Lotus 41C stolen (reward for information)

Lotus 41C(V4)
lotus 41c (v2)
Rare Lotus 41C in Gold Leaf colours stolen yesterday from Northamptonshire, UK. There is no paperwork/history with this car as this is all still in my possession. A substantial reward is offered for information leading to its safe return. Fitted with a Lotus (BRM) twin cam engine, Taylor Race Engineering (Hewland Mk 8/9 replica) gearbox and rare original Lotus 6 bolt 6 spoke magnesium alloy wheels. Any info please e-mail:
lesleyellaway @ yahoo. co. uk (remove all spaces when typing)

REWARD IS OFFERED FOR THE SAFE RETURN OF THIS CAR

LOTUS 41C (3)
Lotus 41C (v1)

For further information on the car please visit LotusTalk

Update: Car has been recovered by UK police

North Bay Lotus Drive and BBQ (10-Oct-2009)

We will meet at 0930 at Sonoma Valley Bagel & Café, located at 350 Rohnert Park Expressway West, Rohnert Park, anddepart at 0955. Fill your tank before the start –plenty of stations are nearby. For those members who miss the start, or are coming from further south, we will have a scheduled stop at the Marin French Cheese Co., AKA Cheese Factory, AKA Rouge et Noir at around 1045 where we’ll stop for about 20 minutes before continuing on our routeto John Kenner’s place. After lunch, return home via Hwy 101, just 10 miles east, or take the fun route
home!

Total drive time with one stop will be about 2.25 hours, so we’ll end up at John Kenner’s place at about 12:25. Please RSVP without fail.


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Greg Tatarian (1971 S4 DHC) designed the route and will lead the drive. You can email Greg for more info or download PDFs of the flyer and map from his website.

We will end our drive at John Kenner’s place: 5190 Vine Hill Road, Sebastopol at about 12:25. John will be serving excellent BBQ’d marinated chicken, potato salad and fresh vegetables from his garden at about 12:30. Bread, desert, and beverages are potluck.If you don’t eat chicken, bring something else. A refrigerator will be available.

John will open his rustic Lotus Barn (and Triumphs) for you to look around. This is not quite the scale of the one in Pennsylvania that’s been on Lotuselan.net lately, but it’s different, and fun!

PLEASE R.S.V.P. SO JOHN CAN HAVE SUFFICIENT FOOD AVAILABLE!
JOHN KENNER:JKENNER@TAMCAB.COM CELL: 415 806 2457
GREG TATARIAN: gtwincams@gmail.com CELL: 707-570-5808

A GOOD TIME WILL BE HAD BY ALL!

Lotus confirmed for 2010 F1 season

The Fia has confirmed that the Lotus name will officially be returning to Formula 1 for the 2010 season. While not currently affiliated with Group Lotus, the team will initially be based out of Norfolk and is backed by Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. The team’s future design, R&D, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Press release from the FIA:

Following an intensive selection and due diligence process, the FIA has awarded the 13th entry in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship to the Lotus F1 Team.

The FIA also received an impressive application from the BMW Sauber Team. However, given that BMW has announced it will withdraw its support in 2010, there are still uncertainties regarding the future ownership of the team.

Nevertheless, the FIA considers that BMW Sauber’s application is of high quality and would constitute a competitive participant in the Championship. As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the ’14th place’ in the Championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid.

In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams. The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010.

Detailed below is information about the new team that has been confirmed to compete in the Championship from next year.

Company Name: 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn Bhd
Team Name: Lotus F1 Team
Country: Malaysia
Team Principal: Tony Fernandes

A partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs, 1Malaysia F1 Team returns the Lotus name as a constructor to Formula One for the first time since 1994. The team will initially be based at the RTN facility in Norfolk, UK, some 10 miles from the Lotus Cars factory. A 50,000 square foot fully equipped facility, RTN was built by Toyota for its initial Formula One programme and then used by Bentley for its successful Le Mans programme.

The team’s future design, R&D, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.

Team Principal Tony Fernandes is the founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team’s Technical Director Mike Gascoyne has over 20 years of experience in Formula One having previously performed the same role for the Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan Formula One teams.

As part of its application to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the team has agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth and a wide variety of technical partnerships including Xtrac and FondTech.

Autocross Registration Now Open

For the final event Oct 17th, the paper work is signed and we’ll be trying out a new site. The Centennial parking lot at Great America, in Santa Clara. Where the 49er’s hope to be playing in a few years (and right across the street from their HQ and training faculties).


View Larger Map

Courtesy of our sponsor, Silicon Valley Auto Group, we will have a nice BBQ cooked on site (tri-tip and chicken and garden burger for the veggies) along with all the trimmings, heck we’ll even have chairs and tables so everyone can sit down and enjoy it. Also thanks to SVAG we’ll have the trophies to give out to the season winners. Both Andrew and Jordan will be there. I’ll let Andrew address it the day of but they are planning a unveiling of the Evora shortly.

