A Dead Italian Sports Car Brand May Return With Lotus Bones And Toyota Power

A New Chapter For Osca

Over in Italy, DR Automobiles has built its business around rebadging and localizing Chinese vehicles for the European market. One of its latest projects is the revival of Osca, which has unveiled its first model, the MT6, based on the Changan Uni-T. More interestingly, the brand is reportedly planning a new sports car that could use a Lotus-derived platform and may eventually make its way to the U.S.

Italy's Askanews reports that the upcoming sports car is expected to use a 3.5-liter supercharged V6, likely Toyota's 2GR-FE, similar to the one used in the Lotus Emira. That would be an interesting development, especially as the Emira is reportedly moving away from both the Toyota V6 and Mercedes-AMG-supplied 4-cylinder in favor of a new hybrid V6 from Horse Powertrain, a joint venture involving Renault and Geely. The new Osca sports car prototype is expected to be unveiled toward the end of this year.

The Business Case

So far, Osca – founded by the Maserati brothers in 1947 and defunct two decades later – has only the MT6, likely referencing the brand’s first original model, the MT4. The Chinese-derived SUV could serve as the volume seller that keeps the business moving, while the planned sports car would appeal to enthusiasts and help establish the brand's performance identity.

This strategy has already proven successful for brands like Ferrari with the Purosangue and Lamborghini with the Urus.

The report also suggested that the new sports car will involve Italdesign, the Italian firm behind renowned models such as the DeLorean DMC-12 and several Maseratis, including the iconic MC12. Given its reported Lotus-derived underpinnings, the car is expected to feature relatively compact proportions.

Looking West

Sales are reportedly set to begin in 2027, with pricing expected to stay below €200,000, or about $228,000 at current exchange rates. That would make it more than twice as expensive as the Lotus Emira, whose Toyota V6-powered variant starts at just over $110,000 in the U.S.

Europe will be the primary market at launch, with the U.S. targeted as part of a second expansion phase. However, given the increasingly restrictive stance toward Chinese-made vehicles in the U.S., the Changan-based MT6 is unlikely to follow anytime soon. Regardless, both models should play a role in reconnecting the revived brand with its heritage.

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