Lotus Cars – F.P.Journe Official Announcement To Participate At Indianapolis 500

Posted on 12th March 2012

Lotus have announced details of their partnership with F.P.Journe Watches, who will be sponsoring Lotus Ambassador Jean Alesi as me takes on the Indy 500 this May.

“This May, Formula One legend and Group Lotus ambassador Jean Alesi is taking on a stirring new challenge – to race in the Indianapolis 500. Lotus, of course, has a glorious history at the 500 having won it with Jim Clark in 1965. His Lotus 38 was the first mid- engined car to ever triumph at the Brickyard. Lotus returned to IndyCar last year and has stepped up its involvement in 2012 by manufacturing its own engine and powering no less then five cars. Continue reading →

Posted in Motorsport | Tagged , , ,

Kimi Räikkönen on Top Gear Tonight, BBC2 8pm

Posted on 11th March 2012

Don’t forget, Lotus F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen will be the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car on tonight’s Top Gear, taking to the track in the Suzuki Liana before chatting with Jeremy Clarkson in the studio.

If you can’t wait however you can check out this sneak preview.

Posted in Lotus F1 Team, Videos | Tagged , , ,

Updated: Gallery – Lotus at Geneva

Posted on 7th March 2012

Updated: Now with all the latest shots of the Lotus booth. You can also read Lotus’ official show report over on the Lotus Cars website.

The Geneva Motor Show is already under way, and Lotus have published a selection of pictures from their impressive looking stand.

Cars featured include the new Exige S Roadster, the MY 12 Evora, a pair of Evora GTEs (in white and the bare carbon fibre F1 Edition) and the Elise S road cars, along with the Lotus F1 Team, Lotus LMP2 and Evora GT4 race cars.

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Evora GTE F1 Edition Continue reading →

Posted in Group Lotus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

EVO – Funding Delays Hold Up Exige, Evora GTE and Esprit Development

Posted on 7th March 2012

EVO Magazine have posted exerts from an exclusive interview with Lotus Cars CEO Dany Bahar discussing the DRB-Hicom buyout of Proton and it’s impact on Lotus’ car development programme.

As a result of the development freeze the launch dates for the Exige S and Evora GTE have both been pushed back, along with delays of up to 6 months for the new Esprit model.

When asked about the likelihood of DRB-Hicom continuing with the current Lotus business plan, Bahar gave an answer of “I really hope they will but I cannot call 
it at the moment, it’s still 50:50.”

You can read the full piece on the EVO website.

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Any problems Lotus?

Posted in Group Lotus | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Lotus F1 Team – Kimi at the Geneva Motorshow

Posted on 6th March 2012

Lotus F1 Team driver Kimi Räikkönen took a break from preparing for the start of the season in just over a weeks time to take a look round the Lotus stand at the Geneva Motor Show.

The former F1 World Champion took some time to check out the Lotus Originals range, along with the new Exige S Roadster and Evora GTE F1 Edition, before chatting with Jonathan Legard about the season ahead – which will no doubt help prepare him for meeting Jeremy Clarkson in filming for this weeks Top Gear…

Source: Lotus F1 Team – Kimi at the Geneva Motorshow
Discussion: SELOC Chat – Evora GTE F1 Edition

Posted in Group Lotus, Lotus F1 Team | Tagged , , , , ,

Lotus Cars – Lotus Engineering / Fagor Ederlan Supercharged Production 3-Cylinder Range Extender

Posted on 6th March 2012

The second of todays Geneva Press Releases is a new supercharged version of the Lotus range extender engine.

The production Lotus Engineering / Fagor Ederlan Range Extender is an extremely compact, lightweight, low-cost engine and generator, designed specifically for hybrid electric vehicles. The initial concept engine is fitted to a number of research vehicles, including the Lotus Evora 414E, the Infiniti Emerg-e and the Jaguar Limo Green and this new version has been redesigned by Lotus Engineering and Fagor Ederlan to optimise performance and develop the engine for series production. Continue reading →

Posted in Group Lotus | Tagged , , ,

Lotus Cars – Hardcore Soft Top

Posted on 6th March 2012

Now it’s official, with Lotus launching the new Exige S Roadster.

Aside from the details we found out before launch, the Exige S Roadster has a top speed of 145mph (not 155mph as previously thought) and also comes with the option of the SPS (Serial Precision Shift) gearbox – an hydraulically automated manual similar to that found in the Elise SPS and likely the same as the one fitted to the Evora GTE.

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Lotus Exige Roadster

More raw than a Japanese tasting menu, the Lotus Exige S Roadster combines its coupé twin’s mesmerizing grunt and handling with an open air experience that makes the driver feel all the more at one with the road.

It’s the first time an Exige model has been offered with a factory-fitted soft top roof, one which is typically lightweight and easy to put up and take down. Continue reading →

Posted in Group Lotus | Tagged , , , , ,

Exige S Roadster Shows Up On Asphalte.ch

Posted on 5th March 2012

Last week we broke news that Lotus’ Geneva teaser was not, as many believe for the Evora, but for a convertible version of the new Exige S, named the Exige S Roadster.

Today Asphalte.ch have confirmed this, with shots of the car being prepared for it’s unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show this week.

As we previously posted, the car features the same basic bodywork as the coupe, but is supplied with the Elise soft-top and lacking the Exiges traditional rear spoiler. The show car also features the same wheel design as the coupe, but in a previously unseen silver finish.

Performance figures are yet to be confirmed, but the canvas roof necessitates the car is limited to 155mph, down from over 170mph for the hard top model.

Source: Asphalte.ch – Genève 2012: Lotus Exige S Roadster
Discussion: SELOC Chat – Lotus Exige Roadster

Posted in Group Lotus | Tagged , , , , , , ,

Will’s List – Lotus F1 Testing in Barcelona

Posted on 4th March 2012

Late last year Will Gibney, a long term SELOC member, club Regional Liaison and former Lotus owner was diagnosed with Renal Call Carcinoma, an (as yet) incurable form of kidney cancer.

Last month Will posted up a Driving Bucket List thread of activities he’d like to try out, and encouraged others to post their thoughts and ideas. Unbeknownst to him the SELOC community took this list and decided to see what they could do to help, drawing on contacts and the generosity of the clubs members to see what they could do to help him achieve his goals.

This week, SELOC sent Will and his Dad to Barcelona to spend an afternoon with the Lotus F1 Team as they took part in pre-season testing ahead of the 2012 F1 season. Will has kindly allowed us to reproduce his write-up on the day.

Posted in Lotus F1 Team, SELOC | Tagged , , ,

Lotus F1 Finish Pre-season Testing Quickest

Posted on 4th March 2012

Lotus have finished the final pre-season test at Barcelona in the best way possible, with Kimi Raikkonen topping the time sheets and setting the fastest time from the 8 days of testing in Barcelona.

The E20, which missed the majority of the last test due to a chassis failure, completed a total of 361 laps throughout the course of the 4 days. You can find the latest updates from the team in the links below.

Lotus F1 Team – Barcelona Day 2 – Test summary
Lotus F1 Team – Barcelona Day 3 – Test summary
Lotus F1 Team – Barcelona Day 4 – Test summary
Lotus F1 Team – Full Testing Summary

Discussion: SELOC Chat – Final F1 pre-season test in Barcelona

Posted in Lotus F1 Team | Tagged , , , ,