Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the past couple of weeks, the British Motor Show returns to the Excel centre in London’s Docklands – and despite the global downturn in new car sales, manufacturers have used the show to unveil a number of exciting new models.

The overall focus is on the move towards greener cars, and when Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a not-so surprise visit to the show, he used the opportunity to talk up the environmental issue, boldly (and some would say rashly) predicting that we’ll all be driving electric-hybrids by 2020.

But look beyond the enviro-bluster, and the exciting cars are there for you to see, and here are some of the highlights. The show runs to August 3 – details on how to get there and ticket purchases can be found at www.britishmotorshow.co.uk.

New Lotus: she’s called Evora
After months of speculation, Lotus has finally unveiled its new supercar at the London International Motor Show. Project Eagle as it was formerly dubbed has been given a suitably Lotus-esque name – Evora – and continues its maker’s tradition of building lightweight, race inspired sportscars continues uninterrupted.

Project Eagle, the mid-engined Toyota-powered 2+2 is the first all-new car to appear from Hethel since the Elise in 1995, and is vitally important for the future prosperity of the company. It’s been clearly focused at the US market, with a generous passenger compartment, and an equipment tally far removed from the more minimalist Lotus efforts of late.

The leather-trimmed interior and dashboard feature an Alpine multi-media system, satellite navigation, and iPod connectivity. A Bergstrom-developed air-conditioning system will be standard on all models while on-board tyre pressure monitoring will be either standard or optional depending on model and market.

Reaction to the 1376kg Evora at the show was overwhelmingly positive, and Lotus’ 2000 cars per year production estimate for the 276bhp supercar looks conservative.

Back to the future: New Camaro
Compared with the measured efficiency of the Lotus, the new-age Chevrolet Camaro cabriolet concept looks like a dinosaur. Its styling is closely linked with the classic muscle cars, whose values continue to head ever skywards, but according to GM Vice President, Bob Lutz, it’s perfectly tailored for modern life.

Available in right hand drive from 2010 and powered by a deliciously politically unfriendly 6.2-litre LS2 V8, developing over 400bhp, the Camaro looks set to attain classic status the moment it leaves the showroom. Especially at the estimated £40K GM executives have been talking about.

IFR Aspid: Bugatti go for 911 money?
The odd-sounding IFR Aspid has certainly attracted attention – whether the hype matches the reality, or we’re just looking at another UK supercar wannabe, it’s too early to say. However, the strangely styled two-seater looks to pack a punch.

For your £75,000, IFR Automotive will deliver a car that cracks 60mph in 2.9 seconds and 100mph in 5.9. It remains to be seen if the predicted price and performance figures make it through to production – but would be keen to test it and see.

Notable absentees
Aside from the environmental question, another talking point was the sheer number of major players in the premium and luxury end of the market who didn’t attend the show – as well as BMW, Audi and Volkswagen, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari among others were all absent.

Bentley put up a reasonable show unveiling its Flying Spur Speed, but it was far too little considering it had the show to itself. The Lightning Car Company’s new GT was also worth a look - an electric supercar with 700bhp on tap and a range of 200 miles on one 10-minute charge was a nice flight of fancy. Remarkable if the Peterborough-based Company can pull it off.

However, all that does raise the issue of whether the British International Motor Show has a sustainable future in its current form. Ford and Vauxhall put up a good show of support unveiling the Focus RS and Insignia, but aside from that, the glitz and glamour of major new launches was all but absent.