Lotus Cars - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Type Private Limited Company
Industry Automotive
Founded 1952
Founder(s) Colin Chapman
Headquarters Hethel, Norfolk, England,
United Kingdom
Area served Worldwide
Key people J ean-Marc Gales (CEO)
Aslam Farikullah (COO)
Syed Zainal Abidin
(managing director) Proton
Products Automobiles, Automotive parts
Owner(s) Proton (1996present)
R. Artioli/Bugatti (19931996)
General Motors (19861993)
Parent Group Lotus plc
Website Lotuscars.com
(http://www.lotuscars.com/)
Lotus Cars Limited
Lotus final assembly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing
cars, famous for its Esprit, Elan, Europa and Elise sports cars
and for the highly successful Team Lotus in Formula 1. Lotus
Cars is based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War
II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race
and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling
characteristics.
[1]
It also owns the engineering consultancy
Lotus Engineering, which has facilities in the United
Kingdom, United States, Malaysia and China.
Lotus is owned by DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary
Proton, which acquired it following the bankruptcy of former
owner Romano Artioli in 1996.
1 History
1.1 Financial troubles, death of Chapman
1.2 International ownership
2 Operations
3 Formula One & motorsport
4 Lotus car models
4.1 Previous
4.2 Announcements of future cars
5 Lotus engines
6 Lotus Engineering
6.1 Engineering demonstrators
6.2 APX and VVA
6.3 Projects undertaken by Lotus Engineering
7 Electric vehicles
8 Queen's Award for Enterprise
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
Lotus Cars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Cars
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The company was formed as Lotus Engineering Ltd. by engineers Colin Chapman and Colin Dare, both
graduates of University College, London, in 1952. The four letters in the middle of the logo stand for the initials
of company founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman.
The first factory was in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. Team Lotus, which
was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to
1994. The Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. This was made up of Lotus Cars Limited and
Lotus Components Limited, which focused on road cars and customer competition car production,
respectively. Lotus Components Limited became Lotus Racing Limited in 1971 but the newly renamed entity
ceased operation in the same year.
[2]
The company moved to a purpose built factory at Cheshunt in 1959
[3]
and since 1966 the company has
occupied a modern factory and road test facility at Hethel, near Wymondham. This site is the former RAF
Hethel base and the test track uses sections of the old runway.
Financial troubles, death of Chapman
By 1980, Group Lotus was in serious financial trouble. Production had dropped from 1,200 units per year to a
mere 383. The combined reasons were that the world was in the middle of an economic recession, sales in the
key United States market had virtually collapsed and, as none of the original model range had been redesigned
or replaced, the cars were seen as boring and technically behind the times by potential customers.
[4]
In early 1982, Chapman came to an agreement with Toyota over an exchange on intellectual property and
applied expertise. This initially resulted in Lotus Engineering helping to develop the Mk2 Toyota Supra, also
known as the Toyota Celica XX. Secondly it allowed Lotus to launch the new Lotus Excel to replace the ageing
Lotus Eclat, which using chassis components from the Toyota parts bin enabled the Excel to be sold for 1,109
less than the outgoing Eclat.
[4]
Looking to re-enter the North American market, Chapman was approached by young law professor and
investment banking consultant, J oe Bianco, who proposed a new and separate United States sales company for
Lotus. By creating an unprecedented tax-incentived mechanism (wherein each investor received a specially
personalised Lotus Turbo Esprit),
[5]
the new American company, Lotus Performance Cars Inc. (LPCI), was able
to provide fresh capital to the Group Lotus in the United Kingdom. Former Ferrari North America general
manager J ohn Spiech was brought in to run LPCI, which imported the remarkable Giugiaro-designed Turbo
Esprit for the first time. US sales began to quickly jump into triple digits annually.
[6]
Chapman died of a heart attack in 1982 at the age of 54, having begun life an innkeeper's son and ended a multi-
millionaire industrialist in post-war Britain. At the time of his death, the car maker had built tens of thousands
of successful racing and road cars, and won the Formula One World Championship seven times.
At the time of his death, both Chapman and Lotus were linked with the DeLorean Motor Company scandal over
the use of UK Government subsidies for the production of the DeLorean DMC-12, for which Lotus had
designed the chassis. Chasing large sums of money which had disappeared from the DeLorean company, Lotus
was besieged by Inland Revenue inspectors, who imposed an 84 million legal "protective assessment" around
the company and all of its assets.
[7]
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With Group Lotus near bankruptcy in 1983, through an introduction from his friend Mark Thatcher,
[7]
English
accountant and entrepreneur David Wickins, the founder of the worlds largest vehicle remarketing business
British Car Auctions, agreed to become the new company chairman.
[7]
Taking a combined 29% BCA/personal
stake in Group Lotus,
[8]
Wickins negotiated with the Inland Revenue, and then brought in new investors:
merchant bank Schroeder-Wagg (14%);
[8]
Michael Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft's Bermudian operating company
Benor (14%);
[9]
Sir Anthony Bamford of J CB (12%).
[8]
Wickins oversaw a complete turnaround in the
companies' fortunes, which resulted in him being called "The saviour of Lotus".
