Proton to sell Lotus?

[hedgerley]

Lotus could be on the move again. Despite their previous statements that Lotus aren't for sale, Proton may be about to change their mind following the collapse of the VW talks. Oh dear.

Proton Offer

[Autocross7]

Lotus just has never been able to get it together finacially... Everytime things look good, bam! and off they go again. I doubt Lotus will ever become as stable as Mazda or Ferrari until they get a good backer or get into a position to issue stock and generate "home grown" funding. The Elise is selling like hot cakes and the interest in te mark is as high as it has ever been!

I hope this does not translate into production delays for the Eagle and Esprit...

Cameron

[Mario]

Perodua???

[lotustt]

Actually Proton can't get it together financially. But thankfully Proton erased all of Lotus's debt. so thanks to them for that.

[lotusessex80]

if i had the money, i would buy lotus, and revive the F1 team. that would be my dream come true. on top of that i would build cars that are niche cars, elise and esprit and even a 5 series competition. light weight, great handling, twin turbos, lots of fun.

[talon]

and even a 5 series competition. light weight, great handling, twin turbos, lots of fun.

ala Lotus Carlton?

[lotusessex80]

lotus carlton was an awesome car, i mean u can beef up that engine to compete with skylines.

[Autocross7]

if i had the money, i would buy lotus, and revive the F1 team. that would be my dream come true. on top of that i would build cars that are niche cars, elise and esprit and even a 5 series competition. light weight, great handling, twin turbos, lots of fun.

Same here with the exception of F1. The series really has crapped out thanks in part to the powers that be. After the slap in the face to the US fans, interest here dropped off totally. The recent rules crap etc. have only contributed to the lack of interest and support. Even the teams were talking about a split not long ago!

I'd return 'em to sports car / endurance racing and the road cars would be as they should be... light wt and fun to drive!

Cameron

Edited December 28, 2007 by Autocross7

[Lowtus]

It seems the "unnamed sources" are less than well informed. Can't remember when Lotus last built an engine but it must be a good few years ago.

"It is believed the interested party...expressed a desire for the controlling stake in the high-performance engine manufacturer...." the Malaysian Reserve said, quoting unnamed sources.

Many companies have discovered over the last 30 years that owning Lotus seems like a good idea, but isn't.

I never give up hope of a bright future for Lotus but it's been pure agony watching the company limp from one foster home to another.

My dream? A slightly enlarged Elise with a V6 behind the driver in JPS black & gold colour-scheme!

[peter_england99]

John,

Lotus may not build engines, but they do design a lot of them. I think that they quote 1 in 10 car engines in Europe has had some work done on it by Lotus. So they have a fair amount of experience with engines. Have a look here in the guided tour section http://www.grouplotus.com/eng/

Regards,

Peter.

[hedgerley]

Since Proton recapitalised the company, effectively wiping

Edited December 29, 2007 by hedgerley

[Mark Blanchard]

I know the chances are extremely unluckily but wouldn't it be excellent if the interested Malaysian Company was backed by it's rich neighbour, Brunei. That would be very stable and more chance of an F1 revival. Just dreaming .

[molemot]

Brunei?!! I once embarked the Sultan of Brunei's entourage through Heathrow's General Aviation Terminal. Medical staff, massueuses..and about 40 young ladies, all between the ages of 22 and 28, on short term contracts, iirc. Duties unspecified!! If he can afford that, he could certainly afford to finance the Lotus F1 team...

[Mark Blanchard]

Brunei?!! I once embarked the Sultan of Brunei's entourage through Heathrow's General Aviation Terminal. Medical staff, massueuses..and about 40 young ladies, all between the ages of 22 and 28, on short term contracts, iirc. Duties unspecified!! If he can afford that, he could certainly afford to finance the Lotus F1 team...

With 40 Ladies you say. Probably with Prince Jefri in tow then.

[Quicker]

http://www.leftlanenews.com/proton-to-sell-lotus.html

<H2 style="MARGIN-TOP: 7px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px">Proton to sell Lotus?</H2>

An unknown Malaysian automaker has approached Proton Holdings about the sale of its Lotus brand, a new report finds. Proton purchased a 63.75% stake in the British automaker in 1996 for $81 million. Lotus is best known for its light-weight sports cars and its auto engineering consultancy.

Proton had been in negotiations with Volkswagen about a possible alliance, but the deal collapsed and talks were suspended last month. Since the falling out, Proton's stock has tumbled nearly 25%.

"It is believed the interested party

Edited January 2, 2008 by Tentenths
Threads merged

[Bibs]

Merged again!

[Quicker]

Thanks!! I though I lost my mind when I could find the first post.... ;0

Edited January 3, 2008 by Quikr

[Bibs]

We're trying to send you over the edge!