Lotus

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 […]

Getting behind the wheel of a Caterham or Lotus Seven is one of the most exhilarating experiences for any driver. The fourth edition of this well-respected and informative book includes details of the models produced in the five years since the third edition was published, and gives a full model listing, specification and driving impressions for each of the Lotus and Caterham Sevens, together with a guide to purchase and restoration, a summary of the main developments, and useful contacts. Further to the various versions of the Lotus-built Seven, there are more than 80 models produced under the Caterham marque. In 1973, the company then owned by Graham Nearn took over the manufacturing rights from Lotus and has carried on developing this back-to-basics sports car ever since. Detailed coverage of each of the cars, from the original Lotus Seven S1 […]

Relentless in its development of world-class sports cars, Lotus has unveiled the new Evora GT410 Sport to complete the revised line-up of Hethel’s fastest model. Launched in Lotus’ 70th year and ahead of its anniversary celebrations, the new Evora GT410 Sport takes one of Lotus’ success stories, and refines it through the application of enlightened design. Available in both 2 seat and 2+2 configurations, and in manual and automatic transmissions, the Evora GT410 Sport draws from the phenomenal Evora GT430 to provide advanced aerodynamics to an already celebrated sports car.

Unlimited in every sense, the new series production Exige Cup 430 is Lotus’ wildest incarnation of its fire-breathing, point-to-point two-seater sports car. New to the Exige, the Cup 430 sees the introduction of a savage, high-performance engine installation, mated to a new supercharger and chargecooler, designed specifically for the unique demands of this vehicle. A development of the powertrain recently used on the phenomenal Lotus Evora GT430, it’s perfectly paired with a newly-designed body, which delivers enhanced aerodynamic performance to reveal the model’s true potential. The result is a strikingly different beast of pure performance, that’s not for the faint of heart. With 55 hp, or 15%, more power than the limited production Exige Cup 380 model it succeeds, and 220 kg of downforce, it’s a monster of a car. Compared to the Exige Sport 350, it has 24% more […]

Rare and race-bred, the extreme limited-edition Lotus Elise Cup 260 packs the company’s passion for motorsport engineering into one of the most accomplished cars it has ever produced. Taking what’s widely regarded as the benchmark for intuitive handling and driver involvement, Lotus has integrated some of the latest design philosophies from high-performance stablemates including the Exige Cup 380, and the mighty Evora GT430, as well as building upon the track and competition only Elise Race 250. Setting a standard for outright track pace and low lap times, this ultimate Elise has been unveiled as the company prepares for the 70th anniversary of when founder Colin Chapman built his first car in 1948. Referencing Lotus’ motorsport successes, the new Elise Cup 260 has a laurel wreath decal on the left buttress and the Union Jack on both the rear wing endplates […]

Porter Press is delighted to announce the release of their latest ‘Great Cars’ book, number 10 in the series, Lotus 18 – the autobiography of Stirling Moss’s ‘912’. This lavish book tells the story of the car in which Stirling Moss achieved two of his most famous Grand Prix victories. The first World Championship race of the 1½-litre Formula 1 era introduced for 1961 was the Monaco Grand Prix and Ferrari’s powerful new ‘shark-nose’ cars were expected to dominate it, but Moss used all his craft and guile to take a celebrated win in his Lotus 18.

Following the stunning debut of the Lotus Evora GT430, Lotus has introduced an expanded Evora GT430 line-up designed to appeal to a wider range of customers who want the ultimate in high-performance sports cars. Adding to the acclaimed Evora 400 and Evora Sport 410 models, the new Evora GT430 range now includes two body options and a choice of manual or automatic transmission. Joining the recently announced Evora GT430 is the Evora GT430 Sport, a new member of the family that carries the same phenomenal firepower and sculptured body-style but without the additional downforce-creating aerodynamic elements. Both models are powered by the same 3.5-litre V6 supercharged and charge cooled engine, producing 430 hp and 440 Nm of torque (Automatic version: 450 Nm).

Marking a major milestone in the history of Lotus Group International Limited (LGIL), the company finishes the financial year 2016/17 on plan. Lotus closed the year with positive EBITDA of £2.0m, a major achievement compared to 2015/16 where a £16.3m EBITDA loss was recorded. There has also been a significant improvement in Profit Before Tax. From a £41.2m loss in FY15/16 to a £11.2m loss overall in FY16/17, with the company recording a Profit Before Tax improvement of £10m in the second half of FY16/17 compared to the first six months of the year. Looking ahead, it allows Lotus to concentrate on the next stage of the business’ development, and a return to full year Profit Before Tax for FY17/18.

Drivers seeking the opportunity to experience the latest Lotus sports cars at the famed manufacturer’s facility in Norfolk, will now have the chance, with the opening of the new Lotus Driving Academy in August 2017. From as little as £119 for the entry level experience, right through to the intensive ‘Gold’ course at £899, the Lotus Driving Academy offers a range of experiences suitable for anyone looking for a more involving and informative track session that will enhance and hone their driving skills.

Following the successful introduction of the Lotus Evora 400 and Evora Sport 410 to global markets, Lotus has unveiled its most powerful road-going model ever – the Evora GT430. A beautiful and pure combination of elegance and power, Lotus has lavished attention on hand-crafted carbon-fibre components to endow this fully homologated Evora with a level of precision engineering and design unseen before. This focused evolution of the critically acclaimed Evora has resulted in a landmark model for the famous British manufacturer. Powered by a new development of the 3.5-litre V6 supercharged and charge cooled engine producing 430 hp, and benefitting from a significant hike in downforce, the rare breed Evora GT430 is a class apart from its competitors.

British sports car manufacturer, Caterham, celebrated 60 years of its revered Seven by bringing together some of the most esteemed examples in its history. Powering around the twists and turns of the Longcross test track was the original Lotus Seven Series 1. Reaching a top speed of 78mph and featuring a Ford 100E engine and aluminum bodywork, the Series 1 was the ideal, lightweight sports car when it was launched by Colin Chapman in 1957.

Could the UK be losing another icon? With the sale of Proton and its stake in Lotus, could Lotus go the way of MG and transfer production to China? According to Bloomberg, Chinese billionaire Li Shufu said his Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will consider producing Lotus sports cars in China after agreeing to purchase stakes in Malaysian carmaker Proton Holdings Bhd. and its British unit.

Punching well above its weight, the new Lotus Elise Cup 250 offers a scintillating blend of purity of purpose with performance at the apex of the recently revised Elise range. Supercharged, lightweight and distilled from Lotus’ extensive motorsport know-how, the new model packs 243 hp into a chassis designed to deliver the benchmark in responsive handling and haptic feedback. The car’s enhanced aerodynamics come from a number of additions including a new lightweight rear wing, front splitter, bargeboards, and rear diffuser contributing to 125 kg of downforce at 140 mph.