[7][10]
International ownership
However, although having employed designer Peter Stevens to revamp the range and design two new concept
cars, by 1985 the British investors recognised that they lacked the required capital to invest in the required new
model development to production, and sought to find a major motor manufacturing buyer.
[8]
In J anuary 1986,
Wickins oversaw the majority sale of the Group Lotus companies and 100% of North Americanbased LPCI to
General Motors, with engineer Bob Eaton a big Lotus car fan.
[8]
After four months of controlling but co-owning
Group Lotus with Toyota, the J apanese company sold out to GM. By October 1986, GM had acquired a 91%
stake in Group Lotus for 22.7 million, which allowed them to legally force the company buyout.
[8]
On 27 August 1993, GM sold the company, for 30 million, to A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, a
company controlled by Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti Automobili SpA. In 1996,
a majority share in Lotus was sold to Proton, a Malaysian car company listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock
Exchange.
Presently organised as Group Lotus plc, it is divided into Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering.
As well as sports car manufacture, the company also acts as an engineering consultancy, providing engineering
developmentparticularly of suspensionfor other car manufacturers. Lotus' powertrain department is
responsible for the design and development of the 4-cylinder Ecotec engine found in many of GM's Vauxhall,
Opel, Saab, Chevrolet and Saturn cars. The US Lotus Elise and Exige models used the 1.8L VVTL-i I4 from
Toyota's late Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS which is no longer available new. The new Exige has the same
V6 as the Evora and is not available in US as a road legal vehicle.
Michael Kimberley took over as Acting chief executive officer of the Company and its Group from May 2006.
He chaired the Executive Committee of Lotus Group International Limited ("LGIL") established in February
2006, with Syed Zainal Abidin (managing director of Proton Holdings Berhad) and Badrul Feisal
(non-executive director of Proton Holdings Berhad). LGIL is the holding company of Lotus Group Plc.
Kimberley retired as CEO on 17 J uly 2009,
[11]
replaced on 1 October 2009 by the former Senior Vice-President
for Commercial & Brand at Ferrari, Dany Bahar. Bahar intended to drive the brand up-market into the
expanding global luxury goods sector, effectively away from the companies traditional light weight and pure
driving experience simplicity.
Bahar was suspended as CEO on 25 May 2012 on a temporary basis, while an investigation into his conduct
was undertaken.
[12]
Lotus announced on 7 J une 2012 the termination of Bahar's employment, and the
appointment of Aslam Farikullah as the new chief operating officer.
[13]
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Lotus 77
Lotus 99T
Lotus 72
Lotus E20
The company encouraged its customers to race its cars, and entered
Formula One through its sister company Team Lotus in 1958. A Lotus
Formula One car driven by Stirling Moss won the marque's first Grand
Prix in 1960 at Monaco in a Lotus 18 entered by privateer Rob Walker.
Major success came in 1963 with the Lotus 25, which with J im Clark
driving won Lotus its first F1 World Constructors Championship.
Clark's untimely death he crashed a Formula Two Lotus 48 in April
1968 after his rear tyre failed in a turn in Hockenheim was a severe
blow to the team and to Formula One. He was the dominant driver in the
dominant car and remains an inseparable part of Lotus' early years. That
year's championship was won by Clark's teammate, Graham Hill.
Lotus is credited with making the mid-engined layout popular for
IndyCars, developing the first monocoque Formula One chassis, and the
integration of the engine and transaxle as chassis components. Lotus was
also among the pioneers in Formula One in adding wings and shaping
the undersurface of the car to create downforce, as well as the first to
move radiators to the sides in the car to aid in aerodynamic performance,
and inventing active suspension.
Even after Chapman's death, until the late 1980s, Lotus continued to be a
major player in Formula One. Ayrton Senna drove for the team from
1985 to 1987, winning twice in each year and achieving 17 pole
positions. However, by the company's last Formula One race in 1994,
the cars were no longer competitive. Lotus won a total of 79 Grand Prix
races. During his lifetime Chapman saw Lotus beat Ferrari as the first
team to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories, despite Ferrari having won their
first nine years sooner.
Formula One Constructors' Championships (Drivers' Championship
winner for Lotus)
1963 (J im Clark)
1965 (J im Clark)
1968 (Graham Hill)
1970 (J ochen Rindt)
1972 (Emerson Fittipaldi)
1973
[14]
1978 (Mario Andretti)
Team Lotus established Classic Team Lotus in 1992, as the Works
historic motorsport activity. Classic Team Lotus continues to maintain
Lotus F1 cars and run them in the FIA Historic Formula One
Championship and it preserves the Team Lotus archive and Works
Collection of cars, under the management of Colin Chapman's son, Clive.
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The Lotus Elise
Team Lotus' participation in Formula One ended at the end of the 1994 season.
The Lotus name returned to Formula One for the 2010 season, when a new Malaysian team called Lotus Racing
was awarded an entry. The new team used the Lotus name on licence from Group Lotus, and was unrelated to
the original Team Lotus. In September 2010 Group Lotus, with agreement from its parent company Proton,
terminated the licence for future seasons as a result of what it called "flagrant and persistent breaches of the
licence by the team". Lotus Racing then announced that it had acquired Team Lotus Ventures Ltd, the company
led by former racing driver David Hunt (brother of F1 world champion J ames Hunt) since 1994 when the
original Team Lotus had stopped competing in Formula One, and with it full ownership of the rights of the
"Team Lotus" brand and heritage. The team confirmed that it would be known as Team Lotus from 2011
onwards.
