The lotus day

2009 Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar

Like almost all Lotus built vehicles, the new Evora is going racing. From their initial design stages, the lightweight English automaker intended for the Evora to be competitive on the track as well as a road going super car, so when Lotus released the Evora 124 endurance race car it was only the next logical step for Colin Chapman’s car company. The Endurance racing Evora maintains the same lines and body panels as the road car with the addition of a ground effects kit that gets the Evora to stick to the racing surface.

In order to make the Evora even more competitive, the mid mounted Toyota V6 has been upgraded from the standard 280 HP to a tire shredding 400 HP in unrestricted trim, while the meticulous design team has managed to shed another 400 pounds from the already lightweight sports car. Lotus has also found room for a six speed sequential gearbox for lightning fast shifts, a full roll cage for safety as well as the obligatory fuel cell and fire extinguisher system. Of course what race car would be complete with a GT spec rear wing made from carbon fiber to compliment the ground effects kit made up of the rear diffuser and front splitter.

Keeping the car on track is a set of 18 inch rims wrapped in Pirelli racing slicks and a set of AP Racing 6 piston calipers underneath, while the suspension has been redesigned for increased adjustability. According to Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited, “Motorsport has been in our blood ever since our founder, Colin Chapman, built the first Lotus back in 1948. We are proud of our motorsport history, which includes victories in Formula One, Le Mans, saloon car, rally car and sportscar racing around the world; more recently, we won the British GT3 Championship in 2006 with the Lotus Exige. The Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar is from the same unique stable and we expect it to be a competitive racecar when we enter various endurance races next year.” You can expect to see the new Lotus Evora 124 competing at 24 hour endurance races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, Silverstone and even in Dubai.

2010 Lotus Exige S240

Back in 2008 the lightweight English sports car manufacturers from Lotus released a very fast version of their fixed roof Elise roadster, the Exige Sport 240. The special edition Exige offered owners a very street able sports car while on track the 240 was capable of some incredible things. For 2010, the Exige S240 has received a slightly restyled front end, a new rear wing and the same combination of exceptional performance and usability, all starting at $65,690.

The S240’s front bumper gets a larger set of air intakes in the front bumper as well as larger vents in the hood in order to flow more air across the sports car’s cooling elements like the twin oil coolers ahead of the front wheels. This reduces the operating temperature of the high revving Toyota sourced four cylinder engine and further enhances the engine’s efficiency. This aerodynamically improved small super car is exactly what you will need to be able to run lap after lap at your local racetrack whenever you decide to take your new toy out to stretch its legs.

Under the rear decklid of the mid engine Lotus Exige S240 is an intercooled and supercharged 1.8 Liter Toyota 2ZZ-GE with the automaker’s Variable Valve Timing with Inteligence and tuned by Lotus to produce a maximum output of 240 HP at a screaming 8,000 RPM and 170 lb-ft of torque from 5,500 RPM. Tipping the scales at just over 2,000 pounds, the Exige Sport 240 is able to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in a blistering 4.1 seconds and reach the 100 MPH mark just 10 seconds after takeoff. The S240 can reach a top speed of 150 MPH and thanks to the drag reducing front end is able to get an EPA estimated 20 MPG around town and as much as 26 MPG on the highway.

2010 Lotus Exige Scura

While a majority of automakers are bailing out of the Tokyo Motor Show, it is nice to see that there will indeed be a few new models to look at when it comes to be show time. One such vehicle will be a special edition sports car from he light weight English race car builders at Lotus. While the boffins from across the pond have already engineered every unnecessary ounce out of the Exige in the hopes of creating a hard core driving experience, this particularly dark model focuses on making the little Lotus as sinister looking as it is lethal. The special edition Tokyo Motor Show Lotus Exige is named the Scura, which is the Italian word for dark, due to its dramatic black bodywork and a GT3 inspired rear end.

Priced at around $75,000 the Exige Scura features a trio of Phantom Black stripes to break up the large panels of matte black paint, however the carbon fiber bits and suede wrapped racing buckets go a bit further towards showing off the Scura’s true purpose of being an all out competition vehicle. Only now instead of laughing at bright orange bodywork, other drivers will stay out of this Lotus’ way. Like all Exige models the Scura is powered by a supercharged four cylinder engine that delivers a maximum output of 257 HP 174 lb-ft of torque, while it can sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in only 4 seconds and reach a top speed of 152 MPH.

