Lotus Evija debuts at Monterey Car Week

Lotus Evija, the world’s most powerful production car, made its public debut in Monterey this week as thousands of fans flocked to the electric hypercar’s reveal. North America’s excited reception of the first all-electric British hypercar, resulted in strong double-figure orders being taken, and most of the initial production for the US market now allocated to customers

The all-new Lotus Evija hypercar has made its public debut at the world-renowned Monterey Car Week, which drew to a close at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on Sunday.

Evija received plaudits from across the automotive world at Car Week, from the likes of high profile collector Jay Leno, social media star Supercar Blondie and the Petersen Automotive Museum Checkered Flag 200, gaining many new fans, friends and customers along the way.

Gordon McCall, Director of Motorsports for The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, said: “Seeing the Lotus Evija debut at The Quail was fantastic – the brand has an amazing history and it is exciting to see its future unfold with the first of its new sports cars.”

Lotus Cars’ CEO, Phil Popham, added: “This is exactly the start we hoped for. Evija is an outstanding and exceptional car – designed and engineered to put Lotus back on the map as the innovator and technical leader that it is. Many orders are now taken, giving us great confidence to hit our planned volume as we enter production next year.”

A technical tour de force, the Evija is illustrative of the innovative thinking and ingenuity that has always been part of the Lotus DNA. With a target output of 2000 PS, it is the world’s most powerful series production road car. It has been designed and engineered in the UK, and will be produced at Hethel, UK, the home of Lotus since 1966. Exclusivity is guaranteed, with production limited to a maximum of 130 cars.

Monterey Motorsports Reunion tickets and Lotus Corral passes now on sale

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The GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the 2012 Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca Raceway on August 19-21, 2011. Purchase your Monterey Motorsports Reunion ticket and Lotus corral pass from the GGLC and for a discount. The GGLC must sell at least 25 tickets and get 25 Lotus cars in the corral. Please order early and reserve your spot in the corral. GGLC membership is NOT required, but you must drive your Lotus to the event to park in the GGLC Lotus Corral.

A few things to keep in mind.

  • The GGLC/Lotus Corral is available all 3 days!
  • A corral pass is $10 and is good for all 3 days.
  • You must purchase a ticket from the GGLC to be able to purchase a GGLC/Lotus Corral Pass.
  • We are offering “Priority Mail” delivery
  • GGLC/LOTUS CORRAL PASSES ARE ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE GGLC AND PURCHASING A TICKET FROM THE GGLC!

Typically the tickets are sent to the GGLC 2-3 weeks prior and we will then immediately distribute them to you. Expect your ticket(s) and corral passes approximate one week prior to the event.

DEADLINE TO BUY TICKETS & CORRAL PASS: JUNE 25, 2012!

We will not be able get tickets and corral passes after this deadline!

Click here to buy your tickets and passes on the GGLC website.

GGLC Paddock Tour @ 2011 Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Historic Formula 1 @ Monterey Motorsports Reunion (Video)

The main feature race of the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrated 60 years of Formula 1 and had a grid featuring an incredible 24 F1 cars including 3 Lotus (Types 77, 79 and 81) and 6 championship winning cars (Lotus 79, Williams FW07, 2 Williams FW08, Tyrrell 006, Ferrari 312 T2). The following are some quick video snippets showing the action as it went down.

The most iconic turn at Laguna Seca is the Corkscrew and we got this quick clip of the cars navigating it during the Sunday morning practice session. You can also see another video from a different angle here.

This clip shows the cars lining up for the grid and labels them for the folks who don’t remember all their historic F1 liveries 🙂

Unlike Europe, Historic Grand Prix racing in the US generally uses a rolling start. The Williams FW 07B and FW 08C make up the front row.

A clip showing Turn 11 passing from lap 2. We have the two Williams FW 08C cars trying up and under moves while the Lotus 79 outbrakes the Penske PC4

The final turn of the race featured a finish line drag race between the Lotus 77 (driven by GGLC member Chris Locke) and the McLaren M30.

The full results and entry list are now posted on the official website.

Lotus Events during Monterey week

Lotus-T125

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7:
9:00am – 5:00pm: Lotus exhibit in the four-bay garage under the presentation podium structure. North American debut of the Evora Cup GT4 race car and World Premier of the new Lotus T125 ultimate track/race car.

12:20pm – 12:35pm: Lotus Evora Cup GT4 race car on track with Johnny Mowlem providing rides to seriously interested Evora Cup GT4 prospects.

