Sport Motegi Wheels Both Tops Carbonfiber Trim Wrap on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales abruptly quits

Jean-Marc Gales is out as CEO at sports car maker Lotus after nearly four years and a track record of turning the company from years of financial losses to a small profit. He'll be replaced by Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technical officer of China's Geely Auto Group, who joined the company's board after Geely acquired a majority ownership stake a year ago. Gales will continue as chief strategic advisor to Lotus Chairman Daniel Donghui Li. "Jean-Marc has stabilized and turned Lotus to profitability for the first time in the iconic brand's history, with new industry-leading products and unique business models since joining the company in 2014," Daniel, who is also Lotus' chief financial officer, said in a statement. "Lotus is poised for the next phase of growth under Feng Qingfeng's leadership, where its expertise in lightweight materials and sports car engineering will form part of the wider expansion of Geely's automotive portfolio." Gales told Autocar he was leaving for "personal reasons" and said it was "time to move on." He will head up JD Classics, a British dealer and restorer of classic cars. Gales praised his successor, saying Feng could "unlock the synergies" between Geely stablemates Lotus, Volvo, Polestar and Chinese brand Lynk & Co. Lotus under Gales had been working on updating its aging portfolio of cars — the Elise, the Exige and the Evora — with plans to first update the Elise by 2020. Earlier this year came word that Gales had green-lighted two new sports cars, to be announced later this year and produced in 2020, and an SUV about the size of the Porsche Macan and possibly based on Volvo's SPA platform, which underpins the XC60 and XC90. Lotus under Gales saw sales increase 10 percent in 2017 to about 1,600 sports cars. Related Video:

Caterham inks US distribution deal with Superformance

Sort of like an automotive big box store, Superformance is rapidly becoming the destination for anyone interested in modern kit cars. Besides the normal spattering of Shelby Cobra replicars, Superformance also offers replicas of the GT40 and Corvette Grand Sport. Now, we can add an altogether different type of DIY car to the company's portfolio - Caterham.
Superformance has just been announced as the new US distributor for Caterham Cars, effectively adding the entire suite of Lotus variants to the company's catalog. While there will be a large variety of models available, according to Caterham the mix will skew toward more powerful offerings. As much as we like the affordable appeal of a Seven 160 or Roadsport, simply having the wildly powerful 620 R or Superlight R500 available in the US is a good thing for enthusiasts.
"In the last two years, Caterham has significantly broadened its reach internationally and signing a new official distributor in the form of Superformance in America is a natural extension of how our brand is expanding, rapidly, across the globe," Caterham Group CEO Graham Macdonald said. Read more in the press release below.

2020 Lotus Evora GT First Drive | Exquisitely analog

OJAI, Calif. — WeÂ’ve glimpsed LotusÂ’s EV-powered, 2,000-horsepower, $2 million future, and itÂ’s a glorious vision, for sure. But the boutique brand has also updated its more attainable gas-powered offerings back here on Earth, in the form of the 2020 Lotus Evora GT. Our first drive offered a revealing (and thrilling) taste of what might be among HethelÂ’s last traditionally-powered sports cars. For those unfamiliar with the Evora, the diminutive 2+2 was launched in 2009 as a grand touring-capable alternative to the laser-focused, ultra-featherweight Elise. Power hails from a Toyota-sourced 3.5-liter V6 with Lotus-modified induction and exhaust hardware, with everything from the throttle calibration to the spark plugs tweaked, and oil sump baffles added to reduce sloshing during high g-force maneuvers. While supercharger oomph was added to the Evora 400Â’s powerplant in 2015 (breaking the, you guessed it, 400 horsepower barrier), the latest GT spinoff incorporates mods from the non-U.S.-spec Evora 430, which brings total output to 416 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. As before, a six-speed manual comes standard (and accounts for approximately 70% of sales), while an automatic adds $2,700 to the $96,950 starting price. Thanks to an infusion of carbon fiber and composite bits, the Evora GT tips the scales at only 3,175 pounds – for context, thatÂ’s only 33 lbs more than a Porsche 911T – aided by a bonded aluminum tub that manages both light weight and excellent torsional rigidity. Opt for the carbon pack ($10,000), and youÂ’ll shave an additional 71 pounds from the equation. Further mass reduction is available via forged wheels ($3,250) and titanium exhaust ($8,000). Revised aerodynamics in the form of tucked-in wheel arch vents, a slight drop in ride height, and a larger rear spoiler conspire to double downforce, producing 160 lbs of force at the 188-mph top speed. If youÂ’ve ever endured the awkward ingress and egress of a Lotus Elise, the Evora feels refreshingly conventional: simply slide in, click in, and adjust your mirrors diligently because, at least if youÂ’ve ordered the carbon package, visibility through the rear windows is almost entirely obscured by thick louvers. Like that other British performance brand (looking at you, McLaren), Lotus stuck to its guns by retaining a hydraulic steering rack that conveys road surface nuances and feedback with refreshing accuracy.