Bahar Suspended

[Alan Paterson]

It undermines the credibility of the rest of the article. If one known fact is incorrectly reported, then so might be others.

While Bahar wasn't popular with everyone, he was certainly a 'mover and shaker' - although financially a huge risk taker, some would say irresponsible.

Hindsight will dictate whether he was a genius or an idiot - depending on the success or failure of his plan.

Now he just won't be around to take the blame or credit - delete as appropriate.

Alan

Edited June 14, 2012 by Alan Paterson

[DarrylV8]

Will Dany be applying for the Tottenham job? He may not know anything about football but he does know about spending money!

DB or JM (the chosen one) they both know how to spend that will be a difficult decision for Daniel Levy (Tottenham chairman)

Sudders can you ask DB if he is related to Jose, they both share many traits

[alan]

A fairly balanced view here :-)

http://jalopnik.com/dany-bahar/

[arbell9]

Rumours have it his bunker is in Italy and that hes using a personalised Evora to evade detection.

Fezzer mafiosa connections or just conspiracy when he order this paint job at hethel??

[comem47]

A fairly balanced view here :-)

http://jalopnik.com/dany-bahar/

It's about time somebody shouted that the emperor had no clothes. I think the article was spot on.

From what I observed the man had no concept of the word "budget" or "biggest bang for the buck".

He only knew how to throw money away. I'm positive there are others out there that could generate new "excitement", but know the automotive industry.

Edited June 14, 2012 by comem47

[B1 RMA]

They all look a bit dodgy in that picture don't they!

[hedgerley]

It's about time somebody shouted that the emperor had no clothes. I think the article was spot on.

From what I observed the man had no concept of the word "budget" or "biggest bang for the buck".

He only knew how to throw money away. I'm positive there are others out there that could generate new "excitement", but know the automotive industry.

I try to stay unemotional when posting but forgive me, what a load of b****x. Whilst I agree that it appears DB was profligate with the company money in some areas and I never bought into the Hollywood C list chasing, the fact is that under DB's tenure;

• Group Lotus turnover increased 35%,
  
• Three new cars have been unveiled - the Evora GTE, Exige V6 and Elise S - all to rave reviews,
  
• New Esprit mules have been out testing since late last year,
  
• Significant quality improvements to the Evora have been introduced which have been favourably received,
  
• A new trim shop and improved paint shop have been built,
  
• New production capacity (for the Esprit) has been commissioned which is currently under construction,
  
• Massive improvements to the test track and garage facilities at Hethel have been completed,
  
• New dealerships in China and Beirut have been opened,
  
• A massive increase in Motorsport activity has been instigated (if spread rather thinly...)
  
• A 5 year plan has been developed and implemented, with funding secured,
  
• £10m from the Governments Regional Growth Fund has been secured (currently under review)
  
• Listened to the market and commissioned a new V8 and transmission for the new Esprit,
  
• And has probably done other useful stuff we are not aware of.
  

As a Lotus fan(atic) to me these are all extremely good things and a sound foundation for the future. I accept the plans were probably overly ambitious and the funding is now looking a little flaky but to say 'the emperor has no clothes' is totally disingenuous. Allied to the big increase in brand awareness, overall I believe DB has done a pretty good job. I think its a real pity that his lack of self control in other areas has forced him out, if indeed this is the reason.

I guess what I am saying is that there needs to be some balance in the reporting of DB's time as CEO. It is totally wrong to suggest that it was all marketing fluff. It will be interesting to see what DRB have made of his plans and how much they retain.

[Suddabym]

Sudders can you ask DB if he is related to Jose, they both share many traits

Funny you should ask, actually, Darryl. I raised that with my bunker buddy and he said that they weren't related, but that they did attend the same evening classes in financial governance, held above a kebab shop in Balham by a Peruvian called Dave, who used to work for British Leyland, before moving onto petty crime and finally becoming certified by the FSA.

Sudders

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

As a Lotus fan(atic) to me these are all extremely good things and a sound foundation for the future. I accept the plans were probably overly ambitious and the funding is now looking a little flaky but to say 'the emperor has no clothes' is totally disingenuous. Allied to the big increase in brand awareness, overall I believe DB has done a pretty good job. I think its a real pity that his lack of self control in other areas has forced him out, if indeed this is the reason.

With you 100% on that. DB might have pushed things too far but I'm far more worried about the alternative.

I've got an Exige S test soon but I'm just not as confident about the product as I was a few weeks ago. If DB was still at the helm I'd trust him to deliver on build quality, with the accountants in charge the worry is will they cut corners and go back to the old ways to save to few bucks here and there? I've just got little or no confidence in the company right now which is a tad depressing to be honest!

