Purist Edition of Lotus Elise for U.S. Dealerships
By admin | June 8, 2009
Attracting customers to go inside the showrooms is very difficult amid the global financial crisis, more so to close a sale. This has been the experience of all car manufacturers and dealers in the United States, if not in all countries. A lot of schemes are being tried by all to lure consumers to buy their vehicles. Lotus, like everyone else, offers more features coming in at cheaper packages.
The Lotus marketing move is coined the Purist Edition. 
The company is making use of the Purist Edition Elise with all the hyped features of the Touring variant, just minus the leather trims for the transmission tunnel, iPod interface, and leather inserts for the doors.
The sticker price for the Purist Edition Elise is marked at $44920 inclusive of delivery charges. This is about $3000 cheaper than the base model which has an original tag of $48175.
The Elise will be available in three colors—Ardent Red, Saffron Yellow, and Monaco White. The interior is with elegant leather seats combined with Momo steering wheel wrapped in leather, CD player, aircon, and a start button. The looks are classy with the 17 inch alloy rim paired with performance tires from Yokohama.
Topics: Elise, Lotus Elise, Special edition | No Comments »
Lotus in America
By admin | April 22, 2009
There are many automakers whose models are considered rare or elite in the United States. Among them are MG, MINI, and Lotus. Of the three, Lotus is probably the least well known and the most appreciated by aficionados of the marque.
Brief History of Lotus
Lotus was originally formed by engineer Colin Chapman in 1952, as Lotus Engineering, Ltd. It’s first factory was in an old stable behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, England and in 1954 Team Lotus was split off from the original company to focus on Formula One racing, where it excelled from 1958 – 1994.
In 1959, Lotus Cars, Ltd. and Lotus Components, Ltd., which focused on road car and competition car production, respectively moved to a factory in Cheshunt. In 1966, the company moved into a more modern factory with a road test facility in Hethel, at the former RAF Hethel base, where it has remaind ever since.
In 1971, Lotus Components, Ltd. became Lotus Racing Limited, but it ceased operations the same year.
In 1986, Lotus Cars, Ltd. was purchased by General Motors which ran it until 1993, when it was sold for £30 million to A.C.B.N. Holdings S. A. of Luxembourg, a company controlled by the Italian businessman Romano Artioli, also the owner of Bugatti Automobili SpA. Three years later Lotus was sold again, this time to Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (aka Proton) a Malaysian car company operating on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
In addition to manufacturing Lotus cars, the company also acts as an engineering consultancy providing engineering development, especially suspension systems, for other carmakers. It also has a lesser-known powertrain department which is responsible for the design and development of the same 4-cylinder engine used by GM’s Vauxhall, Opel, Saab and likely some Saturn cars, though the current models of the Lotus Elise and Exige use the 1.8-Liter VVTL-I I4 previously used in the Toyota Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS.
Currently, the company is referred to as Group Lotus, and is divided into Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, and though many rumors abound, there are no plans to re-enter Formula One racing with a company team.
Current Models
Current Lotus models include:
- Elise – This car incorporates several engineering innovations including an aluminum extrusion frame and a composite body shell, and has spawned many racing models, including the exotic limited-edition 340R. In the United States, the Elise is sold with a Toyota engine in order to pass stricter emissions laws and auto insurance standards, though it also has a Lotus ECU with its own fuel mapping.
- Eco Elise – A special Elise model that incorporates solar panels and a roof made from hemp.
- Exige and Exige-S – Elise models that have been redesigned to provide additional downforce and a hard top. The S-model is supercharged and has an engine that provides 220 hp, while the standard Exige tops out at 190 hp.
- Evora – Launched last July, and code-named Project Eagle while it was in development, this is a 2+2 sports car with a mid-mounted, transverse, 3.5-liter V6 engine. A new model is planned for 2010.
Lotus in America
While Lotus is not exactly a household name in the United States, it enjoys a small but fierce following. The largest North American owners club is Lotus, Ltd, which boasts more than 1500 members, hosts the annual Lotus Exige 260 Cup, and has member groups in sixteen states and Washington, DC. They also have an extensive website at www.lotuscarclub.org, and publish a regular newsletter called the Remarque.
Other Lotus clubs are smaller, and exist in twenty-one states and Washington, DC. Most are linked to the official American site for Lotus cars: www.lotuscars.com.
