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GGLC Meeting and Social (18 Feb 2011)

Dietsch Werks is hosting a special GGLC meeting and social at Club Auto Sport in San Jose. This event is open to all members well as folks interested in becoming members in future and includes dinner as well as special entertainment.

  • Get info on various club activities including track days, autocross and concours
  • Meet fellow Lotus enthusiasts and share technical tips
  • Trinity Racing Concepts will giving rides in their state of the art 3D racing simulators (includes a Lotus 49)
  • Dinner will be provided

RSVP is not required but would be appreciated. For more information including directions please check out the flyers below.

What: GGLC Feb Meeting and Social
Where: Dietsch Werks, Club Auto Sport (Suite 251), 521 Charcot Ave, San Jose, CA 95131
When: 6pm-10pm, 18 Feb 2011


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Lotus Type 125 Track Debut

Jean Alesi and James Rossiter put the F1 inspired race machine through its paces at the Autodromo di Vallelunga

Lotus’ F1 inspired customer race car, the Type 125, had its first official run out at the Italian track earlier this week as F1 legend Jean Alesi and Lotus factory driver James Rossiter completed over 200 kilometres during the two day test.

Commenting on the test, Lotus’ Director of Motorsport Operations, Miodrag Kotur said: “We’re very happy with the initial performance of the car, there are still some things that we want to improve on but that’s natural at this stage and that’s exactly why we test. Between them Jean Alesi and James Rossiter have an incredible wealth of experience and they put this to good use in Vallelunga.”
Lotus Type 125 Ambassador Jean Alesi said: “Testing is always a big challenge, it’s a different kind of pressure to racing but you still can’t relax for a second. I enjoyed my first outing in the car, it’s great to be involved at such a crucial stage in the cars’ development, I really feel like I can help to make this car as fun to drive as possible.”

Lotus factory driver James Rossiter said: “The Type 125 is unique, it’s intense, it’s extreme and it’s very raw. I can honestly say that I think it’s the closest a ‘normal’ person can get to driving an F1 car. Vallelunga was great, we learnt a lot about the car there and I’m really looking forward to the next test in a few days, it will be really interesting to see how the car responds to the conditions of a very different track.”

Next week (25th and 26th January) the Type 125 will test at Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi’s F1 track, where Alesi and Rossiter will be joined by a very special ‘yet-to-be-announced’ test driver before 15 potential buyers get their chance behind the wheel.

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Lotus vs Lotus

The two Lotus saga continues with Lotus Renault (Group Lotus) launching their new livery while Team Lotus (formerly Lotus Racing) have begun rebranding their headquarters.

Lotus Renault livery

The Lotus Renault F1 team (backed by Group Lotus) officially launched its JPS inspired black and gold livery today, displaying it on their 2010 car. The team also announced that they would be racing under a British license this year which means that any wins would be accoumanied by “God save the queen”. Head over to F1Fanatic for many more photos of the launch.

[via F1Fanatic.co.uk]

Team Lotus Rebranding
At the same time, Team Lotus just put out this video showing their rebranding of the head quarters with the classic Team Lotus logo and colours. While the Chapman family has formally withdrawn support from the former Lotus Racing team, the British High Courts are set to decide on the ownership of the name later this year.

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Holiday Open House benefiting Toys for Tots

Join GGLC Sponsor Dietsch Werks on Dec 15th for a Holiday Party benefiting Toys for Tots!

Dietsch Werks and many other businesses located inside Club Auto Sport will be decking the drive isles with cars and holleys!

Exotic cars, cocktails, holiday treats and decor will be plentiful so stop by after work, share a toast and help us help the Marines in their quest to make this Holiday Season a memorable one for kids who need it the most.

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Group Lotus + Renault + Genii = Lotus Renault GP

Group Lotus plc and Genii Capital are pleased to announce a partnership which will see the Renault F1 Team renamed as ‘Lotus Renault GP’ from the start of the 2011 racing season onwards. The association heralds the return of a highly successful Formula 1™ association between Lotus and Renault from the 1980s. Lotus’ racing pedigree and heritage coupled with Renault’s technology in Formula 1™ will set the united team on a path to future success.

2011-car

Group Lotus plc will acquire a major equity stake in the team from Genii Capital. The transaction represents a partnership between Group Lotus and Genii Capital and signifies the beginning of a more comprehensive strategic alliance between the two organisations.

The partnership between Lotus and Genii brings the ability to quickly incorporate new technologies from F1™ cars into Lotus road cars including hybrid technology, Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), aero advancements and lightweight materials. Genii, an investment holding company with a portfolio of automotive technologies, bring non-F1™ technologies such as lightweight braking systems, variable compression engine technology and on board software systems to the partnership.

Lotus Renault GP Logo

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1™. We’re well aware that there has been a lot of controversy around the usage of our brand in F1™ and I’m delighted to be able to formally clarify our position: We are Lotus, and we are back.”

