RE: Fortunes of Lotus on the up!

[DaveGB]

After 60 odd cars, I've realised I keep coming back to Lotus (now on 7th).

Good news to hear them doing well and look forward trying many more in the future

[saaby93]

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige

Lotus decided to make the Exige a model in its own right with the V6 and a roadster variant
The Elise becomes a 1.6 4 roadster with a hardtop variant
and the Evora, they bring in a widebody variant and
wheres the Evora roadster?
How to create a range of models without doing very much

[CABC]

Tickle said:

Robbyman said:

All in time for Alpine to arrive and do what Lotus does but much much better.

How was the steering feel in the Alpine compared to and Evora or Exige? Intersted to know as I do like whats produced in Diepe and Hethel.

i suspect he hasn't a clue!

In any case, a great Alpine is Good News! we want more driver's cars not stagnation. We want a revised 4C too.
We don't need more overweight hatchback playstations.

[anonymous-user]

saaby93 said:

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige?

The "turning point" was when Elan M100 (an Isuzu engined FWD sportscar for the world market) fell flat on its face. And a decade later the Evora.

The real question is whether the Lotus name will ever be seen on a new sportscar at all. Just look at MG in Chinese hands.

[Blayney]

rockin said:

saaby93 said:

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige?

The "turning point" was when Elan M100 (an Isuzu engined FWD sportscar for the world market) fell flat on its face.

Reading in a magazine recently (I can't remember if it was Evo, Octane or Classic Cars) they interviewed a guy who was high up in Engineering at Lotus and he really did think the Elan M100 saved Lotus. Whilst the car itself did not sell well, it opened the doors to a lot of subcontracting work on FWD cars that was not available to them before. This sort of work kept them going. Apparently.

[saaby93]

rockin said:

The "turning point" was when Elan M100 (an Isuzu engined FWD sportscar for the world market) fell flat on its face.

shame that, very nice car, fastest thing point to point they claimed , even your granny could drive it
Unfortunately good road manners didnt translate into tail out fun
They also managed to knock torque steer on the head

[hughcam]

saaby93 said:

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige

Lotus decided to make the Exige a model in its own right with the V6 and a roadster variant
The Elise becomes a 1.6 4 roadster with a hardtop variant
and the Evora, they bring in a widebody variant and
wheres the Evora roadster?
How to create a range of models without doing very much

Have you ever owned a Lotus?

[Lagerlout]

Great to hear, fingers crossed the progress continues. I've bought a couple of new ones recently, and both have been great. My 250 cup is a fantastic thing to drive, love it.

[ESOG]

I am so happy for Lotus and I wish them the very best. However, FRA ditch the SUV, no way anyone will buy one as it's the last thing any human being thinks of going to Lotus for. Instead why not focus on introducing a limited run of a new Esprit supercar AND an all new creation and introduction of a very affordable Elan sports car to rekindle that whole section of young enthusiasts. A modern day MR2, Elan, buzz cars so to speak. Something light, fun, nimble, good on gas, reliable, and in the mid 20$K range. It's an entire market untappped STILL. One could argue Scion and Subaru BRZ entertain this market but they aren't like MR2s and Elans of past.

Off topic, does Acura still make the Integra?

[Tickle]

I wonder if there has been experiments in a front engined bonded/extruded Ally chassis from Lotus?

[saaby93]

ESOG said:

I am so happy for Lotus and I wish them the very best. However, FRA ditch the SUV, no way anyone will buy one as it's the last thing any human being thinks of going to Lotus for. Instead why not focus on introducing a limited run of a new Esprit supercar AND an all new creation and introduction of a very affordable Elan sports car to rekindle that whole section of young enthusiasts. A modern day MR2, Elan, buzz cars so to speak. Something light, fun, nimble, good on gas, reliable, and in the mid 20$K range. It's an entire market untappped STILL. One could argue Scion and Subaru BRZ entertain this market but they aren't like MR2s and Elans of past.