In December 2010 Group Lotus announced the creation of Lotus Renault GP, the successor to the Renault F1
team, that contested the 2011 season having purchased a title sponsorship deal with the team with the option to
buy shares in the future. The team's car for that season, the R31, was badged as a Renault, while Team Lotus's
car, the T128, was badged as a Lotus. In May 2011, the British High Court of J ustice ruled that Team Lotus
could continue to use the "Team Lotus" name, but Group Lotus had sole right to use the "Lotus" name on its
own. As a consequence, for 2012 Lotus Renault GP was rebranded as Lotus F1 Team and its cars were badged
as Lotuses, while Team Lotus was renamed Caterham F1 Team (after the sports car manufacturer owned by
team principal Tony Fernandes) and its cars were badged as Caterhams.
Group Lotus is currently also involved in several other categories of motorsport. It sponsors the KV team in the
IndyCar Series, and used to sponsor the ART team in the GP2 and GP3 Series in 2011 & 2012. In 2011, Lotus
also returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a semi-works effort run by J etalliance Racing, which fielded two
Lotus Evoras. In 2012 they will partner with Engine Developments LTD/J ohn J udd to build a 2.2 Liter Twin
Turbocharged V-6 Engine to be used in the Izod Indycar Series. After fielding underpowered and uncompetitive
engines in the 2012 Indianapolis 500, in which drivers J ean Alesi and Simona de Silvestro were black-flagged
after ten laps for failing to maintain a competitive pace, Lotus was released from its contract and did not
participate in future seasons.
Current Lotus models include:
Lotus Elise: The Elise started in 1996 and weighed 725 kg
(1,598 lb). The current model starts at 901 kg (1,986 lb) and
incorporates some engineering innovations, such as an aluminium
extrusion frame and a composite body shell. The Elise has also
spawned several racing variants, including a limited series called
the 340R, which has an open-body design echoing the old Seven.
The Elise was introduced into the US, with a Toyota engine, to
pass strict US emissions laws. The 1ZZ & 2ZZ Toyota engines used to have a Lotus ECU with their own
fuel mapping. The supercharged Lotus Elise S (which replaced the SC model) and limited edition J im
Clark Type 25 Elise editions add a new performance dimension to the Elise range. 060 mph acceleration
is in 4.3 seconds and 0100 km/h in 4.6 seconds.
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Lotus Evora
Lotus Mk I, 1948
Lotus Exige S: Currently the only Exige on sale is the Exige S
with a supercharged engine providing 345 bhp (the same as in the
Evora S) from supercharged 3.5-litre V6 .
Lotus Evora: Launched 22 J uly 2008. Code named Project Eagle
during development. A 2+2 sports car with a mid-mounted,
transverse 3.5-litre V6 engine. Lotus will provide the Evora S
Model (2011) as Rapid Response Vehicles to the Rome and Milan
Carabinieri to replace the previous Lamborghini Gallardos. See Lotus webpage
(http://www.lotuscars.com/en/carabinieri-lotus-evora-s)
Lotus 2-Eleven: Weighing just 670 kg (1,480 lb) and with 252 bhp (188 kW) the Lotus 2-Eleven can
sprint from 060 in 3.8 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). Intended as a track day car it
costs 39,995 but for an additional 1,100 Lotus will make the car fully road legal.
Lotus T125 Exos: Track-only Formula 1 inspired car. 3.5l Cosworth V8, 640 bhp; 25 will be built at $1
million each. To run in the 'Exos Experience by Lotus', a club, initiated and operated by Lotus
Motorsport, in which a limited number of owner drivers can refine their driving skills and challenge
themselves with expert one-to-one advice from former Grand Prix drivers and trainers. Also, previous
holder of the fastest Top Gear lap time although it was disqualified for not being able to meet the
requirements of getting over a speed bump.
Previous
Lotus Mark I (1948): Austin 7based sports car
Lotus Mark II (19491950): Ford-powered trials car
Lotus Mark III (1951): 750 cc formula car
Lotus Mark IV (1952): Trials car
Lotus Mark V (1952): 750 cc formula car, never built
Lotus Mark VI (19531955): The first "production" racer, about
100 built
Lotus Seven (19571970): A minimalist open sports car designed
to manoeuvre a racing circuit.
