The Lotus "Circuit Car" - UPDATE
Date: 16 August 2005
In the build up to the Shelsley Walsh Centenary Celebration, excitement mounts as Lotus prepares the
world launch of its greatly anticipated new "Circuit Car".
The "Circuit Car", which is based on the Lotus Elise Aluminium chassis, has been designed and engineered
exclusively for Track Day and Club Racing. Reaching 100 mph in an amazing 9.0 seconds, the lightweight,
open-topped circuit car will be revealed at the oldest racing track in the world – the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb.
In contrast to the Lotus "Circuit Car", which is the face of 21st century motor sport, visitors to the
three-day event that runs from the 19th to 21st August will also be able to see the Darracq. The 10 litre,
four cylinder racing car broke the Land Speed record in 1905, the year the first Shelsley event took place.
Coinciding with Shelsley’s Centenary, the launch of the "Circuit Car" will take place on day two of the
celebrations, Saturday 20th August. Making its racing debut on Sunday 21st August, Tony Shute, head of product
at Lotus Cars, will take to the driving seat and put the Lotus through its paces on the track. Tony commented,
“The Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb Centenary Festival Meeting provides an excellent platform on which to give our
exciting new car its first outing. I look forward to driving on a track which carries such rich motor-sport
history and to participate in an event which brings together examples of some of the world’s finest racing
vehicles.”
The Lotus "Circuit Car"
Date: 12 June 2005
The all new lightweight and high performance track day Lotus.
The new Lotus "Circuit Car" was announced yesterday (Saturday, 11 June, 2005) by Kim Ogaard-Nielsen, CEO of Group Lotus,
to privileged Lotus Club International members at the annual Lotus Club International Gala Dinner held at Norwich City
Football Club. Based on the Lotus Elise Aluminium chassis, and weighing in at approximately 600kg, the single-seater car (with
an option of two seats) has been designed and engineered solely for Track Day and Club Racing.
The lightweight composite bodywork of the visually dramatic open-topped circuit car combines high downforce from cleverly
engineered aerodynamics. Part of its phenomenal performance is from a supercharged VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing with Lift -
intelligent) engine, and is estimated to achieve the 0 - 100 mph (160 km/h) sprint in a staggering 9.0 seconds. This exciting
combination has allowed for a dynamic racing package producing higher performance to that of existing Elise-based products.
An entry-level naturally-aspirated VVTL-i engine will also be available, powering the car from 0 - 62 mph in under 4 seconds.
Tony Shute, Head of Product Development at Lotus Cars, explains what makes the Lotus "Circuit Car" a leading high performance
track car: "The new product has allowed Lotus to once again apply its key "performance through lightweight" philosophy. This
is in order to achieve an innovative product for the track day and club racing Lotus enthusiast whilst staying true to the key
design attributes of the Elise and Exige products. They are considered to be amongst the finest existing road and track day cars
by thousands of owners around the world, and the "Circuit Car" will build on this formidable reputation, helping to further
underline Lotus as the ultimate driver's choice."
The introduction of the new Lotus "Circuit Car" will generate additional exposure of the Lotus brand and provide Lotus with
entry to further key market sectors, as Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, explains "The introduction of this new
model plays a key role in developing and enhancing the presence of Lotus Cars on the track, whilst providing the driver of
today with a pure circuit car which thrives on the essential values of the Lotus brand. In addition, it will be yet another
example of a high quality product to be built at our world class production facilities at Hethel."
The Lotus "Circuit Car" is due to go into production at the Group Lotus Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, in December 2005,
with scheduled volume of approximately 100 units per annum.
Full specifications and price will be announced closer to the production date.
Predicted Performance figures:
Naturally Aspirated VVTL-i Engine:
0 to 60 mph 4 seconds (approx.)
0 to 100 mph < 11 seconds
Supercharged VVTL-i Engine:
0 to 60 mph 3.5 seconds (approx.)
0 to 100 mph < 9.0 seconds
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