Driven: Evora S and IPS

Posted on 8th September 2011

We’re big fans on the Evora here at SELOC, and last week James had the chance to drive the Evora S and IPS during the Bell and Colvill Evora S Open Day.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the Evora lately, with rumours of facelifts, limited edition, race inspired, models, and a raft of detail upgrades and improvements for the MY12 cars .

I’ve got to admit it’s a car I’ve been taking a keen interest in as well, starting to build up information on for the TechWiki and keeping an eye on the second hand market as potential replacement for the Elise at some point in the future, but I hadn’t driven one.

So when Jamie at Bell & Colvill sent news that they were hosting an Evora S open day I couldn’t resist the temptation to drop them an email to see if I could come along to have a drive, purely for research purposes of course….”

You can find out what he thought of it here.

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LRGP – Lotus Renault GP announce new sponsorship deals

Posted on 7th September 2011

Good news for those worried about Lotus Renault GP’s financial position, they’ve announced a number of news sponsors for Monza and the rest of the season. It certainly looks like Bruno Senna is bringing a fair few sponsors with him.

It also looks like the Lotus Cars and Lotus Renault GP job rotation scheme has started with the Lotus Cars PR guy behind the Freddie Mercury Evora announcement having a go at the LRGP press release titles.

The Auden McKenzie Group and Lotus Renault GP – in good health
Embratel and Lotus Renault GP – a good call
OGX and Lotus Renault GP – a slick operation
Gillette and Lotus Renault GP – shaving seconds off

All in all I’d give him 8 out of 10 for effort, although I’m not sure OGX will like the implication of being called ‘a slick operation’….

Discussion: Forum Thread

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Lotus Renault GP – Nick out, Senna in for the rest of 2011

Posted on 5th September 2011

As expected, Lotus Renault GP have announced that Nick Heidfeld has been dropped for the rest of 2011, and Bruno Senna will be taking his place.

Lotus Renault GP and Nick Heidfeld have reached an amicable settlement today and have chosen to part company with immediate effect. This announcement enables both parties to bring the matter to a close and concentrate on their respective sporting challenges in the future.

Source: LRGP – Lotus Renault GP and Nick Heidfeld announce separation

Lotus Renault GP is pleased to announce that Bruno Senna has been named as a race driver alongside Vitaly Petrov for the remainder of the 2011 Formula 1 season. Romain Grosjean remains the team’s third driver.

Source: LRGP – Bruno Senna to drive for remainder of 2011
Discussion: Forum Thread

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Lotus Cars – Another Lotus Bites the Dust…

Posted on 1st September 2011

Nope, not an announcement for the rumoured Exige Road Rally Car, but a new special edition being auctioned for charity – Eddie you might want to get your bid in in advance….

Lotus announces its latest charitable donation for the hammer to fall on: a bespoke Evora S for the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

CALLING ALL GIRLS and boys – September 5th will see the Savoy Hotel play host to a very special celebration, the 65th birthday of THE HERO, the late, great Freddie Mercury.

DEAR FRIENDS of Freddie will unite in GOOD COMPANY at Freddie’s FLASH birthday bash which is set to be ‘a unique night of comedy and rock and roll’ as the climax to this year’s Freddie For A Day. The highlight of the night will be an auction to raise funds for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the HIV AIDS charity set-up in his honour by band mates Brian May, Roger Taylor and Queen manager Jim Beach after the singer’s death in 1991. Continue reading →

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Julian Thomson prints raise over £2,200 for charity

Posted on 27th August 2011

Julian Thomson, designer of the original Elise, has produced a range of canvas prints based around the Elise’s design ideas in conjunction with Eliseparts, each being produced in a limited run of just 111 pieces, and signed and numbered by Julian himself.

Over the years SELOC have worked with Michael Hipperson to raise money to help support the Little Havens Children’s Hospice, and so to help raise money print No. 1 from of each design was also signed by Richard Rackham, designer of the Elise chassis, and auctioned off through the SELOC site.

After 5 days of intense bidding the £2,000 target was comfortably exceeded, with a grand total of £2,299 being raised, including a stunning £500 for the “Orange Crush” design.