[15]
Lotus Mark VIII (1954): sports racer, MG 1.5 L
Lotus Mark IX (1955): sports racer, shorter and improved Eight
Lotus Mark X (1955): sports racer for larger displacement, Bristol/BMW 2 L
Lotus Eleven (19561957): small displacement sports racer (750 1500 cc)
Lotus 12 (19561957): Formula Two and Formula One racecar
Lotus 13: Designation not used
6 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Lotus 7 S1, 1957
Lotus Mk IX, 1955
Lotus Eleven
Lotus Elite
Lotus 14 (19571963): Lotus Elite, the first production street car
Lotus 15 (19581960): Sports racer, update of the Mk.X, Climax
1.5 2.5 L
Lotus 16 (19581959): F1/F2 car, "Miniature Vanwall"
Lotus 17 (1959): Lighter sports racer update of the 11 in response
to Lola Mk.I
Lotus 18 (19601961): First mid-engined Lotus single seater
Formula J unior/F2/F1
Lotus 19 (19601962): Mid-engined larger displacement sports
racer, "Monte Carlo"
Lotus 20 (1961): Formula J unior
Lotus 21 (1961): Formula One
Lotus 22 (19621965): Formula J unior/F3
Lotus 23 (19621966): Small displacement mid-engined sports
racer
Lotus 25 (19621964): Formula One World Champion
Lotus 26 (19621971): Lotus Elan, production street sports car
Lotus 26R (19621966): Racing version of Elan
Lotus 27 (1963): Formula J unior
Lotus 28 (19631966): Lotus version of the Ford Cortina
street/racer
Lotus 29 (1963): Indy car, Ford all-aluminium OHV small block
V8
Lotus 30 (1964): Large displacement sports racer (Ford small
block V8)
Lotus 31 (19641966): Formula Three space frame racer
Lotus 32 (19641965): Monocoque F2 and Tasman Cup racer
Lotus 34 (1964): Indy car, DOHC Ford V8
Lotus 35 (1965): F2/F3/FB
Lotus 36 (19651968): Elan Fixed Head Coupe (Type 26 could be
fitted with a removable hard top)
Lotus 38 (1965): Indy winning mid-engined car
Lotus 39 (19651966): Tasman Cup formula car
Lotus 40 (1965): Improved(?) version of the 30
Lotus 41 (19651968): Formula Three, Formula Two, Formula B
7 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Lotus 26R, 1965
Lotus Europa S2
Lotus clat S2
Lotus Esprit V8, 1996
Lotus 42 (1967): Indy car, Ford V8
Lotus 44 (1967): Formula Two
Lotus 45 (19661974): Convertible (Drop Head Coupe) Elan with
permanent side window frames.
Lotus 46 (19661968): Original Renault-engined Europa
Lotus 47 (19661970): Racing version of Europa
Lotus 48 (1967): Formula Two
Lotus 50 (19671974): Lotus Elan +2, four-seat production car
Lotus 51 (19671969): Formula Ford
Lotus 52 (1968): Prototype Europa Twin Cam
Lotus 53 (1968): Small displacement sports racer, never built
Lotus 54 (19681970): Series 2 'Europa' production car.
Lotus 55 (1968): F3
Lotus 56 (19681969): Indy turbine wedge
Lotus 56B (1971): F1 turbine wedge
Lotus 57 (1968): F2 design study
Lotus 58 (1968): F1 design study
Lotus 59 (19691970): F2/F3/Formula Ford
Lotus LX (1960): Lotus Elite built to win at Le Mans with a 2.0 L
FPF engine.
Lotus 60 (19701973): Lotus Seven S4, Greatly modified version
of the Seven
Lotus 61 (1969): Formula Ford, "the wedge"
Lotus 62 (1969): prototype Europa racer
Lotus 63 (1969): 4-wheel drive F1
Lotus 64 (1969): 4-wheel drive Indy car, did not compete
Lotus 65 (19691971): Federalized Europa S2
Lotus 66: designation not used
Lotus 67 (1970): Proposed Tasman Cup car, never built
Lotus 68 (1969): F5000 prototype
Lotus 69 (1970): F2/F3/Formula Ford
Lotus 70 (1970): F5000/Formula A
Lotus 71: Undisclosed design study
Lotus 73 (19721973): F3
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Lotus Elise S1
Lotus Elise GT1 Road Car, 1997
Lotus 340R
Lotus 74 (19711975): Europa Twin Cam production car
Lotus 75 (19741982): Elite II, Luxury 4-seat GT
Lotus 76 (1974): F1, redundant designation
Lotus 76 (19751982): clat S1, fastback version of Elite II,
redundant designation
Lotus 77 (1976): F1
Lotus 78 (19771978): F1 ground effects car
Lotus 79 (19751980) Lotus Esprit, street GT,
[16]
redundant
designation
Lotus 79 (19781979): Formula One World Champion, redundant
designation
Lotus 80 (1979): F1
Lotus 81 (19791980): Sunbeam Talbot Lotus, redundant
designation
Lotus 81 (19801981): F1, redundant designation
Lotus 82 (19821987): Turbo Esprit, street GT car
Lotus 83 (1980): Elite series 2
Lotus 84 (19801982): clat series 2
Lotus 85 (19801987): Esprit series 3
Lotus 86 (19801983): F1 dual chassis, never raced
Lotus 87 (19801982): F1
Lotus 88 (1981): F1 dual chassis car, banned
Lotus 89 (19821992): Lotus Excel GT, re-engineered clat
Lotus 90: Unreleased Elan/Toyota
Lotus 91 (1982): F1
Lotus 92 (1983): F1
Lotus 93T (1983): F1 Turbo
Lotus 96T (1984): Indy car project, abandoned
Lotus 99T (1987): F1 Turbo, last Lotus F1 winner
Lotus Elan (Type M100) (19891995): Front-drive convertible Elan.
Lotus 101 (1989): F1
Lotus 102 (19901991): F1
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New Lotus Esprit.
