Autoblog

Lotus may already have one of the greenest line of vehicles, with both the Elise and Exige easily reaching into the 30-mpg range when driven with restraint, but Mike Kimberley wants Lotus to be pioneers of green engineering.

Lotus' CEO made comments alluding to the automaker's goal of providing environmentally friendly automotive technology after signing a deal to produce a research and testing facility in Saudi Arabia that would focus on green motoring. The center is part of Lotus' strategy to branch out both technologically and production-wise, with a manufacturing center based in the Middle East. Much of this shift will come with the advancement of hybrid development, although Kimberley didn't go into detail about how the hybrid drivetrains would be implemented in this new venture.

The CEO also went on to report that development of Project Eagle is well underway, saying that the Eagle team is doing a great job and that after driving a prototype late last year he was "very impressed".

[Source: BIZOnline]

Large high-res gallery of all of the Lotus models available by clicking above

This week in LA, veteran Lotus development engineer Roger Becker told the assembled press about the changes we'll see in the Elise and Exige for 2008. He also talked a bit about some of the changes happening at the factory and even gave us some info about new models in the company's future.

The biggest recent news for Lotus was that the Elise SC and Exige S were given an optional power boost via a Magnuson-developed supercharger that raises horsepower from 190 to 218 or 240 depending on the application. Other changes were made to all 2008 model year cars in the lineup.

Aside from upgraded brakes and a few other tweaks, the biggest changes came inside, where a new security system has been installed that for the first time ever allows a single key for Lotus owners. As a nod to American driving habits, TPMS and a new information display were also added, because as Becker put it, we aren't too aware of when a tire is going down and need to have it pointed out. That line was delivered without missing a beat and expertly showed a typically dry British sense of humor. Funny guy. Follow the jump for individual model news and to hear more about the upcoming Eagle and Esprit replacement too!

[Source: Lotus]

Lotus has plans: the Elise is going to get a detuned Exige engine (220 BHP without an intercooler), a new Exige SR model will feature launch and traction control systems, California series Elise and Exige models are in the pipeline for the boulevard cruising crowd, and Lotus is also going to inject some luxury into the Europa.

But the big news -- which isn't the Esprit -- is the Lotus Eagle, which will be "a mid-engined four-seater" made of aluminum for the luxury lifestyle set. Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley said there will be seven (count 'em, seven) versions of the car, and in a crow-eating first for Lotus, the car will have paddle shifters. Lotus had previously sworn never to include them on a car, citing purity of the driving experience. But what does the market care for driving purity? (Insert maniacal laugh here.) The Eagle arrives at the end of 2008.

The much anticipated, exceedingly long-awaited Lotus Esprit was sent back for reworking by Kimberley, who said it didn't have enough Lotus heritage in it. In Lotus fashion, the car isn't trying to break any records by being a sub-200 MPH conveyance, but it will be powered by "a very high brand-image engine" and performance will be "exceptional" and "very usable." Lotus: stop dallying -- let's have it.

[Source: Channel 4]

Click image for photo gallery

For 2008, Lotus has turned up the heat on its Elise and Exige sports cars. The Lotus Elise SC is a 220-horsepower variant powered by a new, compact, non-intercooled supercharger mated to the standard 1.8L engine. Identifiable by its model-exclusive wheels and a new rear spoiler, the SC boasts a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds, 10.7 seconds to 100 mph, and a 150 mph top end.

The Exige is not ignored either, as the Exige S can now be fitted with a Performance Pack boosting output to 240 horses. Also includded are upgraded brakes, an upgraded clutch, traction control, driver-adjustable launch control, and a new roof scoop. The traction/launch control combo is the same one found in the Lotus 2-Eleven track car. Performance, as you'd expect, is impressive: 4 seconds to sixty, 9.7 seconds to 100 mph, and a 153 mph ceiling.

Additionally, all 2008 Elise and Exige models get new instrumentation, standard driver and passenger airbags, a new keyfob design with an immobilizer system, a simplified option pack range, and new paint colors. You can read the Lotus press release in full below (it was only available as a PDF, so it's been gallerized). For all the updates, the two most important traits of the Elise and Exige remain the same: they're still light, and they're still fast.

[Source: Lotus]

Time Attack is about the purest a form of motorsport you can get. Take a car, strip it of everything unnecessary, spot weld anything you lay eyes on, throw in the required safety equipment and data systems, then couple the biggest, baddest engine to a close ratio gearbox (sequential preferred), forget the term "quality ride," and then get the meanest driver you can find. One lap, one time, one winner. Exponentially awesome.