Stay tuned for the high res images!

2010 Lotus Exige S Type 72

In celebration of the most successful Formula 1 car of all time, the memorable black and gold Lotus Type 72 race car, a championship winning innovative machine that was piloted by such notable drivers as Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Ronnie Peterson and Jacky Ickx. In honor of the old John Players Special, the English automaker Lotus has released the special edition Exige S Type 72. Limited to only 20 units for U.K. consumption, another 20 for the rest of Europe and a limited run for destinations like Japan and other select markets around the world.

Just like the cigarette box on wheels from the 1970s, the Exige S Type 72 is painted the familiar JPS black livery with a few gold accents on the body and a set of light weight gold rims to compliment the hand painted Type 72 and Exige S logos. The special edition Type 72 comes from the factory with a performance minded Sport Pack that includes a set of black micro fiber ProBax racing buckets with gold stitching and options like air conditioning and a Limited Slip Differential while the optional Performance Pack boosts power all the way up to around 240 HP while stopping power comes from a set of AP Racing brakes while an enlarged roof scoop sits atop the Type 72.

One thing that the modern day JPS comes with that Colin Chapman would have killed for are items like Lotus variable traction control and Lotus launch control, a few trick features that certainly would have given Team Lotus even more of an edge over their rivals at Ferrari and McLaren. The Lotus Exige S Type 72 sprints from 0 to 60 MPH in just 4.5 seconds and can reach a top speed of 145 MPH, starting at €40,332 perhaps this is as close as you will ever want to get to sitting behind the wheel of a genuine John Players Special.

2010 Lotus Evora Cup

The lightweight English sports car manufacturer Lotus has just released information about their ambition to take their latest creation, the Evora, and turn it into a dedicated race car complete with its own European based one make series. The Lotus Evora Cup race will be unveiled at the Autosport International car show in Birmingham, England on January 14, 2010. Powered by a race spec 4.0 Liter V8 making 400 HP and priced at £120,000 the race car makes use of an intensive amount of high performance parts and composite materials while getting rid of every component not necessary for motor sport.

The Evora Cup car will be seeing hard track duty, so aside from adding a bit more down force, the suspension and brakes have been upgraded to a set of adjustable racing dampers and a pair of six piston front brake calipers to clamp down on the oversized two piece aluminum brake discs so that the chassis never tires and the stoppers never fade. At the same time, Lotus’ engineers have put the Evora Cup car on a diet, tipping the scales at around 400 pounds less than the standard road car making it even more capable on the circuit. The racing series will consist of a number of points paying events in Europe culminating with a race at England’s famed Donington Park in October before traveling south to Italy’s Vallelunga in November with the champion taking home a £100,000 purse for their efforts.

2010 Lotus Elise Club Racer

Lotus Australia has just received an addition to their lineup fresh off the heels of delivering their first truly all new car in years, the Evora, and the release of a hard core track tuned Lotus Exige Cup, the lightweight English sports car builder has just revealed another version of their compact thrill machine. The Lotus Elise Club Racer is a very simple and straightforward sports car that borrows a few shades of paint from Colin Chapman’s personal pallet from the 1960s, colors like Elite Yellow, Carbon Grey, Sky Blue and Old English White.

According to the Director of Lotus Cars, Luke Bennett, "Special Editions of the award winning Elise have always proved popular with our customers around the world, and I expect the Elise Club Racer to be no different. We have taken colour schemes from our past, used on the Elite and Elan in the 1960s and cleverly brought them up to date with a modern feel to the interior. The whole design package is modern with a classic twist, which of course matches the peerless ride and handling of a Lotus and the convertible experience of the Elise perfectly."

Called the Elise Club Racer, the new lightweight English sports car is based on the 134 HP version of the Lotus Elise S and is scheduled to arrive in showrooms on September 15th and go on sale for around $40,000. The car makes use of silver and black highlights in the interior as well as an anthracite anodized gear knob and handbrake with the Club Racer "CR" logo embroidered everywhere. The Lotus engineers even saw fit to incorporate a smaller diameter steering wheel and a set of lightweight six spoke alloys for that extra sporty look and feel. The Elise Club Racer will make its official debut in February 2010 and will be priced at $72,990.