Lotus 103 (1990): F1, not produced
Lotus 104 (19901992): Lotus Carlton, tuned version of the Vauxhall saloon.
Lotus 105 (1990): Racing X180R, IMSA Supercars Drivers Champ (Doc Bundy)
Lotus 106 (1991): X180R, roadgoing homologation special
Lotus 107 (19921994): F1
Lotus 108 (1992): a bicycle ridden by Chris Boardman to win a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics, also known as the "LotusSport Pursuit Bicycle".
Lotus 109 (1994): F1, Last Lotus F1 car.
Lotus 110: Production version of type 108 bicycle
Lotus 111: Lotus Elise
Lotus 112: Partial F1 design, reached as far as the monocoque buck
Lotus 113: Number not allocated
Lotus 114 (1996): Lotus Esprit GT1 race car
Lotus 115 (19971998): Lotus Elise GT1 race car
Lotus 116: Vauxhall VX220 / Opel Speedster, a collaboration with GM
Lotus 117: Lotus Elise Mk2
Lotus 118: Lotus M250, two-seat mid-range sports car concept unveiled in Autumn of 1999, project
cancelled in 2001
Lotus 119: Soapbox Derby car made of carbon and aluminium, disc brakes, no engine, for Goodwood
Festival of Speed
Lotus 120 (1998): Elise V6, code named M120, never produced
Lotus 121 (2006): Europa S
[17]
Lotus 122: Lotus Evora
Lotus 123: Lotus 2-Eleven
Lotus 124: Lotus Evora, race car
Lotus 125: Lotus Exos
[18]
Announcements of future cars
At the 2010 Paris Motorshow, Lotus announced five new models to be
introduced over the next five years:
[19]
Their intention was to replace the
Elise with an entirely different model, as well as to introduce two
entirely new sports coupes, which would have been known as the Elite
and the Elan, a new sports saloon, the Eterne, to rival the Aston Martin
Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte, and a modern interpretation of the
Esprit supercar.
[20]
However, it became apparent in J uly 2012 that the firm's financial
difficulties had made this plan impossible to implement, and now only
the Esprit is slated for production.
[21][22]
This will be powered by a
10 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Lotus Evora engine
4.8-litre Lotus Performance V8 engine delivering up to 620 PS (456 kW; 612 hp), capable of 0100 km/h in
approximately 3.4 seconds, and may include the option of a KERS-based hybrid system.
[23]
Lotus also showed an unnamed city car concept using its 1.2L range-extender engine.
[24]
In 2011 Lotus
revealed this as the Lotus Ethos, a plug-in hybrid car based on the EMAS concept from its parent company
Proton, and likely to be primarily built by Proton in Malaysia.
[20]
Lotus-Ford Twin Cam
Lotus 900 series
Lotus 907
Lotus 910
Lotus 911
Lotus 912
Lotus 918 V8
Range Extender Engine. This all-aluminium, monoblock, 1200 cc,
three-cylinder, 47 horsepower, four-stroke engine is specifically
designed to directly drive an alternator for electricity generation
for series-hybrid cars. The engine is small and light at 56 kg
(123 lb), having three cylinders and no detachable cylinder head.
The cylinder head and engine block are all one casting to reduce
size, weight and production costs. As the engine does not turn belt driven ancillaries such as alternator,
power-steering pump or an air conditioning compressor, the block requires no strong points to
accommodate such ancillaries, resulting in a simple and light block. The engine has a reduced parts count
for lightness and cheaper production.
[25][26]
On 18 August 2011 Lotus fired up an all new in-house designed V8 destined for the new era range of
cars. At 170 kg (375 lb) and just 612 mm (24.1 in) long, the unit will be dry sump lubricated to save
depth and will feature a 180 flat plane crank. The engine is being utilised as a stressed component, a
technique pioneered by Colin Chapman in F1, specifically with the 1967 Type 49. It is expected to be
used in the Le Mans LMP2 car in 2012. Expected performance is likely to be in excess of 590 PS
(434 kW; 582 hp) and with a 9,200 rpm redline.
[27]
Lotus Engineering Limited, is an offshoot of Lotus Cars, which provides engineering consultancy third party
companies primarily in the automotive industry. As well as Hethel in the United Kingdom Lotus has
engineering centres in Ann Arbor, USA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Shanghai, China. In 2000, Lotus
Engineering, Inc. was established with an office in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
[28]
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DeLorean DMC 12 with Lotus
designed Chassis
Engineering demonstrators
Lotus Eco Elise is an engineering demonstrator of its classic sports car that incorporates solar panels into
a roof made from hemp, while also employing natural materials in the body and interior of the car.
Lotus Exige 265E Bio-fuel
Lotus Exige 270E Tri-fuel
Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid. Shown at the 2010 Geneva Motor show
Lotus Concept City Car. Shown at the 2010 Paris motor show.
APX and VVA
The APX (also known as the "Aluminium Performance Crossover") is an aluminium concept vehicle revealed
at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show built on Lotus Engineering's Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA).
