All right, Formula One fans out there, we’ve got a doozy of a video for you to check out–no less than the launch of the Lotus F1 T127 is making its presence known to you today.
Oh, sure…there have been those that say the Lotus Racing team is just another bunch of overlapped sissies who can’t field a decent budget, car, or racer, but looking at this video today, seeing the determination on these people’s faces, and getting a look at that sweet F1 ride in the midst of its truest glory is an inspiration all its own.
It’s really very dramatic, you understand, and a bit of propaganda too, designed to fuel the ardor of the Lotus Racing faithful and maybe get a few fence-sitters back into the camp. But no matter what you think, I think you’ll all join us in giving best wishes to the Lotus Racing team for their new season.
Okay, this was actually too hilarious not to pass on. Seriously, it’s this good.
I was over on AskMen.com looking for something to talk about when I blundered onto a list of gadgets for the car that are pretty much useless, or otherwise stupid. And they were talking about the emergency trunk release system for the Lotus.
Now, this is technically a safety requirement, but it’s a lot like those “Warning: Do Not Use In Bathtub” warning labels on the sides of hair dryers. Because those are also a safety requirement but they’re no less hilarious. Anyway, the Lotus line of cars has an emergency trunk release system, on the off chance that someone should be trapped in the trunk.
The funny part comes in when you consider that a Lotus trunk is barely large enough for a pizza box, let along a fully grown (or even partially grown) human being.
Of course, you could follow AskMen’s lead and make a joke about Britney Spears here (wonder if she could get Sean Preston into the trunk? ) but it’s sufficient to let it be hair-dryer-warning-label hilarious all on its own.
The Lotus Scura is now on sale packed with a mean black-finish. The Scura features carbon fiber splitters, oil cooler inlet vanes and side airscoops. And while it does look like a mean machine similar to supercars in the market, it does have a touch of eco-friendliness to go. The Lotus Scura is lightweight and should address fuel consumption concerns for interested parties. There will only be 35 of them available and each retails for about 45,000 British Pounds.
The Lotus Evora beat out 29 other cars to win the title of Performance Car of the Year for 2009 from Car Magazine. The list included marquee car brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Porsche, giving you an idea of what this vehicle brings. All 30 cars went through subjective and objective testing on the driving roads of Great Britain. Among the highlights of the Lotus Evora during this event included the smooth navigation and steering.
And to refresh your memory, the Lotus Evora features a 280HP 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine paired with a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox.
It seems that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar is unhappy with the current hype surrounding his company due to its decline since the late 90s. Well, if what he says is true Lotus will be on par with Lamborghini, Maserati and Ferrari soon enough.
“Lotus was mentioned in the same sentence as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati in the 1970s-1990s. Then, it got closed into a corner. We believe it’s the right time to bring Lotus back to where it was.”
Will they succeed? All three of the automakers he plans to go against have long been regarded as some of the highest quality, most expensive and fastest cars in the industry, so let’s wish them luck.
The 2010 Lotus Exige S240 was officially unveiled in the U.S. and Canadian markets, bringing a new transport solution for conservative and super-charged car fanatics. It comes with a new type of styling with its new rear wing enhancements for efficient aerodynamic performance. This light weight vehicle also boasts of new air intakes to ensure vehicle ride efficiency. Other highlights include a fully independent suspension, a supercharged 1.8 liter Lotus-tuned and 2ZZ-GE engine with Intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i), airbags and an on-board tire pressure monitoring system. For access and security, the Lotus Exige S240 also comes with a “Thatcham approved” alarm/immobiliser system that incorporates alarm and central locking.
Scheduled to come out this fall, the 2010 Lotus Exige S240 will start at $65,690.
The Tokyo Motor Show officially opens on October 24, hosting a wide roster of automakers to show off their latest vehicles set to be released in the market. And just when many people were looking forward to the event, Hyundai has begged off from the Tokyo Motor Show despite having paid a non-refundable reservation fee of $122,000.
There were no definitive reasons given for Hyundai’s pull out but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it has something to do with expenses. If Hyundai participated, they would have to address other costs that include outlays, staffing and other support materials for any new model they would be unveiling as well as the space rental for the duration of the event. as well as the space rental for the duration of the event.
With their pull-out, the Tokyo Motor Show looms like a showdown among Japan’s familiar car brands. Only two other foreign car companies remain for the event and these are Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen and Lotus. With 3 weeks to go, will they stay or will they go?
Lotus Cars USA has begun offering supercharger kits to go along with their Elise and Exige models. The kit includes higher flow injectors, a supercharger with integrated intake manifold and new ECU calibrations. It also complies with all legal standards in the United States. The kit also brings 189 HP up to an impressive 218 HP; torque jumps from 133 ft.-lbs. up to approximately 155 ft.-lbs.
“Lotus Elise and Exige owners are genuine driving enthusiasts and that’s what has attracted them to Lotus cars in the first place,” said Lotus Cars USA, Inc. Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “They will fully appreciate the dramatically enhanced driving character these Lotus Supercharger Kits will bring their vehicles and the peace of mind from a fully warranted, factory engineered kit.”
No price has been listed by the car manufacturer yet.
Niche Cars is reportedly now taking new orders for the latest Lotus vehicle, the Lotus Evora. The latest Evora is powered by a Toyota-sourced 280HP 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine that is also complemented with a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox.
Prices are slated to kick off at B7.9M but will entirely depend on the features and options that buyers will be looking for. Initial deliveries for the Lotus Evora is expected to start somewhere in August.
Tesla and Lotus have together issued a recall regarding 2008 Roadster’s and 2009 Elise and Exiges.
The official recall notice points to the fact that the rear hube flange bolts on some of the 345 Roadsters produced in 2008 may not have been properly torqued which could lead to decreasingly worse vehicle handling and a rubbing noise from the back of the vehicle. The rubbing noise obviously isn’t a big deal but a car with decreased handling poses all sorts of safety hazards.
If you didn’t know, Lotus provides Tesla with some engineering, mainly the Roadster’s main chassis which shares some parts with their Elise and Exige models thus leaving them to issue a similar recall.
Okay, this was actually too hilarious not to pass on. Seriously, it’s this good.
