Lotus Cars USA Announces North American Debut of Lotus Sport

[Randy Chase]

Lotus Cars USA Announces North American Debut of Lotus Sport



British automaker’s motorsports division crafts the ultimate in Lotus competition-caliber cars, parts and accessories



Duluth, GA (April 18, 2006) – Lotus Cars USA, the importer and distributor of Lotus cars in North America, has introduced the exclusive Lotus Sport brand to North American enthusiasts with the world debut of the ultra high-performance Lotus Sport Exige Cup and Lotus Sport Elise. Lotus Sport, the British automaker’s exclusive competition subsidiary develops, designs and engineers limited-edition production and purpose-built race cars as well as individual parts and accessories developed specifically to excel in a motorsports environment.



Unveiled at the New York International Auto Show, the first U.S. products to feature the distinctive Lotus Sport badge are the supercharged 243-hp Lotus Sport Exige Cup, a pure track-only competition car, and the street-legal 2006 Lotus Sport Elise, equipped with track-ready performance and safety upgrades that fully prepare it for serious competition. The first in a new line of Lotus Sport competition parts also debuted at the show: enthusiasts who are well versed in the nuances of advanced chassis set up will appreciate factory-tuned Lotus Sport Ohlins shocks, featuring the flexibility of extensive rebound and compression adjustments.



“The Lotus Sport brand is the ultimate expression of Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s vision of optimizing performance through light weight,” says Mark O’Shaughnessy, director, sales and marketing, Lotus Cars USA. “Every product in the Lotus Sport portfolio is created with aggressive, factory-proven racing DNA – and the result is a collection of unique products for only the most competition-minded customers and Lotus purists.” The introduction of Lotus Sport in the U.S. market is also welcome by current Lotus owners, says O’Shaughnessy. “There are thousands of Elise owners in this market who are serious about increasing the performance of their Lotus in a motorsports environment and the debut of Lotus Sport products will give them access to the most sophisticated and factory-proven performance products and parts.”



Established in 1999, the Lotus Sport division is located at the Lotus world headquarters in Norfolk, UK, adjacent to the automakers own Hethel test track. In addition to engineering special edition road cars, race-ready variants of Lotus production cars and individual performance parts, the Lotus Sport team is also frequently retained to upgrade or build individual competition cars, such as a recent commission to craft a Lotus Exige specifically for GT2 competition in the Asian market. Lotus Sport also created and supports the European Lotus Cup spec series and is preparing to support a Lotus Exige GT3 team in the 2006 British GT Championship series. The subsidiary’s race workshops can also be commissioned to service, repair, restore or upgrade standard road cars or competition Lotus. In addition, Lotus Sport develops and conducts track-based driving experiences for groups and individuals as well as guided tours of the Lotus factory.



An Historic Formula for Winning



Whether headed for a weekend track day, club racing event or a weekend autocross, Lotus enthusiasts who choose a Lotus Sport product can rest assured that every car, part and accessory is backed by nearly six decades of racing success.



Since the first Lotus car was introduced by founder Colin Chapman in 1948, the company’s incredible success on the track has migrated to every subsequent production car. Through its history, Lotus has won hundreds of races and championships, including seven Formula One Constructor Championships and 6 Driver Championships.



With the debut of the award-winning Lotus Elise in 1996, Lotus enthusiasts received the best possible platform for returning to the company’s deep racing roots. Tipping the scales at less than 2,000 pounds thanks to innovations like the Elise’s unique, award-winning 150 pound epoxy bonded aluminum chassis, the Lotus Elise quickly became the company’s best selling car ever. Sports car enthusiasts and aspiring racers immediately applauded the car’s ability to outperform any other sports car in its class—as well as most other classes. And, while the 190hp production Elise already is one of only a handful of cars that has more than 100 horsepower per liter, an elusive watershed mark in engine performance, Lotus enthusiasts have demanded even higher-performance options since the first U.S. spec Elise went on sale in 2004. With the debut of Lotus Sport, an entirely new generation of race-bred Lotus cars will be unleashed at events around the country.



About Lotus Cars



Lotus is one of the world’s best-known British performance brands with a reputation for innovation through a steady stream of winning racing cars and memorable sports cars. The first Lotus car was built in 1948 by founder Colin Chapman (1928-1982). The Lotus Engineering Company has pioneered automotive systems and components still in use today.



Lotus Cars and its sister company Lotus Engineering are owned by Group Lotus, PLC, headquartered in Norfolk, England. The location is home to design, manufacturing, research and development and sales facilities. While Lotus Cars continues to design and build sports cars revered for their performance, handling, style and innovation, Lotus Engineering develops advanced automotive systems and components for many of the world’s leading automakers.



Together, these two enterprises are a powerful team, committed to changing the rules that define automotive excellence. Lotus Cars USA is the North American distributor of Lotus sports cars based in Duluth, Georgia just outside of Atlanta.

[SweetDaddyD]

Sweet. So what kind of goodness is in store for us now? More Lotus "aftermarket parts"? Superchargers? Or just more limited editions with cool stripes?
How sweet is it that finding out after I bought my Elise that they live in Duluth too? And they do mountain runs. Awesome.

[SpaceGoD]

Why didn't they just sell a street legal version of exige cup to begin with? I would think the market would have been a whole lot better for that than a non turbo exige and a track only turbo.

errr, i meant supercharged, not turbo

[MattG]

Is Lotus Sport a separate legal entity from Lotus cars? If so, my understanding is that should make it significantly easier for them to offer an Elise supercharger in the US, they'd be like any other aftermarket company instead of a manufacturer.

