Lotus Group CEO Reportedly Seeking New Owner for the British Sports Car maker

For the past couple of months, there were rumors circulating that Proton wanted to get rid of its loss-making Lotus unit selling it to either Genii Capital or SAIC. Then, on January 16, the Malaysian carmaker announced that DRB-Hicom had acquired the government's 42.7 percent stake in the company.

Analysts hailed this movement as a win-win situation for both parties. They obviously didn't factor in Lotus CEO Danny Bahar who, according to a report from The Sunday Times citing unnamed sources, is looking for a partner to join him in bidding for a buy-out of the British automaker.

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Malaysia's Proton, Owner of Lotus, Officially Confirms Talks with General Motors

It's been rumored for a while now that Malaysia's national automaker, Proton Holdings Bhd, is looking for a partner while recently it also became known that the company is considering selling the Lotus brand.

After certain reports on GM's interest in one of the firm's Malaysian plants appeared on the local media, Proton came out with an official statement confirming that it is in preliminary talks with General Motors to sell it a stake in its Tanjuing Malim factory.

"The Board of Directors of PROTON Holdings Berhad wishes to inform that talks with GM are only at a preliminary stage and as such warrants no announcement at this point in time," the Malaysian firm said in a statement.

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Rumors: Proton May be Forced to Sell Loss-Making Lotus Brand

Four centuries ago, they used to say that “the sun never sets on the British Empire”. Today, the Brits are content with much less – and the sun has more or less set on their local automotive industry after many decades of bad management and even worse products. As a result, foreign car groups own all major carmakers that managed to survive.

Lotus Cars, which was founded by the ingenious Colin Champan in 1952, was acquired in 1996 by Malaysia's Proton. Since then, it has introduced many variations of the lightweight Elise, its first new car in 12 year, the Evora, and showed no less than five new models in concept form at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

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Video: Was This a Dangerously Close Call or a Ballsy Move?

A minor spat has broken out on Youtube over whether or not a Lotus Exige GT3 traveling close to 250km/h [155mph] should have passed in between a Mazda MX-5 and a Porsche Boxster during the Production Sports Cars CUE Enduro Series held at the Phillip Island circuit in Victoria, Australia.

If you watch the first video shot from an inboard camera on the MX-5, it looks like a rocket ship flew by inches away from the Japanese roadster. In fact, it all happens so fast that you have to actually pause the video to see the Exige GT3 driven by Barton Mawer.

According to the Philip Island Circuit's official website, the driver in the No66 MX-5 was Michael Hall. Here's what he said on Youtube:

"I'm chasing down a Porsche Boxster in the #66 Mazda MX5 whilst trying to hang onto the lead of Class E. Meanwhile Barton Mawer is trying to hunt down Alan Simonsen in the Lambo for the overall lead, and obviously not in the mood to waste any time."

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Kimi Raikkonen Feels the Need for Speed, Returns to F1 With Lotus Renault GP

It seems that every recently retired Formula 1 world champion is just itching to get back in a racing seat again. Michael Schumacher’s comeback is the most well known example, but Mika Hakkinen also returned to the track, driving a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3.

Now, 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen, who made a switch from F1 to rallying, has returned to Formula 1, signing a two-year contract with the Lotus Renault GP team.

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Caterham Group Officially Named at Brazil F1 Grand Prix

Less than eight months after the purchase of Caterham Cars by Team Lotus, the company’s chairman, Tony Fernandes, confirmed the creation of a new group with four divisions that will all bear the Caterham name. Fittingly, the announcement was made at this past weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix

"We have been talking for some time now about our plans for Caterham in all its guises, from the road car company to Formula 1 and GP2, and in the technology, design and innovation fields”, said Fernandes.

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Formula 1: Brazilian Grand Prix Race Results

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride: this perfectly describes Mark Webber’s participation at the 2011 Formula 1 season so far. Despite driving the best car on the grid and being in the top-performing team, the Australian not only watched his younger teammate clinch the title with considerable ease, but until the last race of the season didn’t have a single win to show for himself. Read more »

Wow Video: Amazing Driving Skills from Super 7 Driver

The Seven, be that the original Lotus model or one of its many clones produced throughout the years, may be extremely light and nimble, but it also packs mighty punch and can easily turn around and bite you just when you're least expecting it -a fact that makes this driver's skills all the more impressive.