Dato’ Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Chairman of Proton, Lotus majority shareholder, said: “We know that Group Lotus has much to offer Formula 1™ and vice versa. After careful consideration, we believe this arrangement will be fruitful, both from a commercial and marketing point of view.”

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Proton advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia, said: “This is an exciting development which delivers strategic benefits to both Group Lotus and Proton. I fully support the partnership.”

Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault, commented: “This multi-partner alliance will bring a new dynamic to the team and enable it to compete with the sport’s best from next season.”

In addition to this, Genii is also offering Proton the ability to leverage on its existing business relationships in Russia and other parts of the world, as a means to expand Proton’s global reach. Through Genii, Proton can also potentially access advanced automotive technologies by virtue of Genii’s association with Mangrove, a venture capital group.

Gerard Lopez, founding partner of Genii Capital, said: “For Group Lotus, access to Formula 1™ opens up new marketing opportunities and a major platform for business exchanges and development. In this regard, Genii Capital possesses shareholdings in, and direct access to, cutting edge companies in the automotive industry. Our tie-up with Group Lotus and Proton, which will enable its future road car ranges to take advantage of significant new technologies, is a natural step.”

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Lotus Management Additions

Lotus add to expertise with two further appointments: industry leader Karl-Heinz Kalbfell and former Ferrari General Manager (EMEA), Guillaume Chabin.

With an unrivaled pedigree in the automotive industry, Karl-Heinz Kalbfell makes a welcome addition to the Group Lotus management team. Based at the Lotus headquarters in Hethel, Kalbfell, formerly of the BMW Group, will provide operational support and advise Group Lotus Chief Executive Officer Dany Bahar on the most efficient delivery of the business plan.

In addition to Kalbfell, Lotus has appointed Guillaume Chabin as Director of Sales. Chabin held senior positions at Ferrari and prior to this he was involved in the re-launch of Bentley.

Commenting on the appointments, Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “We are very pleased to have both Karl-Heinz and Guillaume on board. One of the keys to the success of any business is having exceptionally talented people working together effectively, and Karl-Heinz has incredible experience from working in extremely senior positions throughout the automotive industry to bring to the table – he has proven time and time again to have the qualities necessary to succeed in a difficult and fickle industry. His main role initially will be to bring together all our existing efforts across the departments and ensure that we are working effectively as a united force. It’s not enough to have a great business plan on paper, we need to deliver, Karl-Heinz will play a crucial role in making this happen.”

“Having worked with Guillaume previously, I’m fully aware of his capabilities – his business skills and understanding of the vision we have for Lotus complement our existing management line-up perfectly.”

Karl-Heinz Kalbfell said: “I’ve been aware of Lotus over the years and like many in the industry, I have watched with growing interest as Lotus has developed under Dany Bahar and his team. It’s not often that you get the opportunity to work with such an iconic automotive brand at such an exciting stage of its development and I really feel that now is the perfect time for me to contribute towards the future of Lotus. I have many years and some very demanding positions under my belt which allow me a lot of experience to draw upon. I’m ready for all the challenges that Lotus will bring.”

Commenting on his new role, Guillaume Chabin, Director of Sales for Lotus Cars, said: “Joining Lotus was an easy decision for me to make – having previously been involved in the re-birth of an iconic British brand when I was working at Bentley, I know the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead – this is a crucial time for Lotus and I’m very happy to be on board.”

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Lotus Management on the Future of Lotus (GGLC Exclusive Interviews)

GGLC attended the North America launch of the new Lotus range at the LA Auto Show and got a chance to speak to senior management about their plans for Lotus and the challenges in launching 5 new cars in a short span of time. Short descriptions of the interviews and their major points are below but we recommend you watch the actual videos to get a sense about the future direction of Lotus

First up we spoke to Dany Bahar, the CEO of Group Lotus about his vision for the future of the company and why they were launching so many cars in such a short timeframe. Major points that he confirmed were:

  • Not all cars will be going to aluminium skins, the Elise will remain a composite body
  • Motorsports activities will include Evora GT4, Evora GT2, IndyCar (bespoke engine and aero)
  • Simultaneous worldwide launch with an intended volume of 6-7000 cars per year

Next up was Donato Coco, Head of Lotus Design and the man behind the 5 cars on display. He spoke to us about the challenges in designing iconic cars like the Esprit as well as the goals for the design language for the Lotus range. Our favorite quite here was that the design for the new front ends has been inspired by the original Lotus Seven and if you look at the cars (especially the Elise) it does actually come through.

Finally we spoke to Wolf Zimmermann, CTO of Lotus about the challenges in rapidly developing 5 new cars. This was a great interview with reasons behind various decisions and we recommend you watch the whole video below. Significant points include:

  • Aluminium bodies are required because composite cannot provide the required quality and shapes for the new designs
  • Engines are not yet confirmed but will be decided in the next few months
  • VVA architecture and manufacturing will have to be upgraded to meet targets
  • Lotus Engineering is already involved in some of the design processes