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Renault settles on Lotus, to take 65-percent stake in F1 team

Renault's coquettish moves toward becoming a constructor again have been news all season. The expected maneuver, should Renault say "Oui" to such, was for the French carmaker to repurchase the Lotus team - the team it sold at the end of 2010 to Genii Capital. Then last week we got the surprise news that Renault had been talking to Force India about taking a majority stake, but that information came with the context that Renault had discussions with several teams about such a move. Autosport reports that Renault has finally decided to get back together with Lotus, taking a stake worth up to 65 percent for 65 million pounds. The deciding factor was said to be the facilities that Lotus has available compared to Force India, including the Enstone factory formerly owned by Renault, plus a computational fluid dynamics program, driver-in-the-loop simulator, and a 60-percent-scale wind tunnel. The final shareholding stake will be split between Gerard Lopez at 25 percent and Renault ambassador Alain Prost at 10 percent. Renault will make a 7.5-million-pound payment immediately, completing the acquisition by paying 5.75-million-pounds per year for the next ten years. On top of that, Renault will invest a budget commensurate with those of Mercedes-AMG Petronas and Infiniti Red Bull Racing. The carmaker's board and CEO Carlos Ghosn have approved the deal, it is up to Lotus shareholders to agree to everything by Monday, when Autosport says the papers will be signed. The deal puts team drivers and the Red Bull engine supply in question. It should be expected for Romain Grosjean to remain, but keeping Pastor Maldonado is not a certainty. As for engines, Red Bull's engine supply contract states it must be Renault's priority, so Renault could stick with the Mercedes power unit Lotus currently uses for one more year, or help Red Bull get in bed with Mercedes. We should know more next week. Related Video:

Bond in Motion car exhibit coming to L.A.'s Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum was already a must-see for any car enthusiast visiting Los Angeles, and it's about to get a little better should you also be a James Bond fan. Opening Sept. 25 in the museum's appropriately named Grand Salon gallery will be the "Bond in Motion" exhibit of more than 30 cars, motorcycles, boats, submarines, helicopters and scale models used during the creation of the 24 official James Bond films. The timing corresponds with the Oct. 8 release of "No Time to Die," the upcoming 60th anniversary of the first Bond movie ... and hey, the release of our "All 24 James Bond movies ranked only by their cars." Highlights include many of the most famous Bond cars, including a 1977 Lotus Esprit S1 in submarine guise from "The Spy Who Loved Me," an Aston Martin V8 from "The Living Daylights," a 1999 BMW Z8 from "The World is Not Enough," the Aston Martin DB10 specially made for "Spectre," the post-flipped Aston Martin DBS from "Casino Royale," and one of the 1964 Aston Martin DB5s from the recent movies. I visited an exhibit of the same name back in 2013 at England's sensational Beaulieu Motor Museum. Although the one in L.A. won't be as comprehensive as that, simply due to logistics, many of the same vehicles and props will be present. You can see some of the photos from that exhibit below, and should you be a James Bond fan, can appreciate that it went much further than the Aston-heavy headliners above. In fact, it was hard to see what was missing from the collection. Tickets are on sale for the opening reception Sept. 23 featuring "one-night-only photo opportunities, live entertainment, food and martinis, shaken not stirred." Considering this is Los Angeles we're talking about, it's perfectly plausible this means noteworthy cast members from past films. Prices are $60 for general admission and $199 for VIP access, which includes exclusive access to the exhibit, "007 lounge" and a curated talk, plus complimentary food and a hosted bar.  The exhibit runs until October 2022.  AMC Hornet and Mercury Cougar XR7 View 22 Photos  

Lotus said to be planning new sedan, crossover [w/poll]

Lotus has been in limbo in recent years. After former CEO Dany Bahar revealed his plans to build six new models, its parent company was sold, Bahar was sacked, his plans were canceled and a new CEO was hired in the form of former Peugeot chief Jean-Marc Gales. The industry has been waiting ever since to find out what Gales would do with the storied marque, and now we seem to have some indication.
Reports coming in from Malaysia indicate that Jean-Marc presented to the board of parent company Proton a plan for Lotus to build a new sedan and crossover. Though details are scarce, and may seem downright blasphemous for an automaker that built is reputation on lightweight sports cars, it would not be the first time that the House that Colin Built has toyed with either idea.
The company presented the APX crossover concept at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show, and the Eterne sedan concept as part of Bahar's far-reaching plans at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The new plans may use these concepts as starting points or could go another direction entirely.