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It was abandoned in a small side alley in Permas Jaya. I drove past, did a double take, and drove into the alley a bit to take a better look. So sad.....it's such a beautiful, almost iconic car.....I'd call it a classic. Wasn't able to tell which version it is, though.... Sigh....maybe tow the chasis back.....and put it....somewhere.
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[extract] Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has been fired. This comes as no surprise as he was recently suspended from work in May due to a complaint made against him by the company's ultimate holding company, DRB-HICOM Berhad. The complaint was basically for his misuse of the bleeding company funds, i.e flying around in a private jet and renovating his house in England. This also comes as no surprise as Group Lotus has a new owner
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Oh No. The Lotus group, makers of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora is rumoured to be in trouble. It seems that DRB-Hicom, the Malaysian conglomerate that owns Group Lotus' parent company, Proton may want to free itself from the wrangles of trying to turn around the sports car company. According to industry followers, notably F1 reporter Joe Saward, the management of DRB-Hicom somehow does not think that owning Lotus makes financial sense and may sell off its stake in Lotus to China Youngman, a company that already has ties with Proton. This news comes after the Lotus F1 team terminated a sponsorship agreement with Group Lotus but also stated that it had struck a five-year deal with Lotus
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The 2012 Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix was again an event full of unpredictability mainly due to the weather. I was glad that I decided to stay home and catch it on telly again as it rained, the race was red flagged after some laps before continuing again some time later. It was so unpredictable that Fernando Alonso driving the Ferrari came in first behind Mexican Sergio Perez of Sauber and Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren Mercedes. Sergio who? Exactly. The rain cause a great many upsets until we got to see the first Mexican in over 40 years to step up on a Formula 1 winner's podium. And then we got to see grown men from Ferrari and Sauber shed tears of joy. Team Ferrari was most pleased that they've managed to secure a win after a very tough and dry 2011 season. Whilst for Sauber, it has managed to score some points and a podium finish after a great deal of years finishing at the rear. This is also the first podium finish for Sauber as an independent team instead of branded as BMW Sauber or Sauber Petronas in recent years. Watching Peter Sauber cry is almost like watching a happily-ever-after fairytale ending. Of course it isn't. The F1 calendar for 2012 has just got into full stride. This is only the second race this season but the first proper race held at a track. Melbourne was a city track and we did not see the true potential of the cars. BUT it rained in Sepang and we still didn't manage to see the true potential of the cars. We could see however that some drivers and some cars doing well in the wet, but that's about it really. We also saw upsets. Michael Schumacher started in fourth and was tagged by turn 4 of the opening lap. It caused him a chance for a top three finish that I was also hoping for due to the rain (the chap was called 'rainmeister' if one remembers correctly). He managed to finish 10th giving him some points though. Starting high up in the grid shows us the potential of the Mercedes Petronas F1 car. It seems to me that this latest Ross Brawn designed car is up there with the rest of the leaders. Even with ol' Schumacher at the wheel. Maybe it is because he's at the wheel in a car that is set up for him that he's fast
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Lotus given 'Green Light' to continue its 5 year revival plan
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
[extract] Recently we have heard that Malaysian carmaker Proton has been sold to DRB Hicom. As a result of the sale there was talk that the new owners may divest itself of performance car manufacturer Lotus, which is owned by Proton. However, during a recent interview Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has told Autocar magazine that he has explained Lotus' five-year plan to DRB Hicom and he basically has been given the green light to carry on with the programme that he has pushed for. The programme is currently in its second year and Mr Bahar had pointed out that there is a newly designed gearbox is in the midst of dyno testing while the new in-house V8 engine is up and running. He also stated that Lotus has scheduled to run the supercar prototypes by May of this year (this is probably the prototype for the upcoming Lotus Esprit). What this basically means is that Proton has already pumped in a large wad of cash into Lotus and in Mr Bahar's words, -
