This is a joke, right?

[Moxie]

That FOX clip is hysterical. I love when the anchorwoman says, "They're not gonna make the Elise any more, are they?", like she'd ever heard of one until 10 minutes before air time. Does that sound sexist? I think I would have said the same thing if the talking head next to her had said it.

My dealer prepped Swizz's and Alicia's Evoras for the show and invited me to the shindig, but I was on dad duty. Looks like it was a real mediafest. I haven't seen any full photos of the car, but from the photos above that color looks amazing.

BTW, for those of you don't know, Swizz's wife, Alicia Keys, is a hugely successful singer, at least over here, and dabbles in acting, including one of my favorite films, Smokin' Aces. She's here at 1:08 and more amusingly at 1:45...

[ronin]

Last night, Swizz Beatz hosted a launch party in NYC for the new line of Lotus cars he designed. See pics of him celebrating with wife Alicia Keys and Carmelo Anthony inside as well as Iman and John Legend at Alvin Ailey's opening night.

Funny thing i didn't see Swizzle or Danny at the 10 day LA Auto Show and yet Swizzle had the time to "design" the new line of Lotus cars and show them off to a bunch of B list dancers. We all know how popular sports cars are among the dance crowd....

I watched the Fox interview now I wanna punch Danny in his face.... Chrome red paint is not a design it is fuqin getto.

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Swizz Beatz hosted a launch party in NYC for the new line of Lotus cars he designed.

It's official the 'B' in CABC now stands for 'Beatz'.

[Bibs]

ACBC, non?

As a penance, go and buy 3 swizzy albums!!

[ronin]

There is a supercharged Audi R8 in my future now....

[ronin]

At least Audi race their cars and market them to people that know cars, they don't have to market to the Boyz in Da Hood.

Lotus are fools if they think this crap will keep them alive with nothing to sell and no one to buy an over priced Evora that isn't on anyone's wish list....I know this from sitting in the Lotus booth watching the people walk by.

Edited December 1, 2011 by ronin

[Iconic Ride]

I ain' from da hood, bro, but that "fuqin getto" chrome red done blew my wig in a righteous way. A stone mezz shade I'd collar today if I had da scratch. Doan be a wrong riff icky 'bout da new ride, lest I igg your hincty spiel.

[Tony K]

I think I tend to agree with Buddsy. Look at the success of Range Rover, Jaguar, and Bentley in the States in the past decade. I remember when I was living in Miami (one of the hippest cities in the U.S.) in the late 90s/early 2000s, rap and hip-hop songs (which were played everywhere) were constantly featuring those cars, either in videos or in lyrics.

Here are some facts:

1) The U.S. market is huge.

2) In the U.S., hip-hop and rap are "hip", whether us FOGs ("Friendly Old Guys") like it or not.

3) Hundreds of thousands of lily-white adolescents and young adults in affluent suburbs across the United States watch and listen to hip-hop and rap music, dreaming of being ghetto-tough, or of being the shizz-nit at the club, yo. A large percentage of these people are the future buyers of a large percentage of upscale and luxury vehicles.

4) There is a definite market of affluent black people buying new luxury cars, and some of them listen to that music, too.

How much "mystique" does the Jame Bond connection add to Aston Martins? To the Esprit? Of course no one at the LA auto show was looking at the Evora; it is a car of substance, and real enthusiasts have seen and read every spy shot and review of the car well before the show. What the Evora needs is some superficial flash to give it some cache among everyone who is NOT a serious car nut.

I was a Ferrari owner for a few years, and my impressions, after meeting a bunch of Ferrari owners both online and in person, agree with Buddsy's sentiment.

Dany may not be a car guy, and I may not care too much for him, but he is a marketing guy, and we all know what Red Bull is . . . look at it's success, despite its being total garbage.

It seems to me some people just like to complain when there is change. They complain when Dany inserts Lotus into racing, and they complain when he inserts Lotus into fashion and music. They complain when Dany proposes new models for Lotus. What the hell won't some people complain about Dany doing? Building the cars is the engineers' job, not his!

I am not a Dany supporter; I too have criticisms of some of his moves; I tend to be more like-minded in my own automotive enthusiasm, opinions and lifestyle with Dany's and Swizz's detractors; and I'd rather see someone else in his position . . . but really, enough is enough! What do people expect?

Edited December 2, 2011 by Tony K

[ronin]

Yeah but no one will ever buy a Lotus because it's a Lotus..... Unless it is marketed as a Lotus a drivers car not some bullshit posers car..... Really a ruby red Lotus in NYC ? That sucker won't last a week on those roads and when it breaks down it will get stripped before the tow truck gets there....

Lotus marketing to the bling and hype crowd is a joke and I have to say I'm glad my car doesn't say Lotus anywhere on it..

It is now and forever a Ronin Exige...

[Iconic Ride]

Well sheeeeet, fool. I wuzn't thinkin' 'bout driving that blingmobile in NYC. Da Valley be the territory for that bad boy.

[Tony K]

Ronin:

The job of a marketer is to make people buy a [insert brand here] because it is a [insert brand here].

Don't think for a minute that every other luxury brand of car isn't marketed as a 'bullshit poser's car'.

Well sheeeeet, fool. I wuzn't thinkin' 'bout driving that blingmobile in NYC. Da Valley be the territory for that bad boy.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!

