Lotus has unleashed a slightly revised Exige S for the 2010 model year at the Geneva Motor Show, and thankfully, it seems the U.K.-based automaker has for the most part chosen not to mess with a good thing. The bulk of the changes are minor updates to the car’s outer skin, including a new front fascia with larger openings for the radiator and twin side-mounted oil coolers. Out back, a new composite rear wing reduces drag while still putting down 42 kilograms (93 pounds) of downforce at 160 km/h (about 100 mph). We think the facelift makes the Exige look a bit more masculine and aggressive.

Improvements made to reduce weight and aerodynamics also have the desirable effect of increasing overall efficiency. Fuel economy remains stellar for a vehicle of this caliber at 33 mpg on the European Combined Cycle. As Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive of Group Lotus plc, asks, “How many cars have performance figures of 0 - 100 km/h in 4.77 secs but produce only 199 g/km CO2?” Answer: None that we know of.

A Touring Pack is still available and includes such accoutrements as leather hides for the seats, console and handbrake lever along with an iPod adapter, carpets, sound deadening material and a cup holder. For more hardcore drivers, Lotus also offers a Sport Pack with Bilstein sports dampers, traction control, an adjustable front anti-roll bar and a cockpit roll bar complete with integrated harness mounts to keep you nice and secure. A Performance Pack increases power to 240 horses and adds such goodies as upsized brakes, variable slip traction control, a higher-spec clutch and launch control.

Nimble as they are, Lotus fans have been looking forward to something with a bit more oomph than the Elise/Exige/Europa series, and the Evora just didn’t cut it. With the start of the new year, we thought we had come that much closer to the launch of the highly anticipated new Esprit. But the British sportscar-maker has moved the goalposts back, with new reports indicating that the re-Esprit may debut in 2011 instead of next year as originally planned.

The reason for the delay, according to emerging reports, is that Lotus is working to integrate some sort of mild hybrid system into its reborn GT. The system could be borrowed, along with its core powerplant, from BMW. A Lotus chassis with German power and regenerative braking may just be worth the wait.

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When Lotus showed off its new Evora at the LA Auto Show in November, Engineering director Roger Becker made it clear that the car we were seeing was just the beginning. Lotus has never been a company with the resources to develop completely new cars every few years. Instead they design a car and then continually evolve it over the course of 10-20 years. The initial car with a naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 will hit the streets this spring with 276 hp.

A couple of years from now Lotus will stuff a supercharger into the valley between the cylinder banks to pump that up to around 350 hp. That should be enough to boost the top end from 160 mph to around 175 mph. Before that happens, however, the kids in Hethel will be adding something not seen in a Lotus for many years — an automatic transmission — specifically for Americans too lazy to shift. A roadster variant is also being developed, and Autocar claims that Lotus will fit the Evora with a retracting hard-top. Given the modest dimensions of Lotus’ new 2+2, it’ll be interesting to see if they can stuff all that hardware into the coupe without spoiling the Evora’s stunning good looks.
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Besides Julia Roberts’ boots and Richard Gere’s state-of-the-period-art brick cellphone, one of the most memorable props from “Pretty Woman” had to be the Lotus Esprit that Gere borrows from Jason Alexander to get away from a party when his limo is buried in the parking lot. He stops to ask a hooker for directions and she hops in to show him “personal.” After futzing with the British exotic’s transmission, Gere turns over the reins and lets Julia drive the Esprit. While uttering phrases like “standard H-pattern” and “it corners like it’s on rails,” gearheads by the thousands fell for the blond-wigged prostitute with a heart of gold.

And now, you can actually relive that classic bit of movie magic for yourself. No, we’re not recommending cruising for help with your “stick shift” on Hollywood Blvd. You see, the very same Lotus that they used in the movie is now listed on Hemmings for the bargain basement price of just $54,998. Well, color me happy! The car has been at the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois but is now for sale. It’s a 1990 Lotus Esprit SE, but evidently it somehow got titled as an ‘89. It has a turbo four-cylinder that gets it from 0-60 in a scant 4.7 seconds and doesn’t stop pushing until the car reaches 165 mph. It’s one of just 324 Loti sold in the States in 1990 and the only one used in the movie. It currently has 23k miles on the clock and even comes with a letter of authenticity from Lotus.
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Early reminder to mark your calendar for the meeting this saturday at
Star Motors at 10am.