Every car enthusiast or petrol head would have some form of home decoration that is based on cars. It can be a die-cast model, poster/framed pictures or even custom made furniture made from car parts. Nowadays, these items are readily available off the shelf and I found two sets of items which I believe that every car enthusiast would want one in their home. Firstly, the retro looking chairs you see above are made by a company known as Racing and Emotion Design. The company was founded by renowned French designers Jannarelly and Fraylon. Jannarelly and Fraylon wanted to design a product that allowed enthusiasts to express their love of beautiful cars in their homes or offices. The company has taken these 1960s egg shaped chairs and painted them in various legendary racing liveries such as the Gulf livery, Lotus F1 John Player Special livery (my favourite) and etc. There are over 20 designs to choose from and they would be ideal for office spaces and at a corner in your living room (for watching F1 or other racing events on TV). Pricing for these unique chairs start from
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DRB-HICOM to buy Proton for USD$412million - Some questions to be asked
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
DRB-HICOM has been offered to take control of automobile manufacturer Proton, again. Khazanah Nasional, the Government body which owns a majority share in Proton has agreed to sell 42.7% of Proton to DRB-HICOM for the amount of RM1.29 million (USD$412million) at around RM5.50 per share with an option for DRB-HICOM to purchase more shares pending necessary approvals. According to the press release "The proposed acquisition is expected to create business synergies and opportunities for DRB-HICOM Group and Proton to augment the localisation and local vendor programmes,". The statement goes on saying that the group will also maintain its intention and interest to safeguard the Malaysian national car company while at the same time encourage, facilitate, grow and enhance Malaysia's national automotive industry in order to make Malaysia a preferred automotive hub capable of rivaling its neighbours. The proposed sale will also enable the Malaysian government to let the private sector run businesses without interference and also allow free market forces to happen instead of the controlled Malaysian automotive market. This in turn would mean that the Malaysian National Automotive Plan may be overhauled again to reflect this change. Grand ambitions for sure. Or is this a statement concocted for press releases. The thing is, the Malaysian conglomerate once owned Proton a while ago and the management prior to the one running DRB-HICOM sold Proton back to the Malaysian government. And now this current group intends to take it to higher heights. Or will they bleed the company dry? That question is hard to answer as Proton at this moment has a huge factory in Tanjung Malim, Perak that is underutilised. Proton is also widely used as a vehicle to extend 'help' to local businessmen allowing them to be vendors to Proton. This people are usually politically connected and somehow keep on supplying sub-standard parts to Proton. Which is why Proton cars sometimes have a lot of things going wrong with them. So would they kick out all the under-performing vendors and replace them with people who really care about quality? Would the new management utilise the excess production capabilities as they do have various assembly programs with companies like Honda, Mercedes Benz, Suzuki and just recently, Volkswagen. Aside from assembling the above mentioned locally DRB-HICOM also distribute the Audi brand in Malaysia. Could this lead the way for Proton to assemble Audis locally at Proton's Tanjung Malim plant? Now another question that would need to be thrown about is what would happen to Lotus? Proton bought Lotus sometime in 1996 and that company has basically slowly bled Proton ever since. Lotus is currently in the middle of its long term turnaround plan and questions are being asked on whether the new management has the muscle to continue with Lotus' gameplan or flog (in whole or a dilution of its shares) the performance car manufacturer to someone else. It is quite worrying as recently car companies with a bit of heritage and history has ended up getting screwed or very dead after being taken over by another. Think Saab in this context people. Furthermore, it would be utterly boring if I visited the Proton Center Of Excellence in Shah Alam and they do not have some Lotuses there ever again. So the only thing we can hope for is that DRB-HICOM isn't going to conduct one of those corporate exercises where personal profit is the bottom line. Another question that may need to be asked is whether the current Managing Director, Syed Zainal Abidin will continue running the company. He has been doing a decent job over at Proton and has been instrumental in bringing up the name locally. Before he came along thing were much worse. Proton were actually building cars that even Malaysians weren't one bit proud of owning. At least now Proton cars may still be their choice by force but at least it isn't crap. -
