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The DVD version of the Victory By Design episode on Lotus is *finally* available can can be found at the Victory By Design online store.

Secant Vehicles has begun offering an engine conversion for the Elise/Exige, swapping in a 280hp (241 ft-lb torque) supercharged version of the GM Ecotec four cylinder (a motor that has been pushed way beyond these power levels so appears to have a lot of potential). Cost is $20k, which compares favorably with less-extensive modifications like a turbo ($10-15k). Read more at EliseTalk or Secant’s website.

Not to be outdone by the Exige 240 now being mass produced, Lotus Sport upped the ante with the Sport Cup 260. The car features 257hp, a new aerodynamic kit, AP Racing brakes, adjustable dampers, etc etc etc…everything you’d expect a track car to have (including such optional extras as a straight cut dog gearbox!). Read more at Pistonheads.

As reported by Randy Chase at EliseTalk:

New SC Elise. 220 crank hp. Uses the new smaller blower mated to an integral intake manifold. Very light, only adds a bit over 8 kilos.

Exige will change over to this same blower, and drop the intercooler. Except the 240hp version.

Lotus will release a supercharger upgrade kit at some point.

2008 federal cars have tire pressure sensors. You can see a larger valve stem.

Eagle is one the way. Parts are now in production and things are going very well. Expect a product rollout towards the end of 2008 in certain countries and then release to the US market in late spring of 2009.

Esprit is following on the heals, perhaps 2 years later. It will use the same platform as the Eagle, but it may be slightly wider.

Eagle uses a new platform and forged aluminum suspension bits. The Eagle will be a 2+2 and then a 2+0 sedan. There will variants and upgrades released each year over a 6 year period at which time, there will be a new model to replace it. It will use a V6 from a well known manufacturer.

The pictures of the Eagle being shown around the internet are not accurate. Same with the Esprit mostly.

The 2-Eleven will not be coming over as a street legal version though Lotus wanted to. They just can’t based on federal regulations.

The pretty much confirms what was already suspected based on the Elise SC announcement a few weeks ago (which made no mention of US availability).

Here’s a neat video about the modern-day Lotus car company:

Don’t believe what you’re reading in those ‘new car issues’ from major car magazines…the 2008 Elise and Exige are NOT carryovers from the ‘07 models. To start with, there’s a new version of the Elise, the Elise SC. The SC stands for - you guessed it - supercharged! It puts out about 220hp, a gain of 30hp over the regular Elise. Not to be outdone, the Exige gets a power bump up to 240hp. All Lotus now come with airbags, and there’s a new instrument pack with ‘new graphic design’ (an LCD display to send annoying messages to the driver like ’service due’) and a new alarm/immobiliser plus single integrated function key. The Elise SC also gets a new wheel design (still using the Yokohama AD07 tires on the base model suspension). The Exige has a new optional ‘performance pack’, with larger brakes, bigger roof scoop (to feed the intercooler), better clutch, variable slip traction control, and launch control. Read the rest of this post for the whole press release.

(via EliseTalk)

Press Release in PDF format
Read the rest of this entry »

Lotus is selling a limited edition (25 cars) Exige S called the Club Racer, featuring sky blue paint with black stripes, and plenty of track goodies - sports pack, sports exhaust, touring pack, and super touring pack (which, oddly, includes a cupholder, not something I’d expect to see on a track-oriented car). Read more at Pistonheads.

I attended the Elise/Exige tech session led by Nick Adams at LOG27 in Apsen/Snowmass this past weekend. He didn’t have any material prepared for the event, it was just a huge Q&A session. I couldn’t think of a better way of running that session - the questions were intelligent, insightful, and plentiful (we ended up getting kicked out, the session was going too long). Some memorable ones:

- Nick explained the design details and philosophy of the 2007 bumpers…it’s classic Lotus, they closely reviewed the rules and interpreted them in a creative manner. New part numbers for various items, new descriptions…the clamshells are now ‘bumper skins’ and allowed to be damaged in an impact! Lol. Likewise, the rear panel where the foam bumperettes are located is a license plate holder, and rear impacts will damage that part as well as the bumper skin (clamshell). The rear panel received some additional bracing to help carry the load to the subframe; the front bumper skin (clamshell) received some fiberglass reinforcement to again help carry the load and ensure the crash structure was not damaged at all in a minor impact.

- The biggest reason for the sponginess in the 2005 brake pedal is the pedal linkage, and is something Nick admits was a mistake. Since they wanted to use the aluminum pedals, but needed to revise the linkage, they inserted a steel part in the linkage system (to save cost over using aluminum). Due to mismatched thermal expansion of that and the aluminum bits, they used rubber bushings in the linkage, which give us some sponginess. The 2006+ pedal box is superior (does not have this design), but is in no way retrofittable to the ‘05. When asked if the ‘05 linkage could be redesigned using aluminum parts with solid bushings, he avoided answering directly for obvious liability reasons (no company in their right mind would ever consider selling such a modification to a critical safety system). It seems like it’s something that could be easily engineered and produced for personal use.

- He suggested using a crow’s foot extension when checking the torque of the suspension bolts (many/most cannot be accessed using a simple torque wrench and socket).

- He expects that Lotus will sell a supercharged Elise eventually, it’s an obvious progression yet has no idea when that would happen.

- The button you press to open the doors (from the outside) originates from a trunk release used on another vehicle, this is why there’s no mechanical connection between that lock and the central locking system, there just aren’t provisions for it in that lock.

- The 211 uses a fourth iteration of the Elise chassis (first was S1, second was S2, third was federal Elise, fourth is the Fed Elise with higher side sills). Front upper a-arm is unique to this vehicle, as are the steering tie rods, to restore the suspension geometry (since the car is much lower than an Elise).

- He considers the 2007+ headlight unit to be much better than the ‘05-’06…better optics, it wasn’t just a simple fix to get it to pass the fed requirements. Not retrofittable to earlier cars (though I imagine with some soldering and maybe trimming of the clamshell behind it, it could be done?).

- The roof scoop of the Exige is quite inefficient as the inlet is far back from the windshield header. The GT3’s roof scoop is much better; I think he said the roof will be available in the US at some point? There’s always the Sector111 roof option too, similar front scoop extension that will improve efficiency.

- He didn’t seem to be a big fan of a lower cam change, thought it wouldn’t be best for performance.

- That’s all I can remember right now; I wish I had videotaped the session as it was very informative! A couple questions that did NOT get asked were regarding the clutch disc failures we’ve seen, and hesitation when cornering on a track.

Someone on EliseTalk is selling some Lotus-themed onesies for $25, available in blue, yellow, or pink. This is a one-time deal, so order now if you’re interested. Check out this thread for more info.

The latest issue of ProActive, the free newsletter published by Lotus Engineering, is now available for download here.