5:00pm – 7:00pm: Reception hosted within Lotus exhibit.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8:
9:00am – 5:00pm: Lotus exhibit in the four-bay garage under the presentation podium structure. North American debut of the Evora Cup GT4 race car and World Premier of the new Lotus T125 ultimate track/race car.

12:20pm – 12:35pm: Lotus Evora Cup GT4 race car on track with Johnny Mowlem providing rides to seriously interested Evora Cup GT4 prospects.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11:
5:00pm – 10:00pm: Lotus T125, Evora Cup GT4, Evora road car and IndyCar display at the McCall’s Motorworks Revival at the Monterey Jet Center.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13:
9:00am – 6:00pm: Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill near The Lodge at Pebble Beach housing the Evora Cup GT4 track/race car and full array of Lotus road-going product portfolio.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14:
9:00am – 6:00pm: Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill near The Lodge at Pebble Beach housing the Evora Cup GT4 track/race car and full array of Lotus road-going product portfolio.
12:00pm – 6:00pm: Lotus T125 track/race car displayed on the Concept Car Lawn at The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15:
8:00am – 4:00pm: Lotus exhibit on Peter Hay Hill near The Lodge at Pebble Beach housing the Evora Cup GT4 track/race car and full array of Lotus road-going product portfolio.
8:00am – 6:00pm: Lotus T125 track/race car displayed on the Concept Car Lawn at The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

We hope to see as many Lotus aficionados as possible throughout the week!

Best regards,

Kevin Smith

Kevin D. Smith
Marketing and PR Executive
Lotus Cars USA, Inc.

Monterey Motorsports Reunion to celebrate 60 years of Formula 1

The Monterey Motorsports Reunion (formerly known as the Monterey Historics) has announced that the 2010 event (August 13-15) will feature 38 historic F1 cars will take the grid including a Lotus 49 and GGLC Member Chris LockeLotus 77.

Hungry Lotus

As mentioned before, the GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the event. Click here to purchase your Monterey Motorsports Reunion ticket and Lotus corral pass from the GGLC and for a discount. Please order early and reserve your spot in the corral. GGLC membership is NOT required, but you must drive your Lotus to the event to park in the GGLC Lotus Corral. DEADLINE TO BUY TICKETS & CORRAL PASS: MAY 25, 2009! We will not be able get tickets and corral passes after this deadline!

Scroll down for the full press release and for pictures of Lotus from the 2007 event.

[press release from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca]

For motorsports fans there’s no sweeter sound than the high-revving engines of Formula 1 cars. And for those attending the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 12-15 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, there will be plenty to see and hear as 38 historic F1 cars will take to the grid to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Formula 1.

“The first world championship Formula 1 race was held at Silverstone in 1950 and for this year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, we wanted to celebrate the 60 years of Formula 1 history with a featured race,” explained Gill Campbell, CEO/general manager for Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Dan Gurney, the only American to build and win in a Formula 1 race in a car of his own construction will be on hand to help us pay tribute to the beautiful and history-laden grid of Formula 1 cars.”

On the grid will be one of the most radical entries ever to succeed in Formula 1 competition. The 1976 Tyrrell P34 ‘six-wheeler’ used four, tiny 10-inch wheels and tires at the front and two ordinary sized wheels in the back. The idea of the smaller front tires was to increase air penetration and have a smaller ‘frontal area’ to reduce drag. Driver Patrick Depailler debuted the car and with team-mate Jody Scheckter earned one win and several high place finishes.

No historic F1 race would be complete without a few of Colin Chapman’s revolutionary cars. The 1976 Lotus 77, known as the John Player Special MK II, driven by Mario Andretti to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, will be on track along side the 1967 Lotus 49. The Lotus 49 was the first Double Four Valve powered car in F1 with an engine that not only was revolutionary; it started the Ford/Cosworth relationship. Driven by Jimmy Clark, it won its debut race at Zandvoort. This was the first F1 race car that had sponsor liveries.

The red team from Modena, and F1, are two names that will forever be entwined with each other as Ferrari is the oldest surviving and the most successful F1 team in Grand Prix racing. Fans will experience the 1969 Ferrari 312 driven by Chris Amon and Pedro Rodriguez, the 1970 Ferrari 312B driven by Jacky Ickx which was the first F1 car from the Scuderia with the ‘boxer’ engine (flat 12 cylinders), and the 1980 Ferrari 312T5 which was driven by Jody Scheckter and Gilles Villeneuve. The Ferrari 312T series won 27 races, four constructers’ and three drivers’ championships.

The Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion is honoring one of the true legends of motorsports- Dan Gurney who is one of five Americans to have won an F1 race. Additionally highlighting the 19 race groups will be a dedicated grid of 40 Bugatti race cars in the Bugatti Grand Prix, a featured race for Trans-Am; and for the first time ever, Stock Cars (with drum brakes) that competed between 1959 and 1975.

GGLC Lotus Corral @ 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion (13-15 August 2010)

The GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion (nee: Monterey Historic Races) at Laguna Seca Raceway on August 13-15, 2010. Purchase your Monterey Motorsports Reunion ticket and Lotus corral pass from the GGLC and for a discount. The GGLC must sell at least 25 tickets. Please order early and reserve your spot in the corral. GGLC membership is NOT required, but you must drive your Lotus to the event to park in the GGLC Lotus Corral.

# A few things have changed since last year. The GGLC/Lotus Corral is available all 3 days!
# A corral pass is $10 and is good for all 3 days.
# You must purchase a ticket from the GGLC to be able to purchase a GGLC/Lotus Corral Pass
These new “rules” are based upon the new policies from the Monterey Motorsports Reunion organizers.

Click here to buy your Monterey Historic tickets. Typically the tickets are sent to the GGLC 2-3 weeks prior and we will then immediately distribute them to you. Expect your ticket(s) and corral passes approximate one week prior to the event.

DEADLINE TO BUY TICKETS & CORRAL PASS: MAY 25, 2009! We will not be able get tickets and corral passes after this deadline!

[Buy GGLC Corral Pass + tickets]

Steve Earle out at Monterey Historics

In response to the press release issued by SCRAMP on August 16, 2009 (dated August 17) regarding the future of the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Steve Earle, President of General Racing, Ltd., has issued the following statement:

General Racing, which has created and produced the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR for 36 years, will no longer be doing so. In the future SCRAMP, the Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula, will organize a new event.

On September 5, 2008, I was advised that the economic terms for the agreement between General Racing and SCRAMP were no longer commercially viable for SCRAMP. I’m disappointed that we were not able to come to an agreement that would allow our event to remain in Monterey. General Racing will allow SCRAMP a one-time use of the name Monterey Historic Automobile Races for the 2010 event.

General Racing will continue the tradition of the Monterey Historics at the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., in early June 2010.

We are very proud of all that we have accomplished with the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, and I truly believe that we have brought something special to the community of Monterey as an event of world renown and the generator of substantial revenue for the local economy and the charities to which SCRAMP contributes.

The purpose of General Racing, Ltd., is and always has been to encourage the restoration, preservation and use of historic, sports and racing cars. General Racing events and races are for the enjoyment of participants and enthusiasts alike.

More information at Autoweek

GGLC Monterey Historics Lotus Corral

The GGLC is once again arranging for a Lotus Corral at the 2009 Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca Raceway on August 14-16, 2009. Purchase your Monterey Historic ticket from the GGLC and get a free corral pass to the GGLC Lotus corral. To get the Lotus Corral parking the GGLC must sell at least 35 tickets. Please order early and reserve your spot in the corral. GGLC membership is NOT required, but you must drive your Lotus to the event to park in the GGLC Lotus Corral.

Click here to buy your Monterey Historic tickets. Typically the tickets are sent to the GGLC 2-3 weeks prior and we will then immediately distribute them to you. Expect your ticket(s) and corral passes approximate one week prior to the event.

Corral parking on Saturday is separated by Club/Marque. Sunday corral parking is mixed marques.

Order on-line at www.gglotus.org or mail check (made to Golden Gate Lotus Club) to:

GGLC – Monterey, 775 Paul Ave, Palo Alto CA 94306

DEADLINE TO BUY TICKETS & CORRAL PASS: JUNE 10, 2009!

Ticket prices, ticket includes corral pass for Saturday:

Saturday, Aug 15 ONLY: $66.00 ($75 at gate)

Sunday, Aug 16 ONLY: $51.00 ($60 at gate)

2-Day, Sat Aug 15 and Sun Aug 16: $97.00 ($115 at gate)

3-Day, Fri Aug 14, Sat Aug 15 and Sun Aug 16: $127.00 ($145 at gate)