[extract] When Proton acquired Lotus in 1996, many felt that it is hard to see something or anything with regards to the collaboration between the two companies. Lotus has always been an automaker which specialises in sports and racing cars while Proton builds economical sedans and hatchbacks. Perhaps it was an ideal business moment for Proton to acquire Lotus at that time and over the years; we could see that Proton has used Lotus
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Special edition Lotus Evora S: Freddie Mercury and The Who
FaezClutchless posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
A special edition car made or designed by/for celebrities are not common nor is it something new. There have been a few examples such as the Paul Newman R30 Skyline. But the difference between the Paul Newman Skyline and this two special edition Lotus Evora S is that the Evoras are one-off items specially designed for charity purposes. The Freddie Mercury Evora S was specially made for the birthday (05 September) of the late former Queen frontman who passed away on 24 November 1991. To honour the occasion, Lotus donated a one-off Lotus Evora S which will be auctioned off during a commemorative event. The auction proceeds will go to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. The striking white sports car features red and gold racing stripes as well as an interior which was influenced by one of Freddie Mercury -
[extract] Nowadays when you hear the phrase
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http://www.proton.com/Models/Our-Model-Lin...oton-Lekir.aspx Poor man's lotus coming soon?? It looks pretty much like the new Lotus. Even engine is 1.6L and its 995KG..... Its not surprising considering who owns Lotus but wouldn't this hurt Lotus's sales instead?
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If you are a James Bond fan and will be visiting the United Kingdom in 2012, then this piece of news might interest you. The Bond in Motion exhibition is going to take place from January 2012 at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. It will hold the largest display of vehicles from the James Bond movies. Next year (2012) marks the 50th anniversary of the first ever James Bond movie, Dr. No. and to commemorate this special anniversary, the Beaulieu National Motor Museum and EON Productions will put 50 of the most famous vehicles featured in the James Bond movie series (EON Productions is the film production company that produces the James Bond movies). Starting from 18th of January 2012 right through December 2012, the exhibition will give visitors to the museum the opportunity to get up close and personal with not only the cars but also with other vehicles, such as boats, trucks, motorcycles, etc. from the Bond movies. Some of the cars exhibited will be the Aston Martin DB5, driven by Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan in Goldfinger, Thunderball and Goldeneye. It will be joined by the Lotus Esprit S1 that turned into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me. Also will be featured are the newer Aston Martin models that was used in the recent James Bond movies. Other than the cars from the Bond movies, vehicles like the Bede Acrostar jet from Octopussy will be displayed too. The Beaulieu National Motor Museum is located in Hampshire, England and if you require more information about the exhibition or the venue, you may check at the link below. Beaulieu National Motor Museum website
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[extract] In September last year Lotus revealed a new Lotus Esprit. Lotus promised that it will be the ultimate supercar and they have kept true to Lotus
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Baby-faced Heikki Kovalainen of Team Lotus drives at speeds over 300km/h on the track in the fastest car in the world, but off the track he prefers something much more peaceful, or some might say slow-paced. "It's a total contrast I know. In golf, you have to stay patient and calm. On the race track you can let loose but in golf you can't and you must be calm," said the Formula 1 driver who will be turning 30 on October 19. "I've been playing for about two to two and a half years. I haven't played that much though it might sound like I play a lot. I like golf a lot, it's unique," Heikki told me during our one-on-one interview in the Team Lotus hospitality suite. He plays golf quite frequently
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When Aston Martin released the Cygnet city car (a luxury rebadged of the Toyota IQ), it was to offer Aston Martin owners the option of a car that can deal the traffic congestion of big city streets while their performance grand tourer sits in the garage at home. Well, some have said that the Cygnet is for Aston Martin owners to use as paperweight so that their dollar bills would not fly away. Now, it seems that Lotus has jumped on the "Performance auto manufacturers producing tiny gutless cars" bandwagon. Lotus announced that they will move forward with their city car concept (debuted at the 2010 Paris Motor Show) and it will hit the market by late 2013 for the 2014 model year. Initially announced as a hybrid vehicle, Lotus might consider going down the all-electric route. Production for this car won
