Type 130 - Lotus Evija

[Bibs]

Russell has a team of people who work for him, it's not just him there although he is Director of Design. Barney Hatt was lead on the interior and Anthony Bushell (who was sat in front of where I was filming on Tuesday with Louis Kerr) the exterior.

[RichardC]

The design team has done a brilliant job. A car that looks like at Lotus and, above all, is pleasing to the eye (unlike the AM Valkyrie and Mclaren Senna). A proper bedroom wall poster car. I'm also impressed with the interior and am relieved that they have avoided silly touch screens when what works best for the driver are proper buttons and knobs. Just need to start saving up my £2m now. 

[nello]

Although ACBC is not here - does Mr K approve............that's what I would like to know!

[Simon Bateman]

38 minutes ago, RichardC said:

The design team has done a brilliant job. A car that looks like at Lotus and, above all, is pleasing to the eye (unlike the AM Valkyrie and Mclaren Senna). A proper bedroom wall poster car. I'm also impressed with the interior and am relieved that they have avoided silly touch screens when what works best for the driver are proper buttons and knobs. Just need to start saving up my £2m now. 

I'm with you on the Senna.......pig ugly, but the Valkyrie to me is a work of art and engineering from someone very much at the top of his game (Adrian Newey).  I think it's fair and probably obvious to say that the car is very much driven (pardon the pun) by Newey's motorsport background first and foremost, but also will work on the road. 

The Evija designed by Carr and his team is almost the opposite.  From the little we have heard and seen so far, it seems to me that It's a road car, that also benefits from enough aero and track knowhow, so as to be very very effective on the track as well.

They are both fantastic designs in my opinion.

I'd like to see them go head to head at the ring.......

Edited July 19, 2019 by Simon Bateman

[Bibs]

27 minutes ago, nello said:

Although ACBC is not here - does Mr K approve............that's what I would like to know!

He does, very much so. 

[nello]

Nice one Bibs - great to hear - 

Newey just designed the Valkyrie - he has not had to engineer it! 

Edited July 19, 2019 by nello

[C8RKH]

I know it was quoted earlier but this interview just fills me with confidence for the future. There's confidence, maturity and professionalism coming out from Popham et al.

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/lotus-evija-to-target-nurburgring-record/40613

I really do hope they nail any Nurburgring attempt to shut the naysayers up!

[tim_marra]

13 hours ago, andyj007 said:

couple of pages without any more pics... sorted

 

For some reason I saw that pic and thought of this

 

[C8RKH]

I absolutely loved this. Nice one Greg!

[Advantage]

😆 From Pistonheads: someone has called out the usual PH anti-Lotus negativity:

 

PH'er Otolith:  "Really, all the negativity round here, and it could be avoided with one small styling change."

[au-yt]

Just Porsche guys sour grapes, to me there is real arrogance withing the Porsche and Ferrari camps. I know I've been in both.

 

[ramjet]

9 hours ago, C8RKH said:

I absolutely loved this. Nice one Greg!

I don't understand why you would?

A twin exhaust on a vehicle that does not have an engine?

Satire?

[C8RKH]

Yes, satire, or more commonly known as taking the piss 🙄

[ramjet]

Aha! You of him? Or him of Lotus?

I just watched the unveiling video. I have to admit it as well, it is one gorgeous looking vehicle.

[C8RKH]

Nope. Him of EV's....  I think the humour was well and truly lost on you. Never mind....

[ramjet]

Yup. I will go to my grave not understanding the joke.

[auRouge]

On 19/07/2019 at 11:20, Simon Bateman said:

, it seems to me that It's a road car, that also benefits from enough aero and track knowhow, so as to be very very effective on the track as well.

and best yet... it wont get black flagged for noise 🙄 😂

what a fantastic start for Geely. a genuine Ferrari competitor / beater. the name Lotus properly resurrected from the hay days of F1 successes. 

cant wait to see what the new Elise, Exige and Evora’s will be like! the standards and investment are now no question where they deserve to be.

hats off to HetheL, exciting times for Lotus and all its fans.

 

[USAndretti42]

I read that the electric motors are coming from Integral Powertrain.  I worked there up to a year ago and didn't know anything about that.  I knew they had visited Lotus but they visit, and are visited by, many manufacturers.  Shows they are good at keeping secrets too.  They also did the motor for the VW Pikes Peak car so have a good pedigree.

[Simon Bateman]

13 hours ago, auRouge said:

and best yet... it wont get black flagged for noise 🙄 😂

True, although will it not have to have some form of synthesised engine noise......

All new models of electric cars sold in the European Union must now make artificial noise under certain conditions.  Acoustic Vehicle Alert Systems (aka, AVAS) will need to be installed in new models of hybrid and electric cars introduced from today onward, and all existing models by July 2021. With an AVAS installed, vehicles will need to make a sound while travelling under 12 mph, or while reversing.

Maybe, just put one of those reversing soundtracks that lorries have on them......

'this hypercar is reversing...this hypercar is reversing'' 😆

[Stuart Monument]

This developed this on the 414e years back. Lotus were ahead of the curve. Called halo sonic I think ! 

[Bibs]

10 years ago! 

[jonwat]

Interesting read on Pistonheads. 

[The Pits]

Yes thought it was a very interesting and fair point about the limitations of battery tech dictating the specs and performance.

I really hope that one day Lotus and car buyers will return to brilliant, small, light, more affordable sports cars but those are already available and sadly not selling very well.

Making such a bold statement and with this fantasy poster car seems like the right way to re-invigorate interest in the Lotus brand at this time. It worked very well for McLaren when they introduced the P1. Until then they were the new kids on the block in the supercar game. Gate crashing the hypercar party was a smart move. Ferrari and Porsche were doing their usual once a decade hypercar thing and all of a sudden there was this 'Holy Trinity', every car mag and video had to compare all 3. Cars were soon trading over list and McLaren became a part of the supercar/hypercar establishment overnight.

[jep]

Lotus on the charge. Just the jump-start they needed.

Fingers crossed for the future; exciting times. There appears to be some genuine joined up-thinking and the cash to back it up.

Justin

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, jonwat said:

Interesting read on Pistonheads. 

I quite enjoyed reading it, it was balanced and not bashing, and I agreed with the sentiments re a lightweight, affordable, electric sports car. Hopefully, the Evija is a stepping stone to this.