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Lotus Elise, Exige recalled over oil line fire risk

Lotus is recalling 451 examples of the Elise and Exige from the 2007 and 2008 model years. The cars in question, built from December 1, 2006 to October 31, 2007 could be affected by an oil cooler line that detaches from its fitting. If the line comes loose it could release oil onto the engine and possibly start a fire, or onto a tire and potentially cause a crash.
A bulletin from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates the recall is expected to begin on March 4. Notified owners can take their cars to their dealers for repairs to the lateral oil cooler hose and hose fittings. You'll find the full release from the NHTSA below with more information.

Why all of this year's F1 noses are so ugly [w/video]

If you're a serious fan of Formula One, you already know all about The Great Nosecone Conundrum of 2014. Those given to parsing each year's F1 regulations predicted the strong possibility of the so-called "anteater" noses as far back as early December 2013. Highly suggestive visual evidence first came after Caterham's crash test in early January, with further proof coming as soon as Williams showed a rendering of the FW36 challenger for this year's championship. That car earned a name that wasn't nearly so kind as "anteater."
Casual followers of the sport - or anyone who gets the feed from this site - probably don't know what's happening, except to wonder why the current year's F1 cars are led by appendages that would make Cyrano de Bergerac feel a whole lot better about himself.
The short answer to the question of ugsome F1 noses is "FIA regulations and safety." The reason there are various kinds of ugsome noses is simpler: engineers. The same boffins who have given us advances including carbon fiber monocoques, six-wheeled cars, double diffusers and Drag Reduction Systems are bred to do everything in their power to exploit every possible freedom in the regulations to make the cars they're building go faster - the caveat being that those advances have to work within the overall philosophy of the whole car.

Lotus Evora 400 Roadster won't save the brand, and that's okay

There may not be a more disappointing brand in the United States than Lotus. It's not because the British brand can't make a good car. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The big problem with Lotus is that it builds highly compelling cars, but can't actually sell them in America because it can't afford to make them meet the complicated set of safety requirements required by US regulators. That makes us sad. Fortunately, there's one upcoming exception. For 2017, Lotus is bringing the Evora 400 to our shores, and a North American version of the Sport 410 has been promised. We welcome them with open arms and a proper pair of Southcombe driving gloves. But that one model line isn't going to be enough to keep Lotus in the minds and hearts of driving enthusiasts from sea to shining sea, nor will it keep the admittedly small number of US dealers happy. As pleased as we are to see reports that a Roadster version of the latest Evora is on the way, more will be needed. Lotus told Autocar that it expects the convertible to account for half of its sales here in the States, and we don't doubt that. But it's still just another version of the same automobile, and 500-700 additional sales is not going to be enough to reestablish Lotus as a legitimate sportscar contender here in America. For that, it's going to need another model line or two, hopefully at an entry-level pricepoint. A range-topping halo car wouldn't hurt, either. On the bright side, the Evora Roadster sounds like a solid step in the right direction. It's apparently just as stiff and lightweight as the coupe – "It's so simple it makes you wonder why it wasn't done six years ago," says Lotus chief Jean-Marc Gales – and that means its 400-horsepower, supercharged V6 engine will still propel it from 0-60 in 4.1 seconds and to a top speed of 186 miles per hour. Plus, the Lotus name is well established and highly respected. We don't think we're smarter than the men and women leading Lotus in the UK. So, we're sure Lotus doesn't expect the Evora Roadster to completely reverse its unfortunate fortunes in the States. The promise of a new Elise in 2020 ought to help in that regard, assuming it will be more attainable than the $90,000 Evora. In the meantime, we can't wait to feel that familiar wind-in-the-hair excitement we're sure the Lotus Evora Roadster will provide.