This five-year old video was said to have been shot during the Hagley and District Light Car Club's annual international autotest event in England, with some claiming that the Super Seven seen here is a Locost and not a Caterham model.

Whatever the brand, you have to admit that the man behind the wheel of the Seven, Christopher Evans, is one very talented driver. Watch the video for yourself right after the break.

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Formula 1: Lotus Name Confusion Resolved, Caterham Joins F1 as Virgin Exits

The 2011 Formula 1 season may have been a very exciting one as far as the racing was concerned, thanks to the new rules that resulted in lots of overtaking and wheel-to-wheel battles between drivers, but in one aspect, it has also been confusing.

Outside the tracks there was a bitter legal battle between two teams over the right to use the Lotus name since the end of last season.

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2011 Lotus Evora S Specs And Features

Pricing Information
MSRP: $80,000
Invoice: Not Available

Technical Specs
Engine
Standard Engine: 3.5L V6
Standard Transmission: 6 Speed Manual
Cylinders: 6
Horsepower @RPM: 345@7000
Fuel Economy Cty/Hwy: Not Listed
Combined Fuel Economy: Not Listed
EPA Class: N/A
Number of Valves: 24
Torque @RPM: N/A
Fuel Type System: Gas Engine / Multi-Port Fuel Injected
Turbo (Yes/No): No
Overdrive Transmission: Yes
Battery Output: N/A
Compression: 10.0:1
Displacement: -18/-18
Bore X Stroke: 3.70×3.27
Cruising Range: N/A
Final Drive Gear Ratio Opt: N/A
Power to Weight Ratio: 9.2
Final Drive Ratio: No
Valves Configuration: Dual Overhead Cam/Twin Overhead Cam
Supercharged: Yes
Electric HorsePower RPM: N/A
Electric Torque Feet Per Pound: N/A
Electric Torque RPM: N/A
Electric HorsePower BHP: N/A

Standard Features

Braking & Traction
Bosch(R) Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) Locking Differential
AP Racing(R) Front Power 350-mm Ventilated Disc and Rear Power 332-mm Ventilated Disc Brakes
Corner Brake Control
Vehicle Stability Control System Via ABS
Traction Control
Black Brake Calipers

Electrical
Drive-By-Wire Control For Throttle
Battery
Audio Pre-Wiring

Engines & Emissions
Engine Start/Stop Button
Oil Cooler
Supercharger
Supercharged 3.5-Liter, V6, VVT-i 24-Valve, DOHC, MPFI Engine; MID Mounted With Horsepower Of 345@7000, Torque Of 295@4500, Alloy Block and Alloy Cylinder Heads

Entertainment, Communication & Navigation
Radio Antenna

Exterior Lighting
Halogen Headlights

Exterior, Design, Paint & Finish
Front and Rear Body Color Bumpers
Air Intakes, Underbody Aero Cladding and Side Scoops
Front Air Dam
Titanium Sports Exhaust Pipes
Rear Air Dam
Lip Body Color Trunk Rear Spoiler

Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
Manual Air Conditioning

Instrumentation
Tire Pressure Monitor
Tachometer

Safety
Side Guard Door Beams
Passenger Airbag Cutoff Switch
Passenger Airbag With Dual Stage Deployment
Front 3-Point Seatbelts
Front Pretensioners With Force Limiters
Driver Airbag With Dual Stage Deployment
Trunk Anti-Trap Device
L A T C H
Crumple Zones

Seats
Front Dual Reclining Bucket Seats With Integral Headrests

Steering
Power Rack and Pinion Variable Assisted Steering

Suspension
Independent Double Wishbone Front Suspension With Coil Springs and Gas Charged Shock Absorbers
Front Stabilizer Bar
Rear Stabilizer Bar
Independent Double Wishbone Rear Suspension With Coil Springs and Gas Charged Shock Absorbers

Transmission
6-Speed Manual Transmission With Overdrive and Floor Mounted Shifter

Wheels & Tires
Alloy Wheels, Front 18-In. and Rear 19-In.
SBRP225/40ZR18 Front and SBRP255/35ZR19 Rear Pirelli P-Zero Tires

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers
Tinted Glass
Dual Body Color Power Adjustable Heated Exterior Rearview Mirrors
Intermittent Windshield Wipers

[VIDEO] Lotus Exige S full promo released

Lotus said just before the German event that its facelifted version of the Exige S will have a new redesigned aggressive front fascia, and what better way to reveal this in the promo than placing it against a menacing looking boxer, which may have one out of two roles: symbolizing the Porsche Boxter or simply putting an accent on the aggressive front fascia of the Exige S.