2010 Lotus Evora "Naomi for Haiti" Edition

In an attempt to offer a little help for the Haiti, Naomi Campbell joined forces with Lotus Car and created the special edition Evora "Naomi for Haiti" Edition. There will only be eight units produced and each of them will be put on auction, with all the proceeds directly going to relief efforts in the devastated country of Haiti.

This special edition is distinguished by a dynamic color scheme that is highlighted by cultural influences of Haiti, most notable of which is the Haitian flag emblazoned on the two doors with the words “Naomi for Haiti” accompanying it.

The auction will take place between 19 to 28 February during the London Fashion Week. The first unit was already sold for an impressive $500.000. The car two and three were also sold for an impressive $647,000.

2010 Lotus Evora

Lotus today revealed the 2010 Evora at the British Motor Show. It will be hand crafted and built on a dedicated new assembly line within Lotus’s advanced manufacturing facility at Hethel in the east of England; capacity limitations will restrict production to approximately 2000 cars a year, ensuring the dynamic new sports car’s rarity and exclusivity.

Evora is powered by Toyota’s all-alloy 2GR-FE 3.5-liter V6 DOHC, with dual VVT-i (‘intelligent’ variable valve timing). The engine delivers 280 PS at 6400 rpm, while boosting its maximum torque to 342 Nm at 4700 rpm (prototype figures). The 2GR-FE V6 engine is mated to a manual six-speed gearbox, again Toyota-sourced. A close-ratio version of this gearbox is also currently under development for the even more sport-focussed driver. The 0 to 60 mph sprint is made in less than 5 seconds.

Designed ‘in-house’ by Lotus Design, the sleek and athletic form uses fluid forms and crisp surfaces to communicate velocity, agility and sophistication. Low and wide with modern cab forward proportions, muscular rear haunches and function optimized hip air intakes this is clearly a serious mid engined sportscar that skilfully hides the practicality of its two plus two capability.

2010 Lotus Evora Carbon Concept

Lotus unveiled the Evora Carbon Concept today at the Geneva Motor Show. The concept is in fact a standard Evora painted in white and featuring stylish carbon fiber, leather and alcantara interior, aggressive carbon diffuser and an evocative high tech composite body.

The concept’s exterior is defined by a structural carbon fiber roof, Lotus Motorsport influenced carbon diffuser and carbon splitter, but also diamond cut forged 19” alloy wheels front and rear. The interior combines the lustre of the carbon panels with perforated leather and matte alcantara.

2010 Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

Lotus will unveil a hybrid version for its now famous Evora sports car at the Geneva Motor Show. Called Evora 414E Hybrid, the new version develops a total of 414 hp, makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in in under 4 seconds and has a hybrid range of over 300 miles.

The hybrid drive-train system consist of twin motors each limited to providing 204 hp of power and 400 Nm (295 lbft) of torque to each wheel via independent, single speed, reduction transmissions integrated into a single housing, enabling torque vectoring dynamic control of the vehicle. There is also a Lotus Range Extender engine that 47 hp of power at 3,500 rpm via the integrated electrical generator .

The Evora hybrid version is painted in Copper, in both exterior and interior, and is distinguished by circuit inspired graphics.

2010 Lotus Cosworth IndyCar

Idle for what has been a pretty long time, Lotus is finally waking up from its hiatus from auto racing with 2010 becoming a year where the brand makes a return to its racing roots.

We’ve known for quite some time now that Lotus has returned to Formula One. What we didn’t know was that it’s not the only racing series the brand is going back to.

Lotus officially announced that its returning to the IndyCar series in 2010 with partnerships already lined up with Cosworth and KV Racing. It has already been reported a while back that Lotus and Cosworth have joined forces to begin producing both road and race cars together. And now that KV Racing has jumped on board, all signs are pointing towards Lotus returning to the IndyCar series grid for the first time in forever. Really, it’s been that long.

For those of you – and we know there are a lot out there – that aren’t familiar with Lotus stamping its worth in IndyCar, it’s worth pointing out that the brand has had a decorated history in open-wheel racing, all the way back to the 60’s. As a matter of fact, one of the greatest drivers of that era – Jim Clark – won the 1965 Indy 500 while driving a Lotus Type 38 while also finishing second in the same race two years before in 1963.

As for the reinvented Lotus race car, you can expect to see its debut at St. Petersburg, Florida with former F1 driver Takuma Sato sitting behind the wheel of the car.