Of course all is not lost for those who missed out, with Eliseparts selling the remaining prints through their website, priced at £150 for the standard 60x60cm canvas, with larger sizes available on request, and all profits for Eliseparts being donated to the Little Havens Children‟s Hospice—but be quick, numbers are limited and they’re selling fast.

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Lotus Magazine – All Hail “The Style of Speed”

Posted on 15th July 2011

Issue 3 of the Lotus Magazine is out, and judging by the cover I think I might have preferred Issue 2’s photo shoot…

Issue three of the Lotus Magazine hits the shelves paying homage to Lotus’ most powerful trademarks: competitive spirit, visionary car design and inspired engineering. 

Issue 3 has arrived and with it comes a celebration of 50 years of Lotus Design – culminating in “Street Cars named Desire”, a stunning retrospective photo feature spread over 40 glorious pages presenting a selection of the most iconic models ever made. “Lotus, the Crown Jewel of British Style” piece sees Deyan Sudjic, Director of the London Design Museum pays respect to Lotus design brilliance.

Source: Lotus Cars – All Hail “The Style of Speed”
Discussion: Forum Thread

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Lotus Cars – Lotus Sport Heads Stateside

Posted on 14th July 2011

News from Lotus about the formation of Lotus Sport USA, which will be testing the Evora GTE.

The factory endorsed team will focus primarily on the GT2 and LMP2 classes in IMSA (International Motor Sport Association). Following the recent announcement of the World Endurance Championship by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) and ACO (Automobile Club de l’Oust), the driver and constructor championships are being considered.

Source: Lotus Cars – Lotus Sport Heads Stateside
Discussion: Forum Thread

Posted in Group Lotus, Motorsport | Tagged ,
Gallery

Lotus at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011 – Gallery

Posted on 7th July 2011

This gallery contains 41 photos.

Lotus had a strong presence at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed, with Group Lotus, Lotus Renault GP and Classic Team Lotus all in attendance, with stands and demonstration runs on the hill. You can find our photo highlights for … Continue reading →

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Lotus Cars – Nigel: Been there, loved it

Posted on 9th June 2011

Lotus have put up a piece with Nigel Mansell where he shares his thoughts on Indycar, F1 and Le Mans ahead of a great weekend of motorsport.

The legendary Nigel Mansell gives us his thoughts on this weekend’s Lotus Motorsport triple bill…

Nigel, for those of us brought up on Formula One, oval racing is a bit of an anomaly. I know it’s much harder than it looks, but can you explain to us the challenges involved with those cars at those speeds and at those angles.

Well the biggest challenge is concentration because at those speeds – averaging 200mph – if you have an accident, which is all too easy to do, it is going to be a really big one. You cannot relax for one second. After a few laps you’re already into the backmarkers, so there’s always someone in front of you. Then there is the drafting. It’s a different animal altogether from Formula One. Continue reading →

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Lotus Cars – Three Questions with Dany Bahar

Posted on 3rd June 2011

Lotus have just posted up a short interview with Dany Bahar in their Media Centre, which you can find below. There’s some of his views on the F1 name ruling, and on new products…

Following the result of the naming rights court case, is there an update regarding Group Lotus’ F1 involvement?

Dany Bahar: The judgement grants Group Lotus the rights to use the name ‘Lotus’ and the Lotus roundel on their own within F1, we are, therefore, even more committed than ever before to our long term plan within the sport.

The Judge also found that Team Lotus, run by 1Malaysia Racing Team, has the right to continue to race in F1 under the name Team Lotus and using the Team Lotus roundel. As a consequence, it is inevitable that the similarity of the names Lotus and Team Lotus will cause confusion not only amongst F1 supporters and the wider public, but also amongst F1 commentators who use the word ‘Lotus’ interchangeably for both teams as demonstrated throughout the season so far. With the full support of our parent company, Proton, we are seeking leave to appeal so that this point can be clarified for the benefit of all interested in F1.

With regards to our involvement with Lotus Renault GP, as Lotus, we stand united with Genii Capital and have every confidence in the future success of Lotus Renault GP. Continue reading →

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