We're thinking of playing Taps or having the new Lotus Elise Club Racer drive under a line of crossed pistons because when the new lightweight performance Elise goes a racing, it may be the last focused, lightweight driver's Lotus we see.*
Starting around $45,000 in Europe, the new Club Racer is 53 pounds lighter than the already really light Elise. The reduction is thanks to lightweight seats, a lightweight battery and even less sound insulation. Rounding out the package is a Dynamic Performance Management (traction / stability control) with a sport setting (uhm, redundant much?) and an off setting. The suspension, too, has been modified with an adjustable stabilizer bar, Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs.
And no, you don't have to go with this crazy Sky Blue, Matte Black and Carbon Grey (and some other colors that are actually colors and thus not interesting) are also available.
*Assuming Bahar doesn't fail and drive the company into bankruptcy where it gets picked up by people who want lightweight sports cars and low volume.
firstwagon says:
11:11 AM, 02/18/11
Sadly most "drivers" are more interested in doors that close by themselves, wipers that turn on and off automaticly, maps in the dash, USB connectors, seat heaters and cruise control that lets you take a nap then they are in a real drivers car.
The new Lotus direction is to make money, not cars. Shame they couldn't do both.
clarkma5 says:
11:28 AM, 02/18/11
bahar's going to sink Lotus, though it's not because he's abandoning their core audience (their core audience is tiny, let's face it). He's going to sink Lotus because he thinks he can come out with products to compete in a half-dozen new market segments and immediately succeed with all of them. Reputations takes years and years to cement and I cannot possibly see half of their new models being successes, nevermind all of them.
Add in his racing program expenditures (another area where Bahar seems to think Lotus is going to be successful everywhere they go, which is not what racing is all about...) and you're looking at a company that's going to take on ridiculous expenditures in the next few years and see a relative pittance in income. They'll see growth, sure, but it won't nearly justify their investment.
Within 5 years I predict Bahar's out on his ass and Proton's got Lotus up for sale.