2011 Lotus Elise Special Edition for Netherlands

Lotus Elise has just received a facelift for 2011, but before it goes on sale, Netherlands will be the first to get a special edition Elise SC. This is completely unfair in our books. The limited edition Elise comes painted in matte white with details contrasting in black (superhot). The seats receive an embroidered logo and the standard wheels have been replaced by black 12-spoke alloy wheels. Also, the rear diffuser is painted in black.

Under the hood the 4-cylinder engine remains unchanged, meaning 136 HP and a fuel consumption of 5.04 liters/100 km. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph is made in 6.5 seconds.

You know, we can’t seem to understand why everyone else is getting these special edition Lotuses. If you remember, a couple of months ago, Australia received the Lotus Elise Club Racer and last year, the UK received the Lotus Elsie Black and White Edition. Hey Lotus, we want this car too!

2011 Lotus Elise

The English sports car builder Lotus has refreshed their lightweight Elise roadster with a new front end and have revealed the first details on the 2011 Elise facelift. The redesigned sports car is built on top of a new lightweight structure made up of extruded aluminum alloy bonded with epoxy as opposed to traditional welds that add additional mass featuring integral steel seat belt supports and lightweight rear subframe which serves as the centerpiece for the fully independent suspension that utilizes unequal length wishbones, mono tube gas dampers from Bilstein, coil springs from Eibach and a front anti roll bar.

The 2011 Elise will be powered by a 1.6 Liter naturally aspirated water cooled inline four cylinder engine that delivers a total of 134 HP and 118 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a six speed gearbox. The combination is good for a 0 to 60 MPH sprint time of 6.7 seconds and is capable of reaching a 124 MPH top speed. The new lightweight Lotus Elise sports car will go on sale this April in U.K. and will be priced at 26,550 GBP.

2020 Toyota Venza by Lotus

What happens when Lotus takes a Toyota Venza and plays around with it for a little while? Let’s just say their "playtime" turns into an impressive discovery on how to decrease fuel consumption with minimal cost increase. That’s the short side of it anyway. The longer, more detailed story goes a little something like these next few sentences.

Lotus Engineering has just finished a study for a 2020 passenger car and the conclusion to that study is this: a 38% reduction in vehicle mass, excluding powertrain, can be achieved for only a 3% increase in component costs using engineering techniques and technologies viable for mainstream production programs by 2020. The study investigated scenarios for two distinct vehicle architectures appropriate for production in 2017 and 2020. The near-term scenario is based on applying industry leading mass reducing technologies, improved materials, and component integration and would be assembled using existing facilities.

A benchmark Toyota Venza was disassembled, analyzed, and weighed to develop a bill of materials and understand component masses. In developing the two low mass concepts, Lotus Engineering employed a total vehicle mass reduction strategy utilizing efficient design, component integration, materials selection, manufacturing and assembly. All key interior and exterior dimensions and volumes were retained for both models and the vehicles were packaged to accommodate key safety and structural dimension and quality targets. The new vehicles retain the vision, sight line, comfort and occupant package of the benchmarked Toyota Venza.

We said it was going to be a long version. Now, Lotus can just hope that other automakers adopt this philosophy of performance through lightweight.

Dr Robert Hentschel, Director of Lotus Engineering said: “Lighter vehicles are cleaner and more efficient. That philosophy has always been core to Lotus’ approach to vehicle engineering and is now more relevant than ever."

2011 Lotus Exige V6

Recent spy shots reveal that Lotus is preparing a facelift version for both the Elise and the Exige that could be powered by a V6 engine. The prototype caught testing featured widened wheel arches and increased cooling. The engine sounded the same as the one used on the Evora.

The Toyota-sourced V6 engine used in the Evora delivers a total of 276bhp and 258lb.-ft. or torque, more than even the top version Exige S that delivers a total of 257bhp and 174lb ft. The addition of this engine could have potential downfalls, however. The added weight could bring the Exige past the 1000kg level which might affect the driving performance.

The spy images also suggest that the Exige might be built on a longer wheelbase. The wheel arches have allowed a modest increase in track and the rear wheels appear to be sitting slightly further back in the chassis.

2010 Lotus Elise SC and Exige S RGB Special Editions

Lotus, in cooperation with Roger Becker (former Director of Vehicle Engineering for Lotus), unveiled the Lotus Elise SC and Exige S RGB Special Editions. Both models are the first in a series of special editions that will celebrate the final run of European specification 1.8 liter Elise and Exige sportscars.

