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Motor Authority - blog Category: Elise

  • Lotus USA now offering supercharger kits for standard Elise, Exige

    Lotus USA now offering supercharger kits for standard Elise, Exige August 3rd, 2009 By Nelson Ireson Nelson Ireson, Author, August 3rd, 2009 Nelson Ireson 4 Comments

    Lotus USA now offering supercharger kits for standard Elise, Exige The power-to-lightness ratio of the naturally-aspirated Lotus Elise and Exige models has never been found lacking, being some of the most competent street/track cars available today. But for those that would like a little more grunt with their grace, Lotus Cars USA is now offering the same kit available on the Lotus Elise SC as a standalone upgrade for existing Elise and Exige owners.

    The kit uses the same supercharger and integrated intake manifold as the production Elise SC, and can be installed on any Elise or Exige with the Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine. Power output is increased from the standard 189hp to 218hp when the kit is applied in... The power-to-lightness ratio of the naturally-aspirated Lotus Elise and Exige models has never been found lacking, being some of the most competent street/track cars available today. But for those that would like a little more grunt with their grace, Lotus Cars USA is now offering the same kit available on the Lotus Elise SC as a standalone upgrade for existing Elise and Exige owners. The kit uses the same supercharger and integrated intake manifold as the production Elise SC, and can be installed on any Elise or Exige with the Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine. Power output is increased from the standard 189hp to 218hp when the kit is applied in conjunction with new high-flow fuel injectors and a reprogrammed ECU. Fitting the extra power bits into the Elise's already tight mid-engine bay is no doubt a feat of engineering, so the availability of the factory-engineered piece will be a welcome addition to many Lotus-filled garages. More than just raw power, however, the upgrade lifts torque output to 155lb-ft and moves the torque peak down to a much more available and enjoyable 5,000rpm from the 6,800rpm naturally-aspirated peak. That will give the Elise and Exige much more stoplight potential as well as better part-throttle response in real-world driving conditions. “Lotus Elise and Exige owners are genuine driving enthusiasts and that’s what has attracted them to Lotus cars in the first place,” said Lotus Cars USA Director of Operations Arnie Johnson. “They will fully appreciate the dramatically enhanced driving character these Lotus Supercharger Kits will bring their vehicles and the peace of mind from a fully warranted, factory engineered kit.” Pricing hasn't been released yet, but the kit is available for purchase and installation at all U.S. and Canadian authorized Lotus dealers. Read More

  • Mike Kimberley leaves position as Lotus CEO

    Mike Kimberley leaves position as Lotus CEO July 20th, 2009 ByAlex Kaufmann Alex Kaufmann, Author, July 20th, 2009 Alex Kaufmann 1 Comment

    Mike Kimberley leaves position as Lotus CEO With a recipe for lightweight, fun and fast trackday cars for the street, Lotus Cars has been on a roll of late. The new Evora has been widely hailed as a styling hit, and as initial test drives roll in, it is also being recognized as an able sportscar. But for Mike Kimberley, CEO of Lotus, the ride stops here.

    Kimberley announced his retirement on Friday. Kimberley is stepping down not due to any professional or business reason, but rather on the advice of his doctor, who has warned him that retirement is necessary to avoid further permanent injury of his problematic back, reports Automotive News.

    Having worked for Lotus several times,... With a recipe for lightweight, fun and fast trackday cars for the street, Lotus Cars has been on a roll of late. The new Evora has been widely hailed as a styling hit, and as initial test drives roll in, it is also being recognized as an able sportscar. But for Mike Kimberley, CEO of Lotus, the ride stops here. Kimberley announced his retirement on Friday. Kimberley is stepping down not due to any professional or business reason, but rather on the advice of his doctor, who has warned him that retirement is necessary to avoid further permanent injury of his problematic back, reports Automotive News. Having worked for Lotus several times, Kimberley's leadership has been undoubtedly solid over the last four years. Some of his previous projects - which included the front-wheel drive Lotus Elan roadster - were not as well-received, but the Elise, Exige and now the Evora are a strong trio of success to cap his 56-year career in the autmotive industry.2010 Lotus Evora Read More

  • Lotus Elise Black & White editions revealed

    Lotus Elise Black & White editions revealed July 1st, 2009 By Nelson Ireson Nelson Ireson, Author, July 1st, 2009 Nelson Ireson 1 Comment

    Lotus Elise Black & White editions revealed While Lotus is certainly known for its minimalist philosophy of design, it is also increasingly known for the incredible multitude of special-edition models offered. Today we get to add another pair to the ranks - the Bell & Colvill Black & White editions.