Edited June 14, 2012 by Stirling_Villeneuve

[comem47]

I stand by my opinion that you could have many others more knowledgeable in the auto industry that could improve build quality without all money spent on marketing hype. Yes, no question Lotus needed to improve the quality to run with the big boys and it didn't take Dany Bahar to make that statement, but I question moves such as Swizz Beatz in charge of his empire and the ridiculous PR expenditures overall. (and yes, schmoozing C lister stars is fooling/impressing who?..well not me and certainly not more sophisticated types with the spending $$ !!!) I think he also needed to deliver "A" car before promising 5 for credibility. (I guess what will really be the judge is how well the Esprit actually sells. Will it deliver the quantities promised). You can give credit to the guy with improvements made, but I say many others could have done it without blowing the budget with excessive fluff spending and put the money where it counts. I guess we can just disagree on that one.

Edited June 14, 2012 by comem47

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Totally the Swizz thing was crazy, as were the PR excesses, the huge amounts spent on Motorsport, the daft shops, doing up the rented house, the list is seemingly endless! However the fact remains the Evora was riddled with issues for years and DB bought in a very extensive upgrade with the MY12 and sorted them out. The rest I agree is at best smoke and mirrors.

[61GT]

http://chiefofficers...y_departs_lotus

"......But even Chapman had his own light aircraft - which crashed, killing him."

Just read that as well - clearly a well-researched piece !!!!!

Edited June 14, 2012 by 61GT

[Iconic Ride]

Dany: "Yo, Marky boy, I've jus' come up wid a brilliant idea to help pay my growin' legal bills. Been readin' this funky chicken of a thread on TLF. Some dude's askin' you to come up wid a T-shirt 'splainin' 'bout our underground crib."

Mark: "Why are you talking jive? Have you been talking to Swizz again?"

Dany: "Well, sheeeet, man. How'd you guess?"

Mark: "Just a hunch. So what's up with the T-shirt thing? You really think it'll work?"

Dany: "Hell yeah. Some guy in New York has been selling 'em like hotcakes, and all he had to do was appropriate some improbably named restaurant in some Texas backwater claiming to be the center of the Universe. Claims he's sold a million of 'em to date."

Mark: "Impressive sales figures, Dany boy. You got an idea in mind?"

Dany: "I have, indeed, fool. It's still a work in progress, of course. But here's my working draft:"

The Mongol in the Foxhole

Dany's hit a Pothole

Problem with the Payroll

Bunkin' with a Fellow Mole

Buy my Shirt for only 75 UK pounds, plus shipping, VAT, and silkscreen fees, COD optional, Paypal accepted

Mark: "That last part doesn't rhyme, Dany."

Dany: "Yeah, I know. Like I said, it's a work in progress. Sort of a T-shirt 'mule' if you will. It'll get better."

Mark: "If I were your barrister, I'd be seriously worried."

[richardvg]

http://chiefofficers...y_departs_lotus

A well written article ....worth the read .

[simonb]

the fact is that under DB's tenure;

• New dealerships in China and Beirut have been opened,
  

Must have been a drunken bet surely

[chandrew]

Must have been a drunken bet surely

What, like

Dany: "I bet we could sell some cars if we put a dealership in one of the richest cities in the Middle East, playground of the middle east rich, second only to Dubai in terms of visitor spending'

Other bloke in pub: "Nah, I think we should put one some small town in the middle of nowhere - this is how we've always done it".

[DarrylV8]

What, like

Dany: "I bet we could sell some cars if we put a dealership in one of the richest cities in the Middle East, playground of the middle east rich, second only to Dubai in terms of visitor spending'

Other bloke in pub: "Nah, I think we should put one some small town in the middle of nowhere - this is how we've always done it".

oucchhhhh

A well written article ....worth the read .

well written; ?? worth the read; wish i hadent bovered!

[Bibs]

http://sniffpetrol.com/

[ramjet]

Public sentiment does not weigh heavily in DB's favour does it?

A question I have asked several times, but it does not seem to have an answer, is has Mr. Beatz been given his marching orders as well? Was he even still involved?

Are the rest of the people that were put in place by DB destined to stay?

[Stirling_Villeneuve]

Public sentiment it seems is very fickle, I'm sure at least one or two folks around here were actually excited by the new range of models! I'm sitting on the fence ( again! ) waiting to see who stays and who else is damned to the pit of eternal fire that awaits for ex Lotus employees. My gut feeling is 'new broom, clean sweep' but I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Stirling_Villeneuve

[DarrylV8]

Public sentiment does not weigh heavily in DB's favour does it?

