Lotus’ Paris Motor Show explosion back in September gave way to the announcement of some big changes to their lineup occurring sometime in the near future. Well, this may very well be the near future since, according to British magazine, AutoCar, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has announced there will be a new Exige revealed later this year at the Geneva Motor Show.
And that’s not all, Bahar also announced that the Evora will get a refresh and will be launched in 2012. The new Evora will get a completely redesigned cabin and a new version to go along with the newest S trim level. The cabin will be designed by German firm, CSI, who have also engineered cabins for the Audi R8, Mercedes SLS, and Porsche Panamera.
So, if we have this right, we should be getting a new Evora in 2012, new Esprit and Elan models in 2013, the Elite in 2014, and the Elise and Eterne in 2015. Talk about having all of your ducks in a row.
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.
Press release and specifications after the jump.
Full story
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.
The Hennessey Venom GT will make its official debut on March 30. While that date is just few days away, you can’t expect us to sit still and idly wait for it, especially when there’s a chance to get another look at the car before Hennessey officially breaks the cover on the supercar. Fortunately, other people share the same sentiment and one of them, Adam Thorby, had the chance to catch the car fully uncovered.
The car was caught in the Silverstone business park, a few cartwheels away from the Goodwood Festival of Speed where the car will be unveiled.
Based on the Lotus Elise sportscar, the Venom GT will be powered by a twin-turbo V8 engine borrowed from the Corvette ZR1. The engine has been tuned to deliver a total of 1000 bhp @ 6600 rpm and a peak torque of 950 lb-ft torque @ 4,800 rpm. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph will be made in a jaw-dropping 2.2 seconds and top speed will go up to 262 mph.
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.
Press release after the jump. Full story