Registration is now open at:
http://www.motorsportreg.com/index.cfm/event/event.advert/uidEvent/A9E96E5E-C771-7F8E-FBB23B03B928E9F1

Thanks,

Larry & Alex
GGLC Event Chair

GGLC Club Members win at SCCA Nationals

Congratulations to GGLC Club Members Shelly Monfort and Ben Martinez for winning their classes at the 2009 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship. Shelly won her 3rd national championship in the Super Stock Ladies class in her Lotus Elise against heavy Corvette opposition while Ben took the D Street Prepared class in his Merkur XR4 Ti. Additionally club member Jesus Villarreal was the runner-up in C Prepared while autocross series regular Elise Sias finished 3rd in the Street Modified Ladies class.

Full results available at here (SSL) and here (D Street Prep). Photos by Norcalturbo

Lotus Range Extender Engine Revealed

The Lotus Range Extender – designed specifically for the new breed of highly efficient series hybrid vehicles.

lotus-range-extender-engine

Lotus Engineering, the world-renowned automotive consultancy division of Lotus, unveils its Range Extender engine at the 63rd Frankfurt International Motor Show. In a series hybrid vehicle, the Range Extender engine is attached to an electricity generator and provides a highly efficient source of energy to power the electric motor directly or charge the vehicles battery. The battery can also power the electric motor which enables the design of a drivetrain that has low emissions, optimised performance and acceptable range.

The Lotus Range Extender engine features an innovative architecture comprising an aluminium monoblock construction, integrating the cylinder block, cylinder head and exhaust manifold in one casting. This results in reduced engine mass, assembly costs, package size and improved emissions and engine durability.

The three-cylinder 1.2 litre Range Extender engine is optimised between two power generation points, giving 15 kW of electrical power at 1,500 rpm and 35 kW at 3,500 rpm via the integrated electrical generator. Its low mass of 56 kg makes it ideal for the series hybrid drivetrain configurations for which it is designed. The engine uses an optimised two-valve port-fuel injection combustion system to reduce cost and mass and, in line with Lotus Engineering’s extensive research into renewable fuels, can be operated on alcohol-based fuels or gasoline.

For successful market uptake of series hybrid vehicles with acceptable driving range, vehicle manufacturers must overcome the challenges of high vehicle cost. The Lotus Range Extender engine not only offers the advantage of a cost effective design, but also its high efficiency and low mass will enable the downsizing of expensive batteries whilst maintaining vehicle efficiency and range. The engine has been designed using production methodologies and the parts procured from low volume potential production suppliers, offering a fast route to market for original equipment manufacturers wanting to source a dedicated range extender for series hybrid vehicles.

Paul Newsome, Managing Director of Lotus Engineering said: “As the world changes, Lotus Engineering continues to change with it, continuously developing solutions for more sustainable transportation. The Lotus Range Extender engine is another example of Lotus Engineering developing new technologies for efficient performance, this time in the area of series hybrid vehicles. The engine concept we have created with its optimised combustion and compact, low mass, low cost construction is a clear demonstration of the expertise and progressive approach Lotus takes for its own research and for its clients.”

The Lotus Range Extender engine has been developed as part of the ‘Limo-Green’ project funded by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board, a collaboration between Lotus Engineering, Jaguar Cars Ltd, MIRA Ltd and Caparo Vehicle Technologies, demonstrating a large, lightweight, prestigious executive saloon with less than 120 g/km CO2 emissions.

Simon Wood, Technical Director of Lotus Engineering said: “Most series hybrid vehicles that are currently being developed will use adaptations of existing, conventional engines which are therefore compromised in the efficiency that they can achieve, designed as they are for a wide range of operating conditions. Designing the Lotus Range Extender purely for use in series hybrids has allowed us instead to develop an optimised engine that has high thermal efficiency, low fuel consumption, multi-fuel capability and a 35 kW peak output from a 1.2 litre, low cost architecture over the precise operating range required by a series hybrid drivetrain.”

Technical details:

Technical specification of the Lotus Range Extender engine

General

1.2 litre 3-cylinder with 2 valves per cylinder, SOHC

Belt driven

Construction

Monoblock with Integrated Exhaust Manifold

All aluminium

Balance shaft (optional)

Direct-coupled generator

Bore and Stroke

75.0 mm x 90.0 mm

Compression ratio

10:1

Maximum power

35 kW (47 bhp) at 3500 rpm via integrated electrical generator

Peak torque

107 Nm at 2500 rpm

Maximum BMEP

11.2 bar

Maximum Engine Speed

3500 rpm

Fuel System

Port fuel injection, Lotus EMS

Fuel

95 RON ULG / ethanol / methanol

Dry weight

56 kg


Key features of the Range Extender engine in detail:

Monoblock

The Range Extender features a novel engine architecture incorporating a monoblock construction that blends the cylinder head and block together eliminating the need for a cylinder head gasket, improving durability and reducing weight. Approximately 17 parts are eliminated using this approach and the water jacket is better optimised.