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Lotus has recently released the Lotus Evora GTE. The Evora GTE is basically a road going version of the Lotus Evora participating in the GTE racing series and it is going to be the most hard core Lotus Evora one can buy and drive on the road. But somehow, I have a feeling that this Evora will be the one Lotus fans (or fanatics) in and around this region will be buying. Aside from the Lotus Evora IPS (Automatic) that is. The reason is quite simple. While the Evora GTE will be like a Porsche 911 GT3 RS in terms of character and spirit it has what most of the rich and wealthy love in South East Asia, an AMT or Automated Manual Transmission. This, aside from the Evora IPS will be the Evora that everyone will think of buying over the standard 6 speed manual Evora. The other point that will attract people to this Evora over the other Evora models is that the supercharged 3.5liter V6 engine makes 438hp, has lightweight centre locking alloy wheels, lots of carbon fiber in its construction enabling a 105kg weight loss and lots of pedigree. This car was actually made for the Chinese market and Lotus has decided to market it everywhere else. Quite obvious actually since this hardcore Lotus comes with something a lot of people want. Power and the option to let the car shift by itself. Especially useful in traffic jams. In short, I predict that the Evora GTE will sell well especially in our part of the world and that large country of burgers and fries, the U.S of A
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Sometime in early August I happened to bump into some chaps from Lotus Cars Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. They were in the midst of acclimatizing the Lotus Evora IPS for our tropical weather and they were ind enough to inform me of some of Lotus' future plans as well as the Lotus Evora IPS itself. The 2011 Lotus Evora IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) is Lotus' first automatic since the 1980s and it is basically the entry level Evora with its 276bhp V6 engine (courtesy of Toyota) coupled with a 6 speed torque convertor automatic transmission instead of the usual 6 speed manual. It has been on sale over in Europe but it is still being tweaked for the tropics. The guys from Lotus had informed me that they just completed a round trip from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan and back. The main focus of attention is the new automatic transmission unit whereby they have to ensure everything works well in our hot and very humid local weather. It gave me a chance to give the Evora IPS a once over and from what I can tell, the car is easier to live with than its Elise, Exige and to an extent, the Lotus Europa. It is a properly sized sports car for most people (including larger sized guys and gals) and is well equipped without that totally spare, track day special look of the Elise and the Exige. With the automatic transmission, you can actually use it for your commuting to work too. The only drawback is that if you like to have your morning coffee on the run it may be a problem as it somehow still lacks cupholders. The Lotus Evora IPS is also part of Lotus' plan to capture the North American market. They seem to love automatics and this should jumpstart sales over there. Even track day favourites like the Elise and Exige which seems to be selling decently well in this region gets sidelined because the Americans aren't too bothered to shift gears by themselves. Anyway, Lotus seems to be back on track especially after announcing their business plan at the earlier Paris Motor Show. The Lotus Esprit is confirmed for launch and will eventually get its own bespoke Lotus designed and engineered V8 engine instead of an engine from Toyota. It will be back to the good ol' days of the 1990s Lotus Esprit V8. A period when Lotus still made their own engines instead of going into survival mode. I was informed of this personally by one of the guys whom I had a chat with that day. It has been 15 years since Proton took over Lotus and this is basically the first time they seem to be serious in turning Lotus into something special. I suppose they blokes over there finally realised that there should be some serious return of investment instead of just sticking 'Suspension by Lotus' badges on normal Protons. The other piece of news was that the upcoming Lotus Elan is put on hold as it is too close in size and purpose as the Evora. The Evora itself is fairly new in the market and Lotus intends to keep it around for a few years longer albeit with a facelift that should make it look similar to the new Lotus styling that you can see in the new Esprit and Elan pictured herein. I suppose this is logical as the haven't actually sold too many of them around yet. Now add the fact that the Lotus Evora IPS is still fresh and still undergoing tropical weather testing , the Lotus Elan should be one of the last of the new Lotus Concept cars to be launched
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http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...205&DL=1000 Damn Chio.
