Last 2ZZ-GE powered Elise Delivered

Lotus commemorated their successful relationship with Toyota today (17th September) at a celebration at the British Embassy in Tokyo where Lotus CEO Dany Bahar presented Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda with a specially equipped Lotus Elise powered by the last ever Toyota 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine. The occasion marked the end of an era and the start of an even stronger relationship between the two companies.

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (left) presented  the keys to the Lotus Elise R alongside a commemorative plaque encased in a leather wallet to Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (right)
Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (left) presented the keys to the Lotus Elise R alongside a commemorative plaque encased in a leather wallet to Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (right)

As part of the celebration, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “The presentation of Toyota’s last 2ZZ engine in the Elise is a symbolic gesture of our continued respect and deep appreciation for our partner not only acknowledging our past but also looking forward to our future together.”

  David Warren, British Ambassador to Japan (left), Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (centre) and Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (right) with the Lotus Elise R
David Warren, British Ambassador to Japan (left), Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (centre) and Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (right) with the Lotus Elise R

Toyota Motor Corporation President responded: “A Toyota engine in a Lotus car creates a completely unique drive feeling – a special blend featuring the best of Lotus and Toyota that we hope many car lovers continue to experience and enjoy.”

Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (right) and Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (left) in the Lotus Elise R housing the final Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine produced
Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus (right) and Toyota Motor Corporation President, Akio Toyoda (left) in the Lotus Elise R housing the final Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine produced

Based on the successful cooperation with Toyota so far, Lotus has decided to take the relationship with Toyota to a new level that will enable Lotus to create tailor-made powertrain solutions for future Lotus cars.

For more details on exactly how Lotus will be partnering with Toyota in the future, simply look to the Lotus global unveiling at the Paris Motor Show on September 30th where Lotus will showcase their new line up to the world’s media. The eagerly anticipated event marks the dawn of a new era for Lotus and will highlight exactly why both companies are so proud of their relationship.

Lotus Racing – Italian Grand Prix review

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Lotus Racing will move on to the Singapore Grand Prix having had a strong weekend that unfortunately did not repay the team with the race result they had hoped for from the Italian Grand Prix. Heikki Kovalainen finished the race in 18th and Jarno Trulli recorded a DNF. Jarno had made a good start and was comfortably leading the other new teams until a gearbox failure on the 46th lap forced him to pull over.

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Heikki Kovalainen (Chassis T127-01) 18th, fastest lap 1.27.822 – lap 50, 1 stop – lap 23: “I lost a few positions at the start, managed to get in front of di Grassi but then was stuck behind Timo. I didn’t have the straight line speed to get past him so didn’t have the chance to make a move. It’s a shame because I couldn’t get the true potential out of the car after a good weekend, but that’s life. We haven’t lost anything in terms of the Championship so all in all it’s not too disappointing.”

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Jarno Trulli (Chassis T127-04) DNF, fastest lap 1.29.017 – lap 30, 1 stop – lap 25: “It was a very good race until the gearbox problem meant I had to stop. I lost second gear and even though I continued running without second, it gave up completely which ended the race. But I must say that the race had been very satisfying until that point. I was pulling away from Timo and the guys behind and was increasing the lead with every lap, and the car felt great right from the start. But this seems to be the story of the season – we’ll go to Singapore and hope my luck improves there.”

Dieter Gass, Sporting Director: “A bit of an unfortunate race today after a strong weekend. Heikki lost position at the start – he managed to pass di Grassi but couldn’t get past Timo after a good fight. Jarno had a strong race until we ran into gearbox trouble. He lost second, then the whole gearbox, which brought his race to an end. Now we move on to Singapore and we’ll fight back there.”

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Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: “One has to be philosophical after today’s race, and focus on the fact we had a very good weekend. It’s obviously disappointing that we had yet another gearbox failure on Jarno’s car as he was comfortably pulling away from his nearest rivals until he had to pull over. Heikki had an unfortunate start, and that meant his whole race was compromised as he was stuck behind Timo and couldn’t pass. Despite that, it’s been a good weekend for the team. We’ve made some important decisions about next year, and we’ll build on what we’ve learnt here and come back fighting.”

[press release from Lotus Racing]

North Bay Run & BBQ (Sept 25)

Back by popular demand, your hosts Greg Tatarian and John Kenner invite owners of new and classic Lotus cars to join us for a tour of some of our Sonoma County back roads, followed by a BBQ at John Kenner’s spread in Sebastopol.

PLEASE R.S.V.P. NO LATER THAN 9/21 SO JOHN CAN HAVE SUFFICIENT FOOD AVAILABLE!

We will meet at 0930 at Sonoma Valley Bagel & Café, located at 350 Rohnert Park Expressway West, Rohnert Park, and depart at 1000. 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, located at 7500 Red Hill Road., Petaluma CA 95952 – 707-762-6001, at around 1045 where we’ll stop for about 15 minutes before continuing on our route to John Kenner’s place. After lunch, return home via Hwy 101, just 10 miles east, or another interesting route home! Total drive time with one stop will be about 2.5 hours, so we’ll end up at John Kenner’s place at about 12:30.

Greg Tatarian (1971 S4 DHC) designed the route and will lead the drive. After a few comments from last year, we’ll take it a bit easier – some of our cars are a little low or stiff for some of the road surfaces. We are also considering splitting into two groups – faster and not as fast. You can email Greg for the announcement flyer as well as the map and directions or download a multi-page PDF directions and event flyer from his website at:

John Kenner’s address is: 5190 Vine Hill Road, Sebastopol. John will be serving excellent BBQ’d marinated chicken, pork loin, potato salad and fresh vegetables from his garden at about 1 pm. Bread, desert, and beverages are potluck. If you don’t eat chicken, bring something else. A refrigerator will be available. Check out John’s Triumph and Lotus projects while you eat!

PLEASE R.S.V.P. NO LATER THAN 9/21 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


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Lotus Engineering wins CARB contract

2020 Toyota Venza

Lotus Engineering is delighted to announce that it has been commissioned by the Air Resources Board of California to undertake the second stage of a study investigating efficient, lightweight vehicles manufactured using lighter, stronger materials.

Lotus Engineering will conduct a detailed structural design and analysis of the prototype vehicle from an earlier study to demonstrate it meets the crashworthiness and stringent safety requirements for vehicles sold in the United States.

In April this year, Lotus Engineering concluded the first part of the study, released by the International Council on Clean Transportation in California, which recognised that a reduction in vehicle mass of 38% can be achieved for medium volume vehicles (around 50,000 units a year) with just an increase in 3% in vehicle cost and giving a 23% reduction in fuel consumption.

It is widely recognised in the automotive industry that a reduction in vehicle mass gives more efficient vehicles; with the global drive to reduce emissions, manufacturers are working hard to take mass out their cars. Lightweight vehicles have additional benefits in terms of performance, agility and cornering, (the lighter the car, the less power it needs to propel it along the road for the same performance as a heavier car).

For 62 years, Lotus has been leading the car world with ‘performance through light weight’ engineering. The strict adherence to this philosophy enabled Lotus to develop some of the finest sportscars of all time such as the Lotus Elite, Elan, Esprit from Lotus’ peerless past and the Elise, Exige and Evora from the current line up – all of which are the lightest cars in their class. But it is not just sportscars; Lotus’ consultancy division, Lotus Engineering has been applying its light weight principles behind the scenes for other car makers for years on many types of vehicles, both low volume and mass production.

This study will be led by Lotus Engineering’s Michigan, USA office with completion in April 2011. The vehicle design will use a mixture of materials best suited to its application including aluminium, magnesium, composites, high strength lightweight steel and plastics.