Surely the Elan of the past ends up as [cough] MX5 - no 2+2 variant
Meanwhile the MR2

wiki said:

The MR2's suspension and handling were designed by Toyota with the help of Lotus engineer Roger Becker. Toyota's cooperation with Lotus during the prototype phase can be seen in the AW11, and it owes much to Lotus's sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_MR2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Elan

wiki said:

A development prototype, the M90 (later renamed the X100) had been built a few years earlier, using a fibreglass body designed by Oliver Winterbottom and a Toyota-supplied 1.6-litre engine and transmission. Lotus was hoping to sell the car through Toyota dealerships worldwide, badged as a Lotus Toyota, but the project never came to fruition and the prototype was shelved (although Lotus's collaboration with Toyota had some influence on the design of the Toyota MR2)

[F1GTRUeno]

ESOG said:

I am so happy for Lotus and I wish them the very best. However, FRA ditch the SUV, no way anyone will buy one as it's the last thing any human being thinks of going to Lotus for. Instead why not focus on introducing a limited run of a new Esprit supercar AND an all new creation and introduction of a very affordable Elan sports car to rekindle that whole section of young enthusiasts. A modern day MR2, Elan, buzz cars so to speak. Something light, fun, nimble, good on gas, reliable, and in the mid 20$K range. It's an entire market untappped STILL. One could argue Scion and Subaru BRZ entertain this market but they aren't like MR2s and Elans of past.

Off topic, does Acura still make the Integra?

rThere's a reason you're not running Lotus (into the ground)...

[SidewaysSi]

hughcam said:

saaby93 said:

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige

Lotus decided to make the Exige a model in its own right with the V6 and a roadster variant
The Elise becomes a 1.6 4 roadster with a hardtop variant
and the Evora, they bring in a widebody variant and
wheres the Evora roadster?
How to create a range of models without doing very much

Have you ever owned a Lotus?

Probably not. But he does have a bicycle.

[saaby93]

SidewaysSi said:

hughcam said:

saaby93 said:

Wasnt the turning point when someone (there's a thread somewhere) decided to drop the Evora V6 into the back of an Exige

Lotus decided to make the Exige a model in its own right with the V6 and a roadster variant
The Elise becomes a 1.6 4 roadster with a hardtop variant
and the Evora, they bring in a widebody variant and
wheres the Evora roadster?
How to create a range of models without doing very much

Have you ever owned a Lotus?

Probably not. But he does have a bicycle.

Thought it was usually the person that has to ask that type of question that doesn't

[suffolk009]

I am delighted they're making more cars now. I did a factory tour three or four years ago, it was depressing. They were desperately trying to look busy, telling slight porkies about the numbers they were building, and describing Friday as the day they tidy up and clean things.

All this crap about SUVs and Chapman spinning in his grave, ha! He'd probably have invented the things. He'd certainly have been on it once he saw how they helped Porsche out.

It's quite possible that it will be brilliant and original. Being in the Volvo family now can only help.

I am amazed that they don't have a heritage restoration department yet. And as someone said above new Elan's would surely sell.

I wish them well and I hope to buy my first new lotus next year. I can tell you they do need to improve their customer relations, currently they're non existent.

[Tuna]

suffolk009 said:

I am amazed that they don't have a heritage restoration department yet. And as someone said above new Elan's would surely sell..

Someone else will know better, but I'm under the impression that the heritage situation is a little complicated. Clive Chapman runs a completely separate heritage company that maintains and restores all of the race cars, right up to the last F1 machines. The tour is well worth doing (and it's conveniently just across the road from the factory). I'm not sure who owns the 'rights' for older models and to be honest with the flat cap and pint of bitter approach of a lot of older Lotus owners, there's perhaps less money than the marques that are treated as garage jewellery.

It can't help that the Elans were made right up to the limits of what were legal at the time. A 'new built' Elan would be interesting from a safety point of view

Anyway, right now I want them to be producing the next generation of cars to lust after.

[anonymous-user]

suffolk009 said:

I am amazed that Lotus don't have a heritage restoration department yet.

Back in the day Lotus used to offer "factory servicing". I took my Esprit there at one stage. It was a bit of a pain because the factory is in the middle of nowhere!

If you want heritage restoration the longest serving Lotus dealership, Bell & Colvill, offer their "Classic Lotus" service in Surrey - conveniently located for your train ride home...

http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/lotus_classic/#/in...

Last time I called in they had an immaculate S3 turbo Esprit which had just been restored to "as new" condition.

[amgmcqueen]

Scoobysaurus said:

Lotus SUV - Colin Chapman will be turning in his grave

If it made money, Chapman would have built it.

[aaron_2000]

Lotus, a maker of lightweight drivers cars that are more at home on a track/B-Road than the commute to work. Now they're making a generic SUV? In a way I hope it flops, maybe then they'll be deterred from going down the SUV/Crossover/Saloon path. Do USP's go out of the window when someone mutters the word 'SUV'?

[Yipper]

Lotus's biggest problem is its low productivity. They have been slashing costs and still need to cut more. After all costs, it lost about 10 million quid last year. Their models are superb. They need better interiors and lower production costs.