Lotus

Lotus Cars has posted its strongest sales results in seven years with 1,630 cars sold worldwide in 2018. Concluding a landmark year for the company, 2018 saw Lotus celebrate its 70th birthday, new majority ownership from Geely, substantial investment in product development and new facilities, and a number of senior appointments, with respected auto and luxury-sector leader, Phil Popham, joining as CEO.

Calling on enthusiasts, collectors and car hunters worldwide, Lotus needs your help in tracking down the long-lost Lotus Mark I, the first car built by company founder Colin Chapman. As the British marque continues its 70th celebrations, it wants fans from around the world to pick up the trail of the most elusive Lotus ever – the competition car that the young engineer hand-built in a small London garage owned by his then girlfriend’s parents. Overcoming the standard car’s limitation Chapman applied innovative approaches to improve its performance in challenging trials competitions.

Group Lotus plc is delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Popham as Senior Vice-President – Commercial Operations for Group Lotus and CEO – Lotus Sports Cars, effective from the first of October, 2018. Phil will report to Group Lotus plc CEO, Mr. Feng Qingfeng. Popham joins Lotus from Sunseeker International where he held the role of CEO for four years. Prior to Sunseeker, he was part of the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) executive team for nine years with global responsibility for commercial operations. The arrival of Phil Popham is the latest in a series of high-level appointments at Lotus, from both the global automotive industry and from within Lotus. A new business and operating structure has been put in place and the Lotus business is now set for the next stage of its future growth and global expansion. Mr. […]

Joining the celebrations for one of the world’s most iconic sports car manufacturers Hazel Chapman, widow of company founder Colin Chapman, has personally approved the 100,000th Lotus, as part of the marque’s 70th-anniversary celebration. Hand built on the same site that Hazel Chapman helped establish, the Jim Clark Trust special edition Lotus Evora GT410 Sport is the 100,000th Lotus built and a milestone in the iconic British company’s history. Reviewing the car for the first time with her son Clive Chapman, Hazel Chapman said: 70 years ago, I never dreamt that there would be a 100,000th Lotus. I’m immensely proud of the company and Colin’s legacy. Today Lotus still builds such fantastic sports cars and I’m touched to be able to see the 100,000th car.”

In a stunning new film launched today, Lotus Cars celebrates its anniversary in manufacturing outstanding sports cars, ahead of its 70th birthday event, by creating a unique logo on the test track at its HQ in Hethel. Leaving a 70–themed mark on the test track’s skidpan using just two of its most celebrated models, no CGI and more than a few pairs of tires, the precise driving required is a fitting tribute to the precision engineering that the marque is world famous for. Rather than rely on artificial aids or electronic trickery, the new video perfectly reflects Lotus’s approach to sports cars by showing the action on the day as it unfolded, with the final aerial shot proving the cars’ and drivers’ ability. Piloted by Gavan Kershaw (Head of Attributes) and Daniel Peck (Vehicle Dynamics Engineer), the duo is part of […]

In a fitting tribute to one of the most successful racing drivers of all time, the Jim Clark Trust has launched a competition to win the 100,000th Lotus sports car built – a one-off Jim Clark special edition Lotus Evora GT410 Sport. Commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of 1968 and unveiled at the world-famous motoring event in the presence of the Duke of Richmond, Group Lotus’ Chief Executive Officer Mr. Feng Qingfeng and Trustees of the charity, the unique vehicle will be offered as the ultimate prize for enthusiasts in a competition organised by the Jim Clark Trust – the official charity of this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. The charity competition, which can be entered at www.jimclarklotus.com, gives participants the chance to own a truly landmark Lotus while raising funds to help complete the new Jim Clark Museum.

Proudly celebrating 70 years of innovation and a pure driving experience that’s second to none, Lotus has marked the anniversary of its inception with a birthday cake and Champagne reception with the Duke of Richmond and Gordon at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Joining His Grace was Group Lotus’ recently appointed chief executive officer, Mr. Feng Qingfeng, and Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman and Director of Classic Team Lotus. A number of VIPs were also part of the festivities, surrounded by the company’s latest line-up of cars as well its racing heritage, on the company’s stand at the Festival.

With a pedigree and heritage like no other, Lotus has today unveiled two unique Celebration cars, the Exige Type 49 and 79, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2018 to pay homage to some of the most recognizable racers in the British brand’s history and its 70th birthday. The Exige Type 49 and 79 Celebration cars have been handcrafted by Lotus Exclusive in a salute to Lotus’ 70th birthday, and the victory anniversaries of two historic race cars that helped define the brand as one of the all-time great automotive marques. On display and in action over all four days of the Festival of Speed weekend, with the Exige Type 49 competing in the timed supercar runs on Saturday, they’re a fitting tribute to one of the pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit of Lotus’ founder.

DM Historics is pressing a historically significant 1959 Lotus Elite S1 race car back into competition following full race preparation by the Kent-based specialists. This special vehicle was campaigned in the early 1960s by Scottish racing driver Tommy Dickson. A member of the legendary Ecurie Ecosse racing team, Dickson had a successful racing career throughout the 1950s and ‘60s and competed in events such as the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans and Nürburgring 1000km.