Give consideration to thinking of new things to do in 2009 that you can
manage for the enjoyment of everyone in the club.

Lotus is looking to challenge one of clients by building an electric sports car of its own. CEO Michael Kimberly told the Financial Times that the sports car maker and engineering powerhouse will soon launch extended-range battery-powered vehicle. The high performance model could appear as a concept as soon as the Geneva Motor Show in March, and like the Chevy Volt and Fisker Karma, Lotus will use an internal combustion engine to supplement the range of a battery which will provide primary propulsion.

Kimberly hasn’t indicated what kind of vehicle layout would be used, but the new Evora sports car would seem a likely candidate with a battery taking the space of the small +2 rear seats. Another possibility could be a revival of the APX crossover concept from a couple of years back. California’s Zap had hoped to use that platform for the basis of its own Zap-X, but nothing has been heard about that project for some time.

The other unknown is what, if any impact, this might have on Lotus’ relationship with Tesla Motors. Lotus helped Tesla develop its Roadster and builds the rolling chassis for it. It’s possible that Tesla could end up supplying motors or other powertrain bits to Lotus to help offset some of the cost of paying Lotus for its work.

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In 2007, Lotus released the 2-Eleven track car for customers who wanted an affordable club racer for their weekend fun time. Now the gang at Lotus Sport, the motorsports and tuning arm of the English sports car maker, has created an even more ferocious 2-Eleven, dubbed the GT4 Supersport. As the name implies, this one is designed to conform to the SRO GT4 Supersport technical rules. The modified body work is accompanied by more power, a sequential gearbox and full roll cage. The GT4 gets an extra 15 horsepower taking it to 270 with 181 lb-ft of torque. Power is put down to the ground through a new 6-speed sequential gearbox with a fore-aft shift lever. Lotus has also tied the gear position and shift indicator into the engine management system to manage torque output during shifts. Racers can upshift without lifting their foot while the engine automatically blips the throttle for downshifts. Lotus is only planning to build 10 cars initially for delivery in March 2009. This professional race car will run £78,255, although Lotus says some of the changes can be applied to existing cars for those looking to improve performance.

Full press release after the jump

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The LOST monthly meeting will be held at Star Motors Saturday the 8th. Look forward to seeing you there.

We will have our meeting tomorrow at the warehouse at 615 West Sealy in
Alvin beginning at 12 noon.

Someone will be there before 10am so coming early is ok…..

We will grill hamburgers and brats and watch the OU Texas game starting
at 11am

Bring something to drink, snacks and lawn chairs….

After in the afternoon we will ride over to Alvin Junior College and
take a group picture

Appears the MSRtrack is closed for motorcycle races this weekend.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Lotus released its Exige Cup 260 for the 2008 model year to terrorize much larger and pricier cars on race tracks ’round the world. For 2009, the British automaker has spiced things up by ‘adding lightness’ in the marque’s grand tradition. Weight drops by over 80 pounds this year to just under a ton thanks to copious use of carbon fiber. Coupled with a 257-horsepower 1.8-liter Toyota-sourced mill force fed through an intercooler by an Eaton M62 supercharger, the ‘09 Exige Cup 260 should hit 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. Electronic goodies such as launch control combined with variable traction control, plus 40 kilograms of downforce at 100 mph, do their best to keep the car planted on the track.

Race-ready bits like forged wheels wearing Yokohama A048 LTS tires, Eibach springs over one-way adjustable Bilstein dampers and cross-drilled and ventilated discs at all four corners highlight the serious intent of this car. Plus, a standard roll over hoop, dealer-installed full front roll cage and FIA compliant electronics are there to keep your track days safe.

Those masochists wishing to drive the Exige Cup 260 on the streets can do so anywhere in the European Union where it’s road-legal, but that would be missing the point entirely. Get yours in the U.K for £45,995. Full press release after the jump.

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