Whereas the VVA technology will be used in the creation of a new mid-engined sportscar for Lotus cars, the
APX is in fact a high-performance 7-seat MPV with four-wheel drive and a front-mounted V6 engine from
Lotus Engineering's Powertrain division. The engine was designed and developed to be available as a 2.2-litre
N/A and 3.0-litre supercharged. A number of prototypes of both engines exist in full working order in a number
of mule cars.
Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) is an effort by the Lotus car manufacturing company to reduce the
investment needed for producing unique, niche-market cars by sharing a number of common components.
Cars produced using VVA:
Lotus APX
Projects undertaken by Lotus Engineering
Examples of work undertaken by Lotus Engineering include:
Lotus Talbot SunbeamTalbot's hot-hatch rally car of the early
'80s.
DeLorean DMC-12. Changes to the original concept led to
considerable schedule pressures. The car was deemed to require
almost complete re-engineering, which was turned over to
engineer Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus. Lotus replaced most
of the unproven material and manufacturing techniques with those
then employed by Lotus in the Lotus Esprit.
Vauxhall Lotus Carlton (also Opel Lotus Omega, internal name Lotus Type 104) At the time (early
1990s) this was the fastest saloon car available, with a top speed of over 175 mph (280 km/h).
The 1991 Dodge Spirit R/T with a version of the 2.2 L K-car engine with a 16-valve DOHC head
designed by Lotus with over 220 hp (160 kW).
12 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Sinclair C5
Dodge EV
Vauxhall VX220 (badged Opel Speedster outside of the UK)
Lotus produced and based upon the same aluminium chassis
design as the Lotus Elise. Production of these models ended in
2005.
Lotus styled and assisted with the engineering of the Tesla
Roadster, an electric sports car based on the Elise, as well as
licensing some technologies to Tesla Motors and constructing the
Roadster at their plant in Hethel.
[29]
The Aston Martin DB9 chassis was developed with the help of
Lotus Engineering.
Lotus was responsible for most of the design, development, and
testing, of the LT5 DOHC V8 powerplant for the Chevrolet
Corvette C4 ZR-1.
Lotus designed, developed and tested the GM Ecotec engine and
its variants.
Lotus was responsible for various aspects of the Sinclair C5 electric tricycle.
Lotus was responsible for the suspension calibration of the Toyota MR2 Mk. I, the Toyota Supra Mk. II
and Mk. III, the Isuzu Piazza, the Isuzu Impulse as well as newer Proton models.
Lotus Engineered PROTON Satria GTi model.
Lotus was responsible for the development of the Campro engine together with Proton,
[30]
as well as its
variable valve timing system, the Cam Profile Switching (CPS). Currently available in the 1.6-litre and
1.3-litre variants, the Campro engine now powers most of Proton's newer models.
Lotus has worked on the suspension of the Mahindra Scorpio to make it more stable at high speeds.
Lotus produced the revised Chassis of the Isuzu Piazza
Lotus has worked on the suspension and handling of the Volvo 480
The Dodge EV concept electric vehicle from Chrysler is based on a Lotus Europa S.
Lotus has worked on the suspension and handling of the Nissan GT-R
[31]
The Hennessey Venom GT and the GT2 are based on the Lotus Elise chassis.
2010: Limo-Green project with J aguar Cars. Lotus provided the Range Extender engine for a prototype
XJ series-hybrid car. The car returned 58 mpg (imperial) running off the range extender alone.
[32]
Lotus Engineering has established a group dedicated to hybrid and electric vehicles.
[33]
Lotus plans to enter the electric vehicle race, CEO Michael Kimberley told the Financial Times "Don't be
surprised to see an electric Lotus shortly, he said, adding that a concept version could debut as early as March
2009, at Geneva Motor Show.
[34][35]
Lotus is now front and center in the electric-car arena.
[36]
13 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Lotus did not reveal details about the car or the engine but claims that it will go for 300 to 400 miles (483 to 644
km) and it will really live up to the expectations of being one of the best electric cars in the world.
[35]
Lotus joined J aguar Cars, MIRA Ltd and Caparo on a luxury hybrid executive sedan project called "Limo-
Green"funded by the UK Government Technology Strategy Board. The vehicle will be a series plug-in
hybrid.
[36][37]
Tesla Motors, a likely rival for Lotus if its plans go through, has also turned to contractors for parts of the
all-electric Roadster.
[34]
However, Tesla bought the chassis for their 2,500 Roadsters from Lotus because of the
heavy weight of the batteries in an EV and Lotus's widely known low weight and sharp handling characteristics.
While only 10% of the parts of the Tesla Roadster were shared with the Lotus Elise, Lotus was responsible for
approximately 40% of the overall content of the car.
[34]
Lotus Cars were awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise for contribution to International Trade, one of 85
companies receiving the recognition in that category in 2002. Lotus cars wore the badge of the award for a
number of years.
[38]
Colin Chapman
RAF Hethel
Proton Holdings Berhad
List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
^ "2010 Lotus Evora Test drive and new car review
2010 Lotus Evora" (http://cars.about.com/od/lotus
/fr/10_lotus_evora.htm). Cars.about.com. 16 J une
2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
1.
^ Golden Gate Lotus Club (http://www.gglotus.org
/ggrace/ggfaq/general.html) Retrieved 1 May 2008
2.
^ Lotus cars Cheshunt
(http://www.historiclotusregister.co.uk/history
/history.htm). Retrieved 26 December 2007.