Lotus is pleased to announce that Marcus Blake joins the iconic British sports car company as Commercial Director responsible for all sales, marketing, and aftersales activities for Lotus Cars worldwide. Marcus joins at a very important time for the Norfolk based business, which, under Geely and Etika ownership is embarking upon a period of investment and product development to enable Lotus to reach its full potential in the rapidly changing automotive industry.

World-renowned classic car specialist, JD Classics, has appointed former Lotus Group PLC Chief Executive Jean-Marc Gales as CEO. Jean-Marc Gales joins JD Classics from Lotus Group PLC where he was appointed CEO in 2014 and was responsible for transforming the business, driving rapid profitability growth for the iconic brand. Bringing with him more than 30 years’ experience in executive roles within the automotive industry, Gales has led Marketing for Volkswagen and Fiat Groups, worked as Global Sales Director for Mercedes-Benz and stood as President of PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Geely Holding Group, China’s leading privately-owned automotive group, announced today that Mr. Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technical officer of Geely Auto Group, has been appointed to succeed Jean-Marc Gales as the chief executive officer of Group Lotus effective immediately. Mr. Jean-Marc Gales has chosen to leave for personal reasons and will become Chief Strategic Advisor to Lotus Chairman, Daniel Donghui Li. Geely Holding, which acquired a controlling stake in Group Lotus in 2017, thanked Mr. Gales for his contribution to the company over the past four years.

A new magazine, 100 percent dedicated to Lotus, is now available in newsagents. Absolute Lotus aims to share the passion this unique marque generates, with each issue covering new cars, historic cars, motorsport and Lotus people. In its 70th anniversary year, Lotus remains true to the philosophy of founder Colin Chapman. With seven decades of innovation both on the road and the race circuit, there is an endless supply of fascinating and entertaining material for the new title. Meanwhile, the marque’s future looks brighter than ever under the ownership of Geely.

With a stunning combination of raw speed and real-world ability, the Lotus Exige Sport 410 joins a line-up like no other to complete the Exige family of peerless sports cars. Starting with the revised Exige Sport 350, the comprehensive Exige range now includes the new Exige Sport 410 and culminates with the extreme Exige Cup 430: each at a distinct price point, performance level and degree of motorsport focus. Developed directly from the track-focused Exige Cup 430, the Exige Sport 410 is designed to be the ultimate road drive, unrivaled in its class.

TopSpeed has an interesting take on the upcoming Lotus SUV.  To quote, Lotus’ planned SUV is taking shape ahead of its scheduled debut in 2022. But, before things are said and done, the British automaker is reportedly keen on positioning its SUV as a luxury model, pushing it into the segment occupied by other premium SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne, Jaguar F-Pace, and Maserati Levante. More importantly, it might not be the only SUV to wear the Lotus badge. Not much more to say at the moment, at least not until the car becomes a reality, but stay tuned and we will bring you more details as they become available. One just has to wonder how many more SUVs the world needs – especially overpriced, luxury SUVs produced by sports car companies. Note: This article originally in part or total […]

In an anniversary year, Jean-Marc Gales, CEO, Group Lotus has personally delivered the keys to one of Lotus’ most advanced cars to Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. The stunning new Evora GT410 Sport in Empire Green will travel the UK and Europe with Clive, Director of Classic Team Lotus. Preserving and promoting the history of the famous motorsport team, Clive and the squad run historic Lotus race cars that appear at international motoring events and meets around the world.

Without equal and a class apart: the new Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 is a collector’s piece like no other and a fitting tribute to one of the most successful and influential Formula 1 cars of all time. Based on the celebrated Exige Cup 430, unveiled at the end of last year, the two-seat Type 25 is a unique opportunity to relish a universally acclaimed sports car named in partnership with Classic Team Lotus. Referencing the Type 25, the single seat Lotus racing car that dominated the 1963 season, the new car features a raft of exotic and unique features as well as specially commissioned heritage documentation. Powered by Lotus’ formidable 3.5-litre supercharged and charge cooled V6, producing 430 hp and 440 Nm, the Lotus Exige Cup 430 Type 25 is not only the fastest in its class, sprinting […]

The new Lotus 3-Eleven 430 has retaken the title as Lotus’ quickest street-legal sports car – a fitting send-off for the company’s legendary road racer. The most extreme machine that Lotus builds, the new 3-Eleven 430 is the fastest Lotus road car to lap the challenging Hethel circuit, 0.8 seconds quicker than the second place Exige Cup 430, and two seconds quicker than the previous 3-Eleven, delivering a benchmark time of 1 minute 24 seconds. Upgraded and specifically re-optimised for the 3-Eleven, the supercharged and charge-cooled 3.5-litre V6 engine produces 430 hp and 440 Nm, propelling the 3-Eleven 430 from 0-60 mph in an astonishing 3.1 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.2 seconds) and a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h) – up from 3.3 seconds (0-60 mph) (3.4 seconds 0-100 km/h) and 174 mph (280 km/h) for the previous […]