    The pair of special cars features the monochromatic theme that lends them their name, a special tri-stripe down the middle of the car, upgraded microfiber interior materials, upgraded wheels and a special rear diffuser.

    The options packages - both Black edition and White edition - will be available from Bell & Colvill, the longest-established Lotus retailer, and only on Elise R and Elise... While Lotus is certainly known for its minimalist philosophy of design, it is also increasingly known for the incredible multitude of special-edition models offered. Today we get to add another pair to the ranks - the Bell & Colvill Black & White editions. The pair of special cars features the monochromatic theme that lends them their name, a special tri-stripe down the middle of the car, upgraded microfiber interior materials, upgraded wheels and a special rear diffuser. The options packages - both Black edition and White edition - will be available from Bell & Colvill, the longest-established Lotus retailer, and only on Elise R and Elise SC models, reports Lotus Enthusiast. Despite the appearance-only nature of the Black and White editions, pricing sits at a fairly healthy £1,950 ($3,200). On the other hand, the full package includes features worth about £5,000 ($8,200) if purchased separately. No word on whether the packages will cross the pond for sale in the U.S., but given the association with Bell & Colvill, don't expect to see this one in left-hand drive.Lotus Elise Black and White Editions Read More

  • Lotus backs America’s fledgling Lotus Challenge Series as official sponsor

    Lotus backs America’s fledgling Lotus Challenge Series as official sponsor June 27th, 2009 ByRalph Hanson Ralph Hanson, Author, June 27th, 2009 Ralph Hanson 0 Comments

    Lotus backs America’s fledgling Lotus Challenge Series as official sponsor The Lotus Challenge Series was begun in 2008 by long-time Lotus enthusiast Jim Navarro along with support from fellow Lotus enthusiasts Jack Fried and Robb Bonanno. To help expand the Lotus Challenge Series to the East Coast and continually improve the series, Jim recently took on a fellow racer as a partner in the series – Tom Hughes. Furthermore, Lotus’s American arm has also agreed to become the title sponsor for the 2009 season.

    The inaugural year of the Lotus Challenge Series in 2008 was comprised of eight events with six at various California tracks and two events at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada.

    ... The Lotus Challenge Series was begun in 2008 by long-time Lotus enthusiast Jim Navarro along with support from fellow Lotus enthusiasts Jack Fried and Robb Bonanno. To help expand the Lotus Challenge Series to the East Coast and continually improve the series, Jim recently took on a fellow racer as a partner in the series – Tom Hughes. Furthermore, Lotus’s American arm has also agreed to become the title sponsor for the 2009 season. The inaugural year of the Lotus Challenge Series in 2008 was comprised of eight events with six at various California tracks and two events at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada. With a solid first full year of learning and experience under their belt, the Lotus Challenge Series has been expanded for the 2009 season to ten western U.S. events initially, and is now in the process of expanding further with an additional four events being planned for Texas. As the race schedule is expanding for the series, the variety of the venues is as well with upcoming events scheduled at the revered Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey and famous Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The full array of Lotus' current North American product offering competes in the Lotus Challenge Series including various Elise and Exige models and the track-only Exige Cup Car 255 and the current track-only Lotus 2-Eleven. Lotus Challenge Series 2009 Competition Schedule: January 23 - Streets of Willow, Willow Springs February 21 – 22 - Streets of Willow, (SCCA School) March 28 – 29 - Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch April 23 - Willow Springs International Raceway May 30 – 31 - Buttonwillow Raceway Park July 16 – 17 - Laguna Seca Raceway August 8 - Streets of Willow, Willow Springs September 3 - Buttonwillow Raceway Park October 8 – 9 - Infineon Raceway November 8 – 9 - Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch As the Lotus Challenge Series continues to grow in participation and expand into other parts of the country, the dates and details for new events in the south and on the east coast for 2010 will be announced this August. Read More

  • Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch

    Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch May 10th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, May 10th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 0 Comments

    Next-gen Lotus Elise and Esprit on track for 2012 launch For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year-plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. The company has already unveiled its new Evora 2+2 car, but rather than sitting still with this car, it will be preparing a number of variants of this model, as well as new models.

    A future Lotus Elise could be seen as early as 2011 according to anonymous insiders at Lotus who spoke with Autocar. This next-generation Elise will likely bring forward a number of current components into future models, rather than share its chassis with the... For Lotus fans, the next few years should prove to be very interesting times as the company pushes ahead with its five-year-plan to update its model lineup, including successors to the Elise and Esprit. The company has already unveiled its new Evora 2+2 car, but rather than sitting still with this car, it will be preparing a number of variants of this model, as well as new models. A future Lotus Elise could be seen as early as 2011 according to anonymous insiders at Lotus who spoke with Autocar. This next-generation Elise will likely bring forward a number of current components into future models, rather than share its chassis with the Evora. While the lithe Elise may not be suited to the Evora's chassis, the next-generation Esprit will likely be built on this platform but with a V8 engine providing power. While currently engineers are predicting a 2012 launch date for the new Esprit, whether or not the car gets built at all depends on whether sales of the Evora are successful. Additionally, the new Evora convertible should be arriving at a similar timeline to the new Esprit, which should allow the company some wiggling room to decide which product will be released first - for instance, if the economy is still stagnating in a few years time, the company may choose to focus on the cheaper Evora convertible rather than the Esprit supercar. All in all, Lotus is experiencing a renaissance of sorts with this raft of new models, and well-established rivals such as Porsche may just have to give the niche British sports carmaker a little more credit in the future. Read More

  • Lotus will adopt two seat configuration for Evora convertible

    Lotus will adopt two seat configuration for Evora convertible May 8th, 2009 ByKenneth Hall Kenneth Hall, Author, May 8th, 2009 Kenneth Hall 1 Comment

    Lotus will adopt two seat configuration for Evora convertible News about the upcoming convertible variant of the Lotus Evora has been on the table for some time now, but according to latest reports the car has hit a snag in development and will have to be produced strictly as a two-seater rather than a 2+2 like the hardtop.

    According to sources, the electric folding roof mechanism couldn't be installed without compromising the drivability of the car, and thus the decision was made to get rid of the rear-seats and make a two-seater roadster.

    Nevertheless, the new convertible variant should help the Evora compete against similar offerings from Porsche, which Lotus feels is one of its biggest... News about the upcoming convertible variant of the Lotus Evora has been on the table for some time now, but according to latest reports the car has hit a snag in development and will have to be produced strictly as a two-seater rather than a 2+2 like the hardtop. According to sources, the electric folding roof mechanism couldn't be installed without compromising the drivability of the car, and thus the decision was made to get rid of the rear-seats and make a two-seater roadster. Nevertheless, the new convertible variant should help the Evora compete against similar offerings from Porsche, which Lotus feels is one of its biggest competitors at the moment. According to Autocar, this was also the reasoning behind the decision to introduce new automatic paddle-shift gearboxes in next year's Evora, and the move should help the car present a better case to potential customers also considering the Porsche Cayman. On top of these two updates for the Evora, there’s also expected to be a highly anticipated supercharged variant within the next two years. Picking up the SC moniker, expect as much as 400hp (298kW) from the forced-fed 3.5L engine. The standard model produces 276hp (206kW). The Evora convertible, meanwhile, won’t arrive until a year after the SC, which puts its release date somewhere around the 2012 mark.2010 Lotus Evora Read More

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