Tag Archives: Lotus

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Lotus Type 62-2 Limited Edition

After half a century of sleep, the Radford company revived the Lotus Type 62-2. It’s a ’69 model that came back to life thanks to Jenson Button, Mark Stubbs and Ant Anstead. Only 62 copies will be produced at an unknown price.

This ultra light sports car comes in three versions: Classic, Gold Leaf and JPS. Engineers have equipped the Lotus Type 62-2 with a new reinforced carbon fiber body and aluminum chassis. This reduces the weight of the car below 1,000 kg. All versions come with a titanium exhaust system.

The most powerful versions, the JPS and Gold Leaf, are powered by a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine with 600 hp (447 kW) and 500 hp (373 kW). With an adjustable chassis, both versions use carbon wheels and carbon ceramic disc brakes, a limited-slip electronic differential, as well as other upgrades to make the engine easier to handle with extra boost.

The Classic version of the Type 62-2 uses the same engine as the more powerful versions, with 430 hp (321 kW). The engine is paired with a six-speed transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (optional). The car uses 17-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels.

Inside, there’s a rear-view camera, a five-speaker stereo and a six-inch digital instrument cluster. Radford will allow every buyer to make a car according to their wishes.

Source: Radford

News

Lotus Emira Driven By Jenson Button

A few days ago Lotus unveiled its new model, the Emira. Former Formula One World Champion Jenson Button attended the premiere.

As a Lotus fan, Button took the opportunity to drive the Emira. Satisfied with what the Emira has to offer, he especially praised the seats that provide greater comfort to the driver.

“You always expect a Lotus to have good mechanical grip through the low-speed corners but there was a plenty of downforce in the high-speed corners too. That means the feeling of great balance is the same no matter how you’re driving it. It’s exceptional and I’m a big fan. It’s being called a junior supercar but it would give a lot of supercars a run for their money… and it’s more comfortable than most of them, ”Button said.

The Emira is the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine. There will be two powertrains on offer.

The first one is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine from the Mercedes A45 model with 365 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. The engine is paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Up to 62 mph will come in 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 170 mph.

The second one is a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 from Toyota with 405 hp and 315 lb-ft of torque. It is available with a six-speed automatic or manual transmission. Up to 62 mph comes in 4 seconds with a top speed of 180 mph.

Source: Lotus

News

Lotus SUV

The Chinese company Geely wants Lotus to be the leading brand of luxury cars, and an electric SUV currently codenamed Lambda should help. This SUV will appear in 2022 and will have a fully electric drivetrain instead of the hybrid one mentioned earlier. Production will take place in China where there is still a high demand for premium electric vehicles.

The project was started by former Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales, and the SUV was first talked about in 2016. At the time, high-performance hybrid drive, such as that used by Geely’s Polestar and Volvo brands, was being considered.

However, the electric car market was much less mature at the time than it is today, especially in China where more than 1.2 million electric cars were sold last year. Also, incentives encourage people to buy electric cars, so Geely’s move is understandable and for Lotus SUVs, instead of a hybrid, they choose a fully electric drive.

The goal is to triple sales in the next few years, from 1,500 to 5,000 cars a year. The first big step in sales growth is the new Esprit. A new hybrid sports car with a V6 engine coming in next year.

Due to the fact that the Lotus base in Hethel, Norfolk, is being renovated, the SUV could be produced there because the annual production capacity is 10,000 cars, but the base will still be reserved for the sports car.

Geely will produce the SUV at a recently built plant in Wuhan, China, which cost a billion pounds. This plant can produce 150,000 cars a year. Most of this will be Geely’s products for the domestic market. Also, part of the factory will produce a Lotus SUV. Experts from Hethel are in charge of the development of the chassis and drive, with the experience gained during the development of the Evia electric hypercar.

The base model will develop 600 hp thanks to two electric motors. The most powerful version will deliver 750 hp. That should be enough to make the Lotus SUV a competitor to the Model X. And other future high-performance electric SUVs as well. The range should be about 580 km.