Integrated Exhaust Manifold

Lotus Engineering designed and developed a new advanced cylinder head design featuring an integrated exhaust manifold. The production-ready technology can significantly reduce manufacturing costs, emissions and weight. An integrated exhaust manifold has potential to:

o Reduce parts count: 18 fewer components resulting in lower inventory, production, logistics and aftermarket costs

o Weight reduction: total system mass reduction resulting from elimination of separate exhaust manifold

Improved engine durability

Generator

Attached to the engine via the crankshaft, the generator sustains vehicle operation beyond the range provided by the batteries.

Additional Benefits

The Lotus Range Extender engine generates a reduction in emissions through faster light-off of the close-coupled catalytic converter with a reduction in heat loss between the exhaust port and catalyst inlet. Engine operating range is optimised to deliver more efficient running, which also aids underhood thermal management.

Utilisation of the monoblock construction results in an assembly cost reduction, while there is also a reduced catalyst loading requirement because less heat is lost on engine start-up between the exhaust port and catalyst inlet.

Increased vehicle integration flexibility is achieved because of the reduction in mass and the reduced package size leads to reduced space requirements. Particular emphasis has also been placed on the coupling of the generator and NVH signature.

Lotus Appoints New CEO

dany-bahar-lotus-ceo

Dany T. Bahar has been appointed as the new CEO of Group Lotus effective 1st October 2009, replacing Michael J. Kimberley, who retired in July.

Prior to this appointment, Dany Bahar was Senior Vice President, Commercial & Brand for Ferrari SpA where he was responsible for worldwide road car sales and after sales business, overall road car and F1 marketing activities, licensing, and merchandising business.

Before joining Ferrari SpA, Dany Bahar was the Head of Corporate Projects Business in Red Bull GmbH. He was responsible for the overall corporate project business development, with emphasis on diversifying the business such as setting up their F1 strategy with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso and the US based Nascar Team operations, acquiring football clubs in Salzburg, New York and Ghana for commercial purposes.

On his appointment, Dany Bahar said, “I am looking forward to taking on the challenges as CEO of this legendary and iconic company with a peerless motorsport history. Lotus has a worldwide reputation for innovative engineering and superb sportscars that lead the world in efficiency, design and dynamics. With the recent launch of the award-winning Evora, there is proof that Lotus is better placed than many to capitalise on the rapidly changing automotive market. I can’t wait to get my plans underway in October.”

In welcoming Dany Bahar, Dato’ Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, the Chairman of Lotus Group, stated “With Dany’s track record in motorsports and Ferrari, we strongly believe that we have found the right CEO to enhance the Lotus image, brand and reputation as a world class sportscar and engineering company. With a strong management team already in place, we are confident this objective can be attained.”

Dany Bahar, a Swiss National, holds an MBA and is married with two children.

Evora Deliveries Begin

Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars (left) hands over the keys of the first customer Lotus Evora to Mr Matthew Melling at the Lotus Headquarters in Norfolk, UK.
Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars (left) hands over the keys of the first customer Lotus Evora to Mr Matthew Melling at the Lotus Headquarters in Norfolk, UK.

Matthew Melling of Twickenham, UK received the keys of a Storm Titanium Lotus Evora from Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited at the Lotus Headquarters where the new mid-engined 2+2 sportscar is hand built.

Many Lotus dealers around the world have already received their demonstrators and Lotus has, so far, received orders for the next 5 months of production. Demand for Lotus’ award winning Evora has meant that 150 extra new manufacturing staff have been recruited to support assembly operations in Norfolk, UK, a very positive sign at a time when the global motor industry faces huge challenges. Full production is expected to reach the maximum rate by the end of November 2009.

Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars Limited said, “It is quite an emotional time to deliver the first Lotus Evora to Mr. Melling. The whole team has worked incredibly hard to design, engineer and produce such a stunning and high performing sportscar and it is a great feeling to hand over the keys to the first customer today. The Evora has won many awards around the world already so we are not surprised that there is high demand for the car and I am sure that each customer who receives their car will be delighted with their purchase.”

Matthew Melling, a customer of Stratton Motor Company, in Norfolk said, “I was determined to be the first in the world to get my hands on an Evora so with Stratton Motor Company’s help, I laid down my deposit within seconds of the order books being opened last year. I have read all the press reviews of the Evora and am so excited about getting behind the wheel – what a great start to September!”