Myers. What they found inside made the project far more exciting: the original Type 909 V8. Turning what was essentially a clay-and-fiberglass model into a running machine was no small feat. The engine had known problems, including bent valves at high revs, but Neil Myers tackled them with engineering ingenuity—new pulleys, better tensioning, and even a modern Land Rover Discovery engine management system. 

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept was powered by the new Type 909 V8 engine, delivering 335 horsepower at 6500 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque. (Picture from: Cars.Bonham)

Within ten weeks, the dormant V8 roared to life for the first time, decades after its conception. That moment turned the restoration into a mission of passion. Exhausts, driveshafts, and custom mounts all had to be fitted carefully to avoid overheating the fragile body. In the end, a wooden-and-clay show car was transformed into something truly driveable, a rare case in Lotus history where a concept car became a living, breathing machine.

The Lotus Etna V8 Berlinetta Concept still carries the spirit of Lotus: clever engineering, bold design, and a refusal to stop chasing innovation, no matter how unlikely the odds. (Picture from: AROnline)

Today, the Lotus Etna stands not just as a piece of automotive history but as a symbol of what might have been. It represents a time when Lotus dared to reach higher than its resources realistically allowed, a glimpse into a parallel future where the Etna could have reshaped Britain’s supercar landscape years before McLaren and others entered the scene. Even though it never went into production, the Etna still carries the spirit of Lotus: clever engineering, bold design, and a refusal to stop chasing innovation, no matter how unlikely the odds. | KinVNVtIq2I | o13flnneEX8 | R2bepZCNJBU |

The Lotus Etna may have started as nothing more than a bold show car, but over time it turned into something far more meaningful. It represents a snapshot of Lotus at its most daring, chasing ideas that seemed impossible yet refusing to stop dreaming. Even though the Etna never became a showroom reality, its legacy still lingers as a reminder of how far passion and ingenuity can take a carmaker when the odds are stacked against them. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | ARONLINE | CARS.BONHAM | ADRIANFLUX | MORTON STREET PARTNERS IN INSTAGRAM ]

Note: This blog can be accessed via your smart phone.