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[extract] It looks like going micro is the
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Groups Lotus wins the right to use the Lotus name in F1...Or do they?
Rigval posted a blog entry in MyAutoBlog
As expected the company that builds Lotus cars for the road has won the High Court battle over the use of the Lotus name in Formula 1. The legal tussle began sometime ago when both Group Lotus and 1 Malaysia Racing Team a.k.a. Team Lotus, run by AirAsia head honcho Tony Fernandes basically parted ways when Group Lotus claimed that Team Lotus had breached the Lotus name (as 'Team Lotus' confusingly) licensing agreement. However, Justice Peter Smith, the presiding jugde over this matter had also ruled that Team Lotus also retained the right to race in Formula One under its existing name. That basically means that Group Lotus can continue racing through its sponsorship of the Renault team (or in full the Lotus-Renault GP team) and Team Lotus continues as Team Lotus Anyway, other judgments awarded was the right for Group Lotus to use the black and gold livery. This basically means that Team Lotus must stick to their current British Racing Green and yellow livery. Team Lotus was instructed to pay Group Lotus for damages on the breach of the licensing agreement. How much has not been stated. So Team Lotus cannot use anything related to Group Lotus or in that whether it has any relation to the road-going cars that Lotus builds as Group Lotus was also adjudged in the same matter that they have the right to continue to use the Lotus name on road cars. Group Lotus may have won this battle but this basically means that there will still be two Lotus named teams racing in Formula 1. So they are mounting an appeal on the matter -
http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/large_p...evious=Previous Lotus $173k
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http://www.sgcarmart.com/used_cars/info.ph...737&DL=2093
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Wow today I was driving though kallang KFC and saw these 3 cars parked there...some sort of gathering?
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Lotus has released a lightweight version of the already featherweight Elise called the Elise Club Racer edition. At 876kg it is 24kg lighter than the normal production Elise and aside from a Caterham 7, it could well be one of the lightest road legal car you could buy in the market today. Of course, in the early 1980s, a Honda Civic weighed almost as much (or as little). Such is automotive progress as cars get heavier due to safety legislation requirements as well as the need for more luxuries. So the already back to basics Elise loses another 24kg by getting rid of the normal sized battery for a lightweight one and the removal of soundproofing material. Not something rocket science but something basic and rudimentary. Of course the lightweight battery may cost more and the Lotus will be much more noisier. But all the more better for the driver to feel as one with the car. More noise could mean more mechanical noise and for some it may be irritating but for an enthusiast or someone attacking a track on a track day this could mean more feedback. You can hear the engine note rise and fall better as well as hear the tires at work better so that you may predict what may happen next. But the Elise Club Racer has more driving goodies. It also has a new setting for the Elise's Dynamic Performance Management system (DPM) that can change the suspension rates and the addition of an adjustable anti-roll bar allows for better tuning and better overall control. It also helps the driver tune the car to suit circuit work or for the drive back home after the track outing. The DPM works with new Eibach springs and Bilstein shock absorbers. A lot of higher end stuff for Lotus' most basic sports car. 24kg of weight loss will not mean that the Club Racer will beat the heck out of the stock Elise. It may be a hair's length ahead of the stock Elise's 0-100km/h sprint. The 1.6liter Toyota engine still has the same 134bhp engine and this should chop of 0.1seconds from the standard 6.5seconds to 100km/h. But this car should handle better. The Club Racer will come in 6 colors, from Sky Blue, Ardent Red, Aspen White, Carbon Gray, Matt Black and Saffron Yellow. Some are different from the normal Elise color palette. It will go on sale in the UK soon and prices start at
