Tag Archives: Lotus

Auctions

2013 Lotus E21 is up for auction

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Formula 1 cars don’t come up for auction very often, especially those driven by world champions, and one such car is up for sale. It’s a 2013 Lotus E21 driven by Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean, with an estimated value of €350,000 – €450,000.

In his 19-year Formula 1 career, Kimi Raikkonen has achieved 21 wins and 103 podiums, driving for 5 teams (Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, Lotus, Alfa Romeo), but only one championship title. One of the cars he drove in the 2013 season is this Lotus E21, and what’s interesting about this car is that it didn’t achieve a single win.

The car was contested at five Grands Prix in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen, and a further seven with Romain Grosjean, achieving three 2nd places (Germany, Hungary, and United States) and three 3rd places (South Korea, Japan, and India). It is offered in static, non-running condition on behalf of BWT Alpine F1 Team, and it is not known if the original 2.4-liter V-8 Renault RS27-2013 engine with 750 hp at 18,000 rpm is still in the car.

This Lotus E21 has its original livery and will be auctioned on February 5, 2025 in Paris.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

Gallery:

2013 Lotus E21 is up for auction
News

Lotus will focus on Super Hybrids

Since the beginning of the year, most manufacturers have realized that they were too quick to abandon combustion engines and focus on full electrification, and one of them is Lotus with its Vision 80 plan. According to this plan, Lotus’s intention was to become a fully electric brand by 2028, but the latest information suggests that the company has given up on that.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said: “I believe that fuel-powered vehicles still have a long life cycle. The penetration of fully electric vehicles into the luxury car segment is slow because the engines of luxury cars are already powerful, and the driving experience is very similar. V8 and V12 engines have good performance.”

Qingfeng also added that Lotus drivers drive an average of 30,000 kilometers a year, so range is really important to customers.

The company plans to focus on super hybrids, a combination of high performance and long range. That means a 900V electrical architecture, a turbocharged engine, and a battery that would allow for a range of more than 1,000 km.

Source: Wall Street Journal

EV

Lotus Theory 1 Concept

Lotus has revealed its new Theory 1 electric concept, which heralds the arrival of a new generation of its sports cars. A production version is not planned for release before 2027.

The Lotus Theory 1 is an electric supercar with a three-seat configuration like that of the McLaren F1. It is equipped with a carbon body, butterfly doors and many other carbon components, and the design resembles the S1 Esprit from 1977. It looks slimmer, narrower and more beautiful than the Evija model.

The car also brings a lot of innovations and one of them is Lotuswear, a system of adaptive robotics covered with textiles, which Lotus developed with Motorskins and which can provide haptic feedback to the driver through the seat and steering wheel. The small pods provide pulses to suggest to the driver when to turn, and can also function as buttons. However, there are some things Lotus fans may not like, such as the Steer-by-wire system that allows drivers to adjust the ratio of steering and feel.

Theory 1 is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 1,000 hp (735 kW). It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph), and has all-wheel drive. It is equipped with a 70 kWh battery that enables a range of 402 kilometers. There are also Pirelli P Zero Elect tires, developed to reduce rolling resistance and increase range by 10 percent.

Source: Lotus

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Lotus Theory 1 Concept