[ronin]

Sorry dude Audi/Porsche cars are not marketed as poser cars.... They don't put rappers and whoes in charge of their marketing dept. or do they need to... They build cars people want to drive not for posing.

Lotus should just fall on its sword now....

[Tony K]

Yes, that's why a Boxster is known as a "hairdresser's car", and 911s are full of luxury items and bought by doctors and pudgy overindulgent baby boomers . . . .

Don't forget all of the Gulf t-shirts and bomber jackets, and Steve McQueen tchotchkes . . . . yeah, nostalgia is serious racing.

Oh, and people consider Porsches boring . . . not "exotic" and all that . . . clearly they are aiming at a different buyer.

[Moxie]

That's hilarious. Truly, the image some people have of New York is endlessly hilarious to those of us who live here. It's a collection of 407 neighborhoods, and like neighborhoods everywhere else, some of them suck. Most don't. And if you're stupid enough to drive on some backwater road or neighborhood that you wouldn't even drive a Hummer on or through, then I suppose you might have trouble. Personally, I've never had any, even with my Turbo Esprit, and I can't think of a road I've been on in 30 years here that I feel unsafe on. And as far as rappers and Lotus goes, I live in the most mixed up, ethnically diverse neighborhood in NYC--actually, in the world (verified fact)--and the only time anyone has ever pulled over to talk about my Turbo--AND knew what it was--were two enormous black dudes in a Cadillac Escalade.

[Patty K]

I don't post very often, but didn't want to miss the opportunity to share this rare gem from Swizz: Reaching out to the kidzz, yo!

[Tony K]

Teaching future Lotuzz ownerz how to read!

[Bibs]

Ronin, you talk the talk...

TLF spies have been round your house, we know you're a bad 'ass mo'fo who digs on the hippy hop and rap scenes, we've seen you relaxing at home... deny it?

[TLF News]

Click for more news & images.

[red vtec]

It's really nice but £120,000 + that is getting into the big league.

[Bibs]

£120k is the cost of a GTE, this one is a limited edition. Expect £30k+ on that I'd guess...

[Moxie]

Chrome red paint is not a design it is fuqin getto.

There is a supercharged Audi R8 in my future now....

Then definitely avoid this one...

[red vtec]

I laughed out loud Moxie

£150K, thats nearly MP4-12C money. I like the Evora but that seems a lot of dosh.

Ronin, regarding Dany and his marketing, I mean he only worked for Red Bull, I mean what do they know about marketing?

[Moxie]

I laughed out loud Moxie

Funnier is that I only found that Audi by searching Google Images for "red chrome evora" in order to find full shots of Swizz's car. It comes up near the top of the first page.

[hedgerley]

...but a lottery winner who knows nothing about cars will buy a Ferrari cause its a Ferrari?

Buddsy

The last major Lottery winner up here in Scotland (£161m) obviously knows nothing about cars. They bought a couple of Suziki Vitaras. And bought several more for all their mates. The local dealer has probably retired by now.

[ronin]

That's hilarious. Truly, the image some people have of New York is endlessly hilarious to those of us who live here. It's a collection of 407 neighborhoods, and like neighborhoods everywhere else, some of them suck. Most don't. And if you're stupid enough to drive on some backwater road or neighborhood that you wouldn't even drive a Hummer on or through, then I suppose you might have trouble. Personally, I've never had any, even with my Turbo Esprit, and I can't think of a road I've been on in 30 years here that I feel unsafe on. And as far as rappers and Lotus goes, I live in the most mixed up, ethnically diverse neighborhood in NYC--actually, in the world (verified fact)--and the only time anyone has ever pulled over to talk about my Turbo--AND knew what it was--were two enormous black dudes in a Cadillac Escalade.

Really I grew up in Hammels Project in Rockaway beach and I was back in NYC earlier this year and I can tell ya a Lotus will self destruct after a drive through the city.... When the car breaks down on the South Bronx expressway you can count on it being stripped to the bones... I drove a cab for a couple of years in the city back in the 70's and the roads are worse now...

New Youk is the last place to show a Lotus, you would have to drive for hours north and west to find a diesent road...

New Youk a great place to be from, I pity the fool that owns a Lotus in the city..

Sorry dude you need a jeep in the city not a plastic cracker jack box..

Ronin, you talk the talk...

TLF spies have been round your house, we know you're a bad 'ass mo'fo who digs on the hippy hop and rap scenes, we've seen you relaxing at home... deny it?

Ahh you got one of my earlier pics, I've turned a bit grey and have much more back hair now. Hey who put those six strings in there I play bass..

I laughed out loud Moxie

£150K, thats nearly MP4-12C money. I like the Evora but that seems a lot of dosh.

Ronin, regarding Dany and his marketing, I mean he only worked for Red Bull, I mean what do they know about marketing?

Yeah and Lotus sold a wooping 150 cars in the US since he's been in charge.... Did I tell ya that Lotus pulled most of the unsold Evora off the docks here and rebaged them for sale in China.. As a matter of fact the car Swizzle and Dany are posin in isn't even legal for sale in the US....All show and no go.

So how many of you guys sitting on old Esprits the worst selling/poorist resale value model Lotus has produced are gonna jump on Dany's bandwagon and buy a $200,000.00+ Esprit ? Do you think he's gonna bring the value up or is he gonna drive it down even more... I've owned two.