A question I have asked several times, but it does not seem to have an answer, is has Mr. Beatz been given his marching orders as well? Was he even still involved?

Are the rest of the people that were put in place by DB destined to stay?

I don't mind admitting i was a (big) fan of DB; apart from whatever the new owners got rid of DB for & the swizz beatz connection, and i suppose untill the truth (from both sides) comes out helicopters/houses etc or whatever else it was;

DB put Lotus back on the world stage, not probably the right way but effective all the same

[Moxie]

Dany: "Hell yeah. Some guy in New York has been selling 'em like hotcakes, and all he had to do was appropriate some improbably named restaurant in some Texas backwater claiming to be the center of the Universe. Claims he's sold a million of 'em to date."

Actually it was 1M in the Texas Hill Country alone. We've also moved over 12M to Malaysia and one more to Kent.

Now then, regarding this new COO, Mr. Aslam Farikullah:

I had the pleasure of attending a wine-tasting with him recently in Westminster and he confided that he's not actually Malaysian, but born and raised in Cornwall, hence the George Hamilton-like tan. Palms trees and all that. His language also gave him away, upon sampling a '34 claret:

"Capital...capital. No sign of brown...hangs well on the glass. [sip, spit.] AMBROSIA!!!"

I asked if it might be a shower short of perfection and a touch too astringent, with the alcohol content being too great. This caused his monocle to fall out and, having misheard me due to being pissed, replied, "Twenty eight?! That was a great year!"

I noted that was Felstead's Derby year--one it eight to one--SUPERLATIVE!--to which he replied in impeccably crusty Britishness, "Indeed...28! I put a hog's head down for Jeremy when he was born, for his 21st. But the brigade turned him down and he went straight in to the church. Had to drink it all myself, eh what?"

So lest you wonder how British Mr. Aslam Farikullah is, he's positively marinated in Britishness.

What disturbs me is that the the press release says "Mr. Aslam, aged 51, has over 26 years working experience, most of which was in the automotive industry," but that's all rather vague and I take it to mean he's been a parking attendant at Heathrow and is in fact a red-herring for putting Gino in charge, as evidenced by the website update:

I note the distinct absence of Mr. Aslam on that page. How long does it take to get a headshot and write a pithy bio for f's sake?

So back to Gino, Director of Dany Coat-Taking, I offer the following in support of his new leadership role credentials, with TLF cameos!:

[media=]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tb7_ZM2hyo

[ronin]

So the coat boy is in charge now ? He was dany's fluffer.

[fmxa]

Very well put and I hope it all works out vs turning into Group Rotus

I try to stay unemotional when posting but forgive me, what a load of b****x. Whilst I agree that it appears DB was profligate with the company money in some areas and I never bought into the Hollywood C list chasing, the fact is that under DB's tenure;

• Group Lotus turnover increased 35%,
  
• Three new cars have been unveiled - the Evora GTE, Exige V6 and Elise S - all to rave reviews,
  
• New Esprit mules have been out testing since late last year,
  
• Significant quality improvements to the Evora have been introduced which have been favourably received,
  
• A new trim shop and improved paint shop have been built,
  
• New production capacity (for the Esprit) has been commissioned which is currently under construction,
  
• Massive improvements to the test track and garage facilities at Hethel have been completed,
  
• New dealerships in China and Beirut have been opened,
  
• A massive increase in Motorsport activity has been instigated (if spread rather thinly...)
  
• A 5 year plan has been developed and implemented, with funding secured,
  
• £10m from the Governments Regional Growth Fund has been secured (currently under review)
  
• Listened to the market and commissioned a new V8 and transmission for the new Esprit,
  
• And has probably done other useful stuff we are not aware of.
  

As a Lotus fan(atic) to me these are all extremely good things and a sound foundation for the future. I accept the plans were probably overly ambitious and the funding is now looking a little flaky but to say 'the emperor has no clothes' is totally disingenuous. Allied to the big increase in brand awareness, overall I believe DB has done a pretty good job. I think its a real pity that his lack of self control in other areas has forced him out, if indeed this is the reason.

I guess what I am saying is that there needs to be some balance in the reporting of DB's time as CEO. It is totally wrong to suggest that it was all marketing fluff. It will be interesting to see what DRB have made of his plans and how much they retain.

[Kimbers]

Do Bibs and Gino look a little similar? ....opppps! I think so!