The Elise SC RGB Special Edition is powered by a supercharged 1.8 liter engine that develops a total of 217 hp and rockets the car from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. The Lotus Exige S RGB Special Edition gets a supercharged and intercooled 1.8 liter engine with 257 HP and a sprint time of 4 seconds.

Both models will be offered with a choice of four colors: aspen white, starlight black, solar yellow, & carbon grey. The special editions will feature sports and touring packages as standard. They will be distinguished by a numbered interior plaque, Roger Becker’s signature on the side of the bodywork, and special monochrome Lotus nose badge.

“I am honoured that Lotus has named these two special editions after me, especially as it allows me to offer the customer my favourite specifications. The past 44 years have been an incredible journey and I’m looking forward to watching Lotus progress in the future, I have no doubt that the company will continue to go from strength to strength,” said Roger Becker.

2011 Lotus Exos Type 125 race car

Last week, we brought forth details on Lotus’ "Ultimate Consumer Track and Race Car" not knowing that the Lotus 125 would make a pre-appearance at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during this past weekend’s events. All that means is that we did not have to wait as long to get specific details on the lightweight, 650-kilogram F1-inspired limited edition race car. The Lotus Exos 125 features a a carbon fiber monocoque platform, ceramic brakes, and a carbon fiber suspension.

The new Lotus Exos Type 125 race car is powered by a 3.5-liter Cosworth V8 engine that delivers a total of 650 HP and has a 10,300 rpm redline. The engine is mated to a F1-style semi-automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

At the car’s official launch, Stephen Wright said: "The reality is though, it is a very easy car to run and maintain. You don’t actually need to have a big group of people to run the car, if you want to go to the track and have a track day yourself."

There will only be 25 units built each priced at one million dollars. The first 10 units will be delivered in the spring of 2011 and the other 15 units in the summer of the same year. Lotus also said that it will develop a training and racing program around the 125 model.

2010 Lotus Evora S

Remember that "accidental email" we received earlier this month that announced the Lotus models that would be showing up at the Paris Auto
Show? Well, we know one of those models is the Evora S since that was simply stated in the communication, but the second model was just titled the Lotus Auto and didn’t have many details to describe this mysterious vehicle. Now we hear that this second model is the Lotus IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift).

The IPS version of the Evora gives the driver the option of being able to switch from manual paddle shift to automatic drive modes. There is also a Sport mode for that extra oomph and control for the driver.

The Lotus IPS combines an automatic 6-speed gearbox with a Lotus developed transmission control with a 3.5L V6 engine. This combination allows the vehicle to produce 276hp at 6400rpm and 258 lb ft of torque at 4700rpm. The 0-60mph sprint is made in 5.3 seconds and its top speed is limited to 155 mph.

"The Evora IPS is set to broaden the appeal of the Evora and reach out to a slightly different market. We hope it will be popular with established automatic locations such as Asia, the Middle East and the US. It’s been a long time since Lotus created an automatic and we’ve spent a great deal of time refining this one to make sure that it perfectly complements the Evora drive experience."

2011 Lotus Evora IPS

Remember that "accidental email" we received earlier this month that announced the Lotus models that would be showing up at the Paris Auto Show? Well, we know one of those models is the Evora S since that was simply stated in the communication, but the second model was just titled the Lotus Auto and didn’t have many details to describe this mysterious vehicle. Now we hear that this second model is the Lotus IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift).

The IPS version of the Evora gives the driver the option of being able to switch from manual paddle shift to automatic drive modes. There is also a Sport mode for that extra oomph and control for the driver.

The Lotus IPS combines an automatic 6-speed gearbox with a Lotus developed transmission control with a 3.5L V6 engine. This combination allows the vehicle to produce 276hp at 6400rpm and 258 lb ft of torque at 4700rpm. The 0-60mph sprint is made in 5.3 seconds and its top speed is limited to 155 mph.

"The Evora IPS is set to broaden the appeal of the Evora and reach out to a slightly different market. We hope it will be popular with established automatic locations such as Asia, the Middle East and the US. It’s been a long time since Lotus created an automatic and we’ve spent a great deal of time refining this one to make sure that it perfectly complements the Evora drive experience."