Lotus LMP2 'this is it'

[eddie man]

Wooow this is it, looked for the Evora, but this is even better..........

[Red Firecracker]

Second car is last of the five reserves for Le Mans though (although realistically fourth as Hope are considered extremely unlikely), which is surprising considering they have a WEC entry, but then again the Evora is only second GTE reserve. ACO getting tough on Lotus (and Aston) for past performance?

Edited by Red Firecracker on Sunday 5th February 12:27

[Great Dane]

"ACO getting tough on Lotus (and Aston) for past performance?"

Yes -I could tell you some stories

and ACO is pretty tough on Aston too

Edited by Great Dane on Sunday 5th February 13:37

[GrahamG]

Firstly, and most importantly, it isn't a Lotus it's a Lola, neither is the team being run by Lotus and the engine, despite being badged as a Lotus isn't a Lotus either.

[The Angry Gopher]

If we're being pedantic, a lotus isn't really a lotus, it's a Proton with a toyota engine.

I for one will be cheering for Lotus and Morgan come June.

[Red Firecracker]

As much as Autosport can be believeed, James Key appears to be joining Lotus Cars and will have 'some' input into the badged Lola
project.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97429

Lotus Cars are turning into a very strange company. Never seemingly stable, with potential owners being courted and rumoured all the time, but alway getting the name out there and badging things left right and centre.

[Great Dane]

That P2 car is a Lola with a BMW engine (The Judd uses a BMW engine nomally as a base - as per P2 regulations. In the same way as Zytek uses a Nissan and HPD uses a Honda)

[Red Firecracker]

I think the Gopher was referring to the current Elise and Exige range with his Proton & Toyota engine comment.

[Great Dane]

Lotus is currently not selling nearly enough to be a viable entity in its own right... heard that in Oct '11 they sold less than 20 cars in Britain....

[Vocal Minority]

I think Lotus and Morgan are being eminently sensible. Easing themselves inw ith technical partnerships rather than going the whole hog and bailing after 2 unsuccessful years due to costs

[Red Firecracker]

Just how ow much the Morgan deal is a technical partnership as opposed to a plain badge exercise is debatable, I have read. The suggestion is more firmly in the latter than the former.

[Great Dane]

Just as successful as Ginetta and Zytek???

[Red Firecracker]

Surely they were a very different case though?

[Great Dane]

I am just a bit sceptical in cases where there doesn't seem to be any logic in the tie up...

[Red Firecracker]

Surely the logical tie up in the Ginetta-Zytec was Lawrence Tomlinson himself?

[GrahamG]

Red Firecracker said:

Just how ow much the Morgan deal is a technical partnership as opposed to a plain badge exercise is debatable, I have read. The suggestion is more firmly in the latter than the former.

The Morgan Oak tie up is badge - pure and simple

Some are claiming soemthing more for the Lotus P2 effort - But in reality that's unlikely - It's not a Lotus engine and Lotuis have bno intention to fith the BMW V8 in a road car and in LMP2 development on the chassis is firmly controlled - and the intellectual property in that area isn't owned by Lotus, but by Lola.

[Red Firecracker]

A cynical marketing exercise to gain additional sponsorship on the back of a well known name? Surely they're not going to gain that much knowledge of any value, if any, for their own LMP2 chassis if it ever surfaces and any useful info will be Lola IP one would have thought.

Don't get me wrong, it's great to have extra teams, but just how diluted and tenuous can the Lotus name become? Will there be any effort by the team to manage the expectation of the public based around the name?

[Great Dane]

"Will there be any effort by the team to manage the expectation of the public based around the name?"


I don't think there will be any expectations at all after the struggles Jetalliance had last season with the Evora. Promotion wise, I never saw a Lotus stall or display at any of the races I wentto . Particularly disappointing at Silverstone. As for the team that is running the effort: Kolles... never saw them produce anything at all....

[GingerPixel]

Keep putting that livery on things and Im not sure I give a st.

I do find it hard to see what Lotus are trying to achieve, snatching sales from Porsche and Ferrari?

[Red Firecracker]

Great Dane said:

"Will there be any effort by the team to manage the expectation of the public based around the name?"


I don't think there will be any expectations at all after the struggles Jetalliance had last season with the Evora. Promotion wise, I never saw a Lotus stall or display at any of the races I wentto . Particularly disappointing at Silverstone. As for the team that is running the effort: Kolles... never saw them produce anything at all....

Different kettle of fish in my view. The Evora, whilst a fantastic looking car, was not sporting an iconic livery that is almost being used as a brand nowadays (and I'm aware of the irony in that statement). Joe Blogs sees that picture at the top of the thread and thinks, 'yup, that's Lotus, same as the F1 team, they're branching out'. Only it's not. We all know it isn't as we're bothered and interested. Whilst there may be a link between the two, it's tenuous in the extreme but I imagine it will do Kolles no favours at all to make that clear to one and all.

GingerPixel said:

Keep putting that livery on things and Im not sure I give a st.

I feel exactly that way about Gulf liveries, I have to say.