Being presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Exige S is powered by the same engine found on the Evora S, the 3.5 liter supercharged V6, delivering a total output of 345 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, with a total weight of 1.080 kg or 2.376 lbs.

The “new” Lotus Exige S promo video can be watched below. Enjoy!

IAA 2011: New Lotus Evora GTE Limited Edition with 444-horses

After receiving positive feedback and ongoing interest from buyers, Lotus decided to expand the availability of its special edition Evora GTE road car instead of sticking to its original plan that called for a limited production run of 114 cars for the Chinese market.

The special edition is based on the Evora GTE racecar featuring the same 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine delivering 444-horses, up from the Evora S' 350-ponies.

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[VIDEO] Frankfurt: Lotus presented the Evora GTE

IAA 2011: Lotus Debuts New Exige S with 350HP V6 and Rally-Spec Exige R-GT

Among the many world premieres at the Lotus stand in Frankfurt is the new Exige series and more specifically, the street-legal Exige S, and the competition Exige GT with which the British company plans to make its comeback to the world of rallying.

The road-going Exige S somewhat deviates from Lotus' philosophy of making ultra-lightweight sports cars with small displacement engines as it brings in the Evora S' 3.5-liter supercharged V6 that produces 350-ponies.

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IAA 2011: New Lotus Elise S with 220HP and Elise SPS

The most popular car in Lotus' lineup is up for its annual model year upgrade with the presentation of the Elise S that features a new supercharged four-banger and the Elise SPS that utilizes a new lightweight, robotized automated manual transmission. Read more »

New Lotus Teaser Begs the Question: What the F…?

Despite what the title of this article may suggest, it's not what you're thinking. You see, Lotus just dropped a note into our email box titled "The Lotus Fight: What the F...rankfurt?" along with a video that is supposed to be a teaser for the British firm's world premieres at next week's automotive gathering in Frankfurt, Germany.

However, all we get is a boxer and a couple of fuzzy images of an undefined car. Lotus has stated that it will show three new models in Frankfurt, but has only named the Elise S as one of them.

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Lotus to Unveil 3 New Models in Frankfurt in Addition to the Production Evora GTE Special

Lotus is gearing up for the largest and most important automotive event of the year that takes place in Frankfurt next month with the presentation of three brand-new models, one special edition version and two new options for its current lineup.

The British company announced that one of the new models is the Elise S that replaces the Elise SC with a more capable 1.8-liter supercharged engine delivering 220-horsepower, while also returning lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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Scoop: New Lotus Exige Reveals itself in the Open

Last time we brought you spy photos of the 2013 Lotus Exige, it was a set of grainy pictures shot from a distance, which only revealed the profile of the British firm's mid-engine sports car. But our canny scoopsters are back with a new batch of photos, this time showing the prototype in detail.

The developed model pictured appears to have a longer wheelbase and rear overhang than the outgoing Exige while the design is entirely new featuring a lower nose that resembles the styling of the Evora. Our spies told us that the car also looked wider than the older model.

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New Lotus Evora GTE Concept and Exige Matte Black Final Edition to Debut at Pebble Beach

Lotus will hold the world premiere of the Evora GTE Road Car Concept at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival event tomorrow, August 17, at Pebble Beach.

The road-going concept is inspired by the Evora GTE racecar, which has been developed to participate in endurance races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the newly formed GTE category.

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SCOOP: Is this the New Lotus Exige with a V6 Engine?

The Lotus Elise and Exige will soon be a thing of the past for North American fans of the brand (though both cars will continue to be offered in other markets), but if our spies prove to be right, the British firm is already cooking up a replacement, at least for the Exige coupe.

Our man with the long lens snagged these pictures of a mid-engined Lotus prototype during testing. But how can we be sure that this the Exige, we hear some of you ask?

Well, the test car does not bear any resemblance to the recent Lotus concept models shown in Paris last year so given the prototype's shape and size, the most plausible explanation is a replacement for the Exige.

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