Lotus Cars USA has announced that it has signed on as the Title Sponsor of the grassroots Lotus Challenge Series. Started in 2008 by Jim Navarro and other Lotus enthusiasts the series held eight races in its first year with six in California and two at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada - the home of the Lotus Driving School.
For 2009 the series has expanded to 10 events in the western U.S. (including races at Streets of Willow, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca and Infineon) with four additional events in Texas.
"The Lotus Challenge Series is a very well run organization that's expanding through providing Lotus owners a fun, safe and positive environment in which to enjoy their Lotus vehicles and improve their driving skills," said Lotus Cars USA, Inc. Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. "What Jim Navarro, Tom Hughes, Jack Fried, Robb Bonanno and all of the participants in the Lotus Challenge Series are doing is fostering tremendous enthusiasm and goodwill for our treasured Lotus marque. We're extremely proud to support the expansion of the Lotus Challenge Series as the title sponsor and show some of our most devoted Lotus owners how much we appreciate them."
The Lotus Challenge Series is comprised of several classes for both street cars like the Elise and Exige, as well as track-only vehicles like the Exige Cup Car 255 and the 2-Eleven.
While the new Lotus Evora has already launched in Europe, the official release of the car in the U.S. has yet to take place. Normally we wouldn't have the full U.S. specifications until that time, but a three page tech sheet from Lotus has leaked out with all the juicy details.
And while so often the U.S. market gets the shaft when it comes to high performance cars, it appears as though Lotus won't be watering down its new flagship when it makes its debut stateside.
The Evora will be powered by a Toyota V6 engine and output is rated at 276hp at 6400 rpm, while torque is 258 ft-lbs at 4700 rpm. The car will weight just over 3,000 lbs (3,047 to be exact) and thanks to a six-speed manual gearbox will be able to hit 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds. 100 mph will come in 12.3 seconds. There is no mention of an automatic transmission, but one is expected to be offered. A sports transmission with shorter gears is an option.
Lotus also gives braking distance figures for the Evora with its four-piston AP Racing calipers at each corner with front 13.8-inch rotors and rear 13.1-inch rotors. It will stop from 60 mph in 110 feet and from 100 mph in 290 feet.
The car will come straight from the factory with a staggered wheel fitment, with 18-inch rollers up front and 19-inch wheels in the rear. A set of forged rims, which weigh 7.1 lbs less (in total), will be available as an option.
As expected ,with the fuel-efficient Toyota engine, as well as the light-weight Lotus chassis, fuel-economy is impressive with 22.8 mpg in the city and 43.5 mpg on the highway for an average of 32.5 mpg.
In press release issued by Lotus Cars, the British exotic car maker takes issue with recent reports that a new Formula 1 team for 2010 will run under the banner of Team Lotus. The new team, however, says that's not the case.
U.K.-based Litespeed Racing has already secured a sport on the 2010 F1 lineup and decided to run under the Team Lotus name, with the permission of the name's rights-holder David Hunt.
When Lotus Cars Limited heard of this, it issued a release which clearly stated that, "Group Lotus plc will take all necessary steps to protect its name, reputation and brand image," a thinly veiled threat that the automaker will seek legal action if Litespeed continues with its plans.
That all seems straightforward enough, except this morning a report in AutoSport suggests information to the contrary. An unnamed source inside the newly formed Team Lotus said, "We've kept Lotus fully informed of our intentions and are well aware of the need to protect its brand image. We look forward to having closer ties with it in the future."
Is this all just a big misunderstanding, or is it possible that Lotus Cars has been made aware of Team Lotus' plans and is not amused?
Team Lotus will return to Formula 1 after a 16 year absence … sort of. While two cars scheduled to run in the 2010 season will proudly wear the Lotus name, the team will actually be owned and operated by Litespeed, a U.K.-based Formula 3 team.
Team Lotus rights holder David Hunt has allowed the company to use its name, in part due to the many ties Litespeed has with Lotus and its past Formula 1 efforts. Litespeed founders Nino Judge and Steve Kenchington are both former Lotus engineers.
Additionally, former Team Lotus driver Johnny Herbert will be involved in the project as an ambassador for the team and a manager for the drivers.
The new Team Lotus has also announced that vehicle design is being overseen by MGI and its owner Mike Gascoyne, a native of the Lotus stomping grounds in Norfolk.
"Team Lotus is synonymous with great British engineering and F1 innovation … both of which easily demonstrate why ex-Lotus personnel would want to bring this championship-winning name back to the formula," said Judge in an interview with AutoSport. "Litespeed was born from a similar British background."
"David Hunt has been the custodian of the name for so many years and we thank him for entrusting us not just with its safeguard but, more importantly, its development in the racing world of tomorrow."
Team Lotus started in Formula 1 in 1958 after great success in the F2 series. Over the years some of the greatest drivers in motorsports raced for the team including Stirling Moss, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansel, Nelson Piquet, Mika Häkkinen and of course Ayrton Senna. The team won seven World Championships with its last race win coming from Senna in 1987. It continued on into the 1990s... [Read More]
The upcoming Lotus Esprit may be powered by a 500hp Lexus V10 according to a report in the U.K.'s EVO magazine. Lotus has a long time partnership with Lexus parent company Toyota, using its Celica-sourced 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine for the Elise and Exige, as well as its the Camry-sourced 3.5-liter V6 for the Evora.
According to EVO this relationship extends not just to the Toyota powertrain department but also to the Lexus division - and Lexus just so happens to be readying its LF-A exotic with a 500 horse V10. There is also the possibility that the IS-F's 417hp 5.0-liter V8 could be an option, as well as an entry-level 300hp direct-injection V6 motor.
The new Evora platform, which is to be the basis for the Esprit's chassis, is capable of holding engines in either a transverse or longitudinal layout - giving more credence to the possibility that several different engines could be made available to buyers.
Lotus doesn't plan to bring the Esprit to market until 2012, but it is dedicated to delivering a true exotic capable of taking on the Lamborghinis and Ferraris of the world.
There is also a strong possibility that Lotus could offer the Esprit with an electric powertrain.
The design sketch, above, gives a hint at what the upcoming Lotus Esprit may look like.
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