Topics: Lotus | No Comments »
Lotus Omnivore Concept Engine to get unveiled in Geneva
By admin | April 1, 2009
The Omnivore Concept Engine from Lotus Engineering will take a bow at the Geneva Motor Show that just kicked off. The Omnivore engine is set to take in and utilize any type of fuel that will be fed to it.
The engine from the renowned research division of Lotus is set to deliver the maximum work performance regardless of the kind of fuel. A lot of speculations and hypothesis are being raised because of the known variability of fuel characteristics.
Different fuels will have different octane ratings, burn rates, and combustion temperatures and these will make one wonder how an engine like Omnivore will remain efficient. The Omnivore concept engine is specifically engineered to optimally use different fuels and make use of the available electronic control technologies.
Topics: Concept, Engine, Engineering, Lotus | No Comments »
Lotus Electric Sports Vehicle Coming!
By admin | January 10, 2009
A London newspaper reveals on their pages the plans of Lotus to build an electric vehicle sports car which is scheduled to debut in the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The British car manufacturer Lotus assisted in the development of the electric cars of Chrysler and Tesla and there are now assumptions that Lotus aims for a chunk of the market by competing with these brands.
The Lotus electric sports car is yet to be named but company officials share that it will be similar to the Fisker Karma or the Chevrolet Volt. Its batteries will be recharged by an internal combustion engine when they start depleting. Such a design shows the DNA of the Lotus in other EV cars like the Dodge EV and the Tesla Roadster.
The designers also hint of a prototype of the Lotus electric sports car soon.
Topics: Concept, Electric Cars, Evora, Lotus Evora | No Comments »
Yellow Elise Spotted on the I-880
By admin | October 4, 2008
Filmed with a cell. Way to go lg2002541!
Topics: Elise, Video | No Comments »
Lotus Clark Type 25 Elise SC - Becomes CT 50
By admin | September 8, 2008
Lotus was supposed to make 25 of these sub-$80,000 super-Elises for the UK and Ireland only but because of the strong market demand word on the street is Lotus will be doing 25 more. That’s great news for those looking to buy one of these limited edition Lotus Clark Type 25’s, but it does suck for those already on the buyer’s list thinking they bought a 25-piece ltd with a unique name…
The unique name makes no sense anymore, but the car is still one of the most amazing Elises ever built for the road but I have a feeling soon these babies will be exported to the Gulf or the US…
Topics: Elise, Lotus Elise | 1 Comment »
An Elise vs. A Ferrari 360 CS
By admin | August 25, 2008
The Elise looks so petite and sexy right next to the Ferrari 360 CS. I’m thinking it’s not as fast but it sure looks good! 
Topics: Elise, Ferrari | No Comments »
Lotus Engineers prove to be geniuses once again
By admin | August 20, 2008
Seriously though — found this article on Lotus Engineers coming up with a way to simulate engine noise for hybrid cars. At first you’d think that’s the most useless thing ever to please treehugging petrolheads (do they even exist?) but come to think of it a lot of your driving is done by ears — not just for farsighted people — but also by you and me. That’s also an environmental issue, by the way. Forgetting to shift up at 4000rpm because your engine makes no noise what so ever can’t be good for the good ol’ earth, now can it?
Anyway another pro I hadn’t even thought of came from the Wheeltronix’ article:
“Blind and partially-sighted people use the noise of oncoming traffic as a cue for when it is safe to cross the road’ and this engine noise will help them a lot.” - wheeltronix
That makes so much sense. Way to go lotusguys!
Topics: Hybrid, Lotus | No Comments »
Lotus Evora - London Motorshow
By admin | August 4, 2008
A set of 3 not-so-high quality videos of the new Lotus Evora at the London Motorshow. Nothing fancy — sharing for the sake of sharing. 
Topics: Evora, Lotus Evora, Video | No Comments »
The Lotus Evora
By admin | July 28, 2008
The Lotus Evora is a new production Lotus that’s been scheduled for release in the summer of ‘09.
I have to say the Evora looks a lot more feminine than any other Lotus I’ve ever laid my eyes on, which will make it a lot more marketable to a new market for Lotus: that of people with an interest to what their (future) wife/girlfriend likes.
Source is Wheeltronix - New Lotus Evora post.
Topics: Evora, Lotus, Lotus Evora | 2 Comments »