3.
^
a

b
"The Final Chapman Years"
(http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EHistory
/ChapmanLastYears.html). LotusEspritWorld.com.
Retrieved 14 J uly 2012.
4.
^ Forbes Magazine, "Meet the Wizard, J oe Bianco
(http://people.forbes.com/profile/joseph-bianco
/143017) 19 December 1983
5.
^ Car and Driver, "Lotus Lives", April 1983 6.
^
a

b

c

d
"Obituary David Wickins"
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1541089
/David-Wickins.html). Daily Telegraph. 31 J anuary
2007. Retrieved 14 J uly 2012.
7.
^
a

b

c

d

e

f
"The Toyota and GM Link"
(http://www.lotusespritworld.com/EHistory
/ToyotaGM.html). LotusEspritWorld.com. Retrieved
14 J uly 2012.
8.
14 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
^ Andy McSmith and Ben Laurance (16 J anuary
2000). "Ashcroft's Lotus position"
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2000/jan
/16/thatcher.uk1). The Observer. Retrieved 14 J uly
2012.
9.
^ "Auctions magnate began by selling just one old
car" (http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/news/s
/2007738_auctions_magnate_began_by_selling_just_
one_old_car). GetHampshire.co.uk. 13 February
2007. Retrieved 14 J uly 2012.
10.
^ "Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley to step down"
(http://motortorque.askaprice.com/news/auto-
0907/lotus-ceo-mike-kimberley-to-step-down.asp).
Motortorque.askaprice.com. Retrieved 30 September
2010.
11.
^ "Lotus owners suspend chief Bahar over complaint"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-
18215542). BBC News. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 25
May 2012.
12.
^ "Lotus Appoints Chief Operating Officer
Confirms dismissal of Dany Bahar"
(http://www.lotuscars.com/us/news/corporate/media-
statement) (Press release). Group Lotus plc. 7 J une
2012. Retrieved 7 J une 2012.
13.
^ Constructors' championship only; drivers' title went
to J ackie Stewart of Tyrrell
14.
^ The rights to the Seven were sold in 1973 to
Caterham Cars. Updated versions of this 1957 design
are also produced by other speciality firms, including
Westfield Sportscars and Donkervoort. Originally the
number seven was applied to a Riley-powered
Formula 2 car, but the vehicle was never completed in
its original form, finally emerging instead as the
Clairmonte Special (http://forix.autosport.com
/8w/clairmonte.html), a two-seat sports car powered
by a Lea-Francis engine.
15.
^ A mid-engined sports car, launched in the early
1970s. It was styled by Italian designer Giorgetto
Giugiaro. The Esprit started with a light, 4-cylinder
design, which went through several iterations of
turbo-charging and electronic upgrades, before finally
being replaced by a highly advanced V8. The last
Lotus Esprit rolled off the production line on 20
February 2004, after 28 years in production. A total
of 10,675 Esprits were built since production began in
1976.
16.
^ GT inspired two-seater claimed to offer a more
upmarket sportscar experience, although it is based on
the same chassis as the Elise and Exige, limiting
accommodation and practicality. Power comes from a
Lotus-tuned variant of the turbocharged four-cylinder
engine which powers the VX220. The Europa has
been criticised in the motoring press for being
expensive and for lacking equipment and practicality
compared to rivals like the Porsche Cayman.
17.
^ "Lotus 125 'Ultimate Track Car' to Debut at Pebble
Beach Alongside Elise SC RGB Edition |
AutoGuide.com News" (http://www.autoguide.com
/auto-news/2010/08/lotus-125-ultimate-track-car-to-
debut-at-pebble-beach-alongside-elise-sc-rg-
edition.html). Autoguide.com. 5 August 2010.
Retrieved 30 September 2010.
18.
^ Chris Knapman (1 October 2010). "Paris Motor
Show 2010: five new models from Lotus"
(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motor-
shows/paris-motor-show/8037488/Paris-Motor-
Show-2010-five-new-models-from-Lotus.html). The
Telegraph. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
19.
^
a

b
Dan Strong (21 J une 2011). "Lotus confirms new
V8 and city car too" (http://www.autoexpress.co.uk
/news/autoexpressnews/269173
/lotus_confirms_new_v8_and_city_car_too.html).
Auto Express. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
20.
^ Nick Gibbs (30 J uly 2012). "Lotus Five Car Future
Is Canned" (http://www.pistonheads.com/lotus
/default.asp?storyId=26087). PistonHeads.
21.
15 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
^ Travis Okulski (25 J uly 2012). "Lotus Cancels
Nearly All of Dany Bahar's Future Lotus Cars"
(http://jalopnik.com/5928952/lotus-cancels-nearly-
all-of-dany-bahars-five-future-vehicles). J alopnik.
22.
^ Viknesh Vijayenthiran (20 November 2012). "New
Lotus Esprit Supercar close to completion"
(http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1080582_new-
lotus-esprit-supercar-close-to-completion-report).
Motor Authority (http://www.motorauthority.com/).
23.
^ Tim Pollard (16 December 2010). "Lotus supermini
'here in October 2013' Bahar"
(http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results
/Industry-News/Lotus-supermini-here-in-October-
2013---Bahar/). Car magazine. Retrieved 30
September 2011.