So when Clash Productions threw a video collage of the second round of the European Time Attack series, held at Silverstone, we thought it was worthy of a few minutes of our time – and yours. The audio is acting a little wonky (static and such), but all is forgiven when you get to bask in the aural glory of an 800 HP Evo, a 380 HP Elise and the raucous soundtrack of a 650 HP Subie. The video is after the jump, and Clash's body of work is open for your perusal at StreetFire.

Now this is what we call an upgrade: NC State University's Insight Racing team has scored a new set of wheels for the upcoming 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge. The team's Chevrolet Suburban, dubbed "Desert Rat" for the last DARPA challenge, which sent vehicles across the Mojave in the final event, will sit this one out. Instead, Insight will field "Lone Wolf," the new Lotus Elise which was presented to them by the automaker last week. In addition to the car, Insight will be receiving support from Lotus Engineering, who will help transform the sports car into the autonomous machine it needs to be to make it through the preliminary rounds and into the final Urban Challenge event. That task is made even more difficult when you consider that an Elise offers a fraction of the on-board space that was available in the Suburban. Expect to see plenty of innovation as they cram all the required technology into the Lotus' compact package.

The cruelest irony of all is that the Insight Racing team has to rig the Elise -- a driver's car if there ever was one -- to be completely driverless. We have a feeling that, given the chance, this is one instance where the engineering students would gladly forego the high-technology and get behind the wheel themselves. The 2007 DARPA Grand Challenge finale is scheduled for November 2007.

[Sources: NC State Technician Online & PhysOrg.com]

Lotus has jacked up the prices on the Elise and the Exige, according to The Car Connection. The smaller Elise, which has adaptive headlights and an unfavorable exchange rate for 2007, will go for $43,990, up from $42,990 for the 2006 model. The Exige, which is essentially an Elise with a hard top and turbocharged four-banger putting out 220 hp, will go for $56,990 -- quite a steal when you consider its supercar-worthy 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds and top speed of 148 mph.

It's rumored that the two vehicles here aren't the only ones that will be offered in the U.S. market in the coming years. The Esprit, which should become available in the United States in late 2008, has been spotted tooling around Europe as a tester, and other models are expected to be on their way.

[Source: The Car Connection]

For today's RR of the Day we could have waxed poetic about the joys of the Elise for several paragraphs, but honestly, what more needs to be said about the feather-weight Lotus? Know the 1.8-liter, 190-hp, mid-mounted four. Understand Colin Chapman's obsession with speed through lightweight. Love the undisturbed connection between man and machine.

It's four-wheeled beauty personified and if you haven't had the chance to get behind the wheel of one yet, do so by any legal means necessary.

This particular example is owned by Flickr member Fleur-Designs, who already knows the Elise is a head-turner, but decided to opt for the retina-scalding Krypton Green to cause bouts of whiplash among pedestrians in Louisville, Kentucky.

If you'd like to see your own ride featured here, simply upload photos of your ride into our Flickr group. We select one image to highlight each week day, and on the weekend let you vote for the RR of the Week. Detailed instructions can be found after the jump.

Lotus wants you to smell as delicious as the automaker's cars. A brainchild of Michael Albert's, the fragrance is described by its maker as follows: "Lotus is such an exclusive niche brand, and this is how I see the fragrance as well. It gives you a feeling of driving through the Mediterranean in an Elise - the open top of the car, the smell of the fresh flowers and the water."

The kickoff was a night to remember, complete with Playboy's Simon Stahl and bunny Joanna Krupa, not to mention a yellow Exige and a white Elise. The kicker was a golden key for each guest, one of which would open up a glass box containing a giveaway of a three-day luxury vacation at the Sivory Punta Cana Resort in the Caribbean. Sheesh, where was our invite to this shindig?

As Esquire magazine appears to have forgotten to post its "10 Most Awesome Autos" feature from its May issue online, Terry Box at the Dallas Morning News has been kind enough to accommodate list fanatics. The men's magazine actually made a pretty good show of picking its 10 favorite cars under $50,000. No defining criteria other than price and editorial opinion appears to have been employed, so take these for whatever they're worth. In no particular order and without further delay, the envelope, please ...

• Lotus Elise ($42,990):
• Chevrolet Corvette ($44,490)
• Mazda 6 ($19,670)
• Infiniti G35 coupe ($33,200)
• Ford F-150 ($19,640 to $37,005)
• Audi A3 3.2 DSG ($34,700)
• Subaru Legacy GT ($28,795)
• BMW 3-Series ($30,900 to $44,900)
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution ($29,149)
• Chrysler 300C SRT8 ($42,695)

 So, did Esquire get it right, or is it missing something? 

[Sources: Dallas Morning News; Esquire; Lotus]