[phile]

I'm somewhat befuddled at all the different options, including how the exige fits in. Not to mention the fact that the exige has a lower top speed, and higher weight than the base elise.

If I decide to purchase an elise in the future, can anyone recommend what options to NOT get? For example if the aftermarket options are better, or a particular option was a total waste of money.

I would want an elise for auto-x/track/summer driving

[scottyb]

Originally Posted by SpaceGoD

Why didn't they just sell a street legal version of exige cup to begin with? I would think the market would have been a whole lot better for that than a non turbo exige and a track only turbo.

errr, i meant supercharged, not turbo

Because it might then have better numbers than the new Esprit.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by SpaceGoD

Why didn't they just sell a street legal version of exige cup to begin with? I would think the market would have been a whole lot better for that than a non turbo exige and a track only turbo. errr, i meant supercharged, not turbo

Lotus would LOVE to have various other engine options for the street cars. It's too expensive to get the boosted engine smog certified. US laws and so forth. Around $500,000 at a minimum, if not way more. Spread that out over a small number of cars and the sales price would have to jump way up. Which would cut down on the numbers sold...requiring another price increase.

"Solution"? Owners add boost themselves via aftermarket options. Their boosted or modified engines are not smog legal. They may pass a local test, but that is not what certified means. The Lotus Sport Exige would also "pass", and with OE type driveability.

[SpaceGoD]

Well if the number of cars you sold jumped way up then the price wouldn't have to go that far. But I guess they're the ones with the market research. Just depressing...

[Murph]

Any idea what the Lotus Sport Elise has over a stock Elise?

[Stormy320]

Originally Posted by Murph

Any idea what the Lotus Sport Elise has over a stock Elise?

I think it has the Exige track pack and upgraded seats with harness slots, but I could be wrong.

[hatchy]

Just sell us the damn SC, intercooler, and ECU at a reasonable price and be done with it.

[scottyb]

I highly doubt the ECU will work on an '05 Elise just because of the DBW issue. Also, does the 06 ECU have the same connectors as the 05 unit?

[fastliz]

Hell... just sell me some real seats with slots for shoulder and anti-sub belts!

Mike

[phile]

Here is what the Elise sport has extra:
race springs (which are not in the track pack), dampers, stainless steel breaklines, high performance clutch, roll hoop and harness bar.

given this info, i'm sure it also has the other bits (we would hope) in the "track pack" such as the front anti=sway bar, threaded spring perches, and track link.

It will only come with one color scheme, Safron Yellow with Storm Titanium stripes, and will cost $54,995

[Stan]

Originally Posted by phile

Here is what the Elise sport has extra:
race springs (which are not in the track pack), dampers, stainless steel breaklines, high performance clutch, roll hoop and harness bar. given this info, i'm sure it also has the other bits (we would hope) in the "track pack" such as the front anti=sway bar, threaded spring perches, and track link. It will only come with one color scheme, Safron Yellow with Storm Titanium stripes, and will cost $54,995

Plus it has the Exige style seats, only with the colored inlays and Elise script. The shocks on it are the Ohlins, which are threaded, aluminum bodied pieces with remote reservoirs. So the shocks are ( I think) double adjustable for damping compared to single adjustable for the track pack Bilsteins. The Ohlins also have a wider range to their adjustment and with finer steps. My guess is that the springs are the Ohlins track springs which are 20% stiffer up front and 14% stiffer out back (than LSS). I'd imagine, but haven't heard for sure, that it has the rear track brace. It's a nice package.

[chip]

I think my resale value just went into the crapper.....glad im not selling!

[phile]

Originally Posted by Stan

Plus it has the Exige style seats, only with the colored inlays and Elise script. The shocks on it are the Ohlins, which are threaded, aluminum bodied pieces with remote reservoirs. So the shocks are ( I think) double adjustable for damping compared to single for the track pack Bilsteins. My guess is that the springs are the Ohlins track springs which are 20% stiffer up front and 14% stiffer out back. I'd imagine, but haven't heard for sure, that it has the rear track brace.

Yeah, I love those seats

I also like the adjustibility options. I'm not one that likes to make too many compromises regarding performance. So have the option to tun it for the track or street is attractive to me. But obviously the aftermarket provides that also. hey, it's too bad the adjustments couldn't be made in the cabin with a button though But I digress, as it's definitely about losing weight, rather than gaining it. Luckily I weigh about as much as a bag of sand

[codymac]

Originally Posted by MattG

Is Lotus Sport a separate legal entity from Lotus cars? If so, my understanding is that should make it significantly easier for them to offer an Elise supercharger in the US, they'd be like any other aftermarket company instead of a manufacturer.

Yes - and that's precisely how they skirt the issue in the UK. A customer buys a car and the car is registered. After that the car is handed over to Lotus Sport for conversion.

Originally Posted by Stan

Around $500,000 at a minimum, if not way more.

I'd like to know the source for that dollar quote.

[Stan]

Originally Posted by Stan

Around $500,000 at a minimum, if not way more.

Originally Posted by codymac

I'd like to know the source for that dollar quote.

Nick Adams, Lotus mentioned: over 300,000 pounds: ~$534,000

[hatchy]

Originally Posted by scottyb

I highly doubt the ECU will work on an '05 Elise just because of the DBW issue. Also, does the 06 ECU have the same connectors as the 05 unit?

I have an 06 Exige. DBW and all.