24.
^ Abuelsamid, Sam (22 J une 2010). "Lotus and Fagor
Ederlan Group to produce range-extender engine
Autoblog Green" (http://green.autoblog.com/2010/06
/22/lotus-and-fagor-ederlan-group-to-produce-range-
extender-engine/). Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 30
September 2010.
25.
^ " Home Lotus Engineering"
(http://www.lotuscars.com/gb/engineering/range-
extender-engines). lotuscars.com. Retrieved 30
September 2010.
26.
^ "[VIDEO] Lotus fire up all new in-house V8"
(http://www.thelotusforums.com/6374/latest-
news/lotus-cars-news/lotus-fire-up-all-new-
in-house-v8/). The Lotus Forums. 16 September
2011. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
27.
^ Lotus Engineering Centres
(http://www.lotuscars.com/engineering/en/centres),
retrieved 18 J ube 2010.
28.
^ "Done deal! Lotus will build the Tesla Roadster in
Hethel" (http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/29/done-
deal-lotus-will-build-the-tesla-roadster-in-hethel/).
autoblog. 29 J uly 2006. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
29.
^ About Proton Engineering (http://www.power-
and-control.com/about/engineering.php) Proton
Cars UK
30.
^ http://press.nissan-global.com/PRESSKIT
/NISSANGTR/0710/ENGLISH/MECHANISM
/index1.html
31.
^ "J aguar UK J aguar International"
(http://www.jaguar.com/gl/en/#/experience
/jaguar_magazine/issue1_2010/limo_green).
J aguar.com. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
32.
^ Lotus Engineering establishes group dedicated to
(http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/02/22/lotus-
engineering-establishes-group-dedicated-to-hybrid-
and-elec/) hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles
AutoblogGreen
33.
^
a

b

c
Garthwaite, J osie (5 J anuary 2009). "Lotus to
Build Electric Vehicles" (http://earth2tech.com
/2009/01/05/lotus-to-build-electric-vehicles/).
Earth2tech.com. Retrieved 22 J une 2009.
34.
^
a

b
"Lotus Electric Sports Vehicle Coming! | Lotus
Sphere" (http://lotusphere2007.com/2009/01/lotus-
electric-sports-vehicle-coming/).
Lotusphere2007.com. 10 J anuary 2009. Retrieved 22
J une 2009.
35.
^
a

b
"Future J aguar XJ May Cut CO
2
Via Lotus
'LimoGreen' Project"
(http://www.greencarreports.com
/blog/1018769_future-jaguar-xj-may-cut-co2-
via-lotus-limogreen-project). GreenCarReports.com.
20 February 2009. Retrieved 22 J une 2009.
36.
^ "UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to Award
$45M to 16 Low-Carbon Vehicle Projects"
(http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/05
/uk-technology-s.html). Green Car Congress. 8 May
2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
37.
16 of 18 7/30/2014 1:39 AM
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Lotus Cars.
^ "The Queen's Awards for Enterprise 2002:
international trade Focus: Queen's Awards"
(http://docs.newsbank.com
/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid
/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:LTIB&
rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&
38. rft_dat=0F92034CC007C0A6&
svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&
req_dat=0EAD847D4966C8AF) (NewsBank). The
Times (London: Times Newspapers Limited). 22
April 2002. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
Grard ('J abby') Crombac, Colin Chapman: The Man and His Cars (Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough,
1986)
Mike Lawrence, Colin Chapman: The Wayward Genius (Breedon Books, Derby, 2002)
Ian H. Smith, The Story of Lotus: 19471960 Birth of a Legend (republished Motor Racing Publications,
Chiswick, 1972)
Doug Nye, The Story of Lotus: 19611971 Growth of a Legend (Motor Racing Publications, Chiswick,
1972)
Robin Read, Colin Chapman's Lotus: The early years, the Elite and the origins of the Elan (Haynes,
Sparkford, 1989)
Anthony Pritchard, Lotus: All The Cars (Aston Publications, Bourne End, 1990)
Doug Nye, Theme Lotus: 19561986 (Motor Racing Publications, Croydon, 1986)
William Taylor The Lotus Book (Coterie Press, Luton, 1998, 1999, 2005)
William Taylor The Lotus Book Collectibles (Coterie Press, Luton, 2000)
Peter Ross, Lotus The Early Years 195154 (Coterie Press, Luton, 2004)
Rmy Solnon, Lotus Esprit le grand tourisme l'anglaise (http://lotusespritaddiction.unblog.fr/lotus-
esprit-le-grand-tourisme-a-langlaise/) (Editions Les Presses Littraires, 2007)
Andrew Ferguson, Team Lotus: The Indianapolis Years (Haynes Publishing 1996) no longer available
Lotus Cars Official Site (http://www.lotuscars.com/)
Lotus F1 Team Official Site (http://www.lotusf1team.com/)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lotus_Cars&oldid=617428078"
Categories: Lotus Cars Motor vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom British brands
Sports car manufacturers Car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
Cycle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Companies based in Norfolk South Norfolk
Vehicle manufacture in London Companies established in 1952 Electric vehicle manufacturers
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