Lotus Driving Academy closed today.....

[LF1]

3 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

That isn't the case. You heard wrong.

Apparently not.

Such a shame - if completely unrelated to the other stuff going on at Lotus some locals have prevented the use and revenue from the circuit.

[yeller77]

The press release misses the point. It's fun enough to whiz around a track in a Lotus. Quite another experience to do it at Hethel. So much for heritage. Marking that off the bucket list for now, hopefully not forever.

And cutting Motorsport just sounds like pulling the rug out from anyone trying to compete in a Lotus. Can't be a good thing for a company borne of competition.

[JayEmm]

Central Lotus will happily build you the race car Lotus won't. 

[Bravo73]

43 minutes ago, LF1 said:

Apparently not.

Such a shame - if completely unrelated to the other stuff going on at Lotus some locals have prevented the use and revenue from the circuit.

I stand corrected. 

Like I said, I'm going to ask my Parish councillor to find out what's going on. I've attended a couple of the 'nimby meetings'* in the past that were hosted by Lotus (in order to hear the complaints). Unfortunately, there hasn't been one for over a year. 

 

 

* My term, not Lotus's. 

[ChrisJ]

2 hours ago, Magnitude_Events said:

Moving forward we will be hopefully utilising other circuits and implementing our structure and event ethos via a new drivers club which will be launching in the next 2 weeks

Looking forward to hearing about this Alex.

Very happy that I managed to get on track at Hethel with you over the past couple of years.

[yeller77]

2 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

Like I said, I'm going to ask my Parish councillor to find out what's going on. I've attended a couple of the 'nimby meetings'* in the past that were hosted by Lotus (in order to hear the complaints). Unfortunately, there hasn't been one for over a year. 

Sadly an oft-repeated scenario: airport or racetrack in operation for decades, ppl decide to move close to airport or racetrack, ppl complain about noise from airport or racetrack, eventually activities at said locations are curtailed, or worse, get the axe.  (not helped by companies looking for reasons as well)

[swindon_alan]

Indeed. I find this so laughable. In Swindon we have a similar situation with the local football club, Swindon Town. The ground has been there since 1896. So there isn't anybody who has been alive that long. Yet there are residents who moan and complain about loads of aspects and any revitalising planning applications. Were you so stupid when you moved in that you didn't think about the location?

[LF1]

Probably all the 400 testing with that amazing sounding exhaust. 

[ramjet]

3 hours ago, swindon_alan said:

Indeed. I find this so laughable. In Swindon we have a similar situation with the local football club, Swindon Town. The ground has been there since 1896. So there isn't anybody who has been alive that long. Yet there are residents who moan and complain about loads of aspects and any revitalising planning applications. Were you so stupid when you moved in that you didn't think about the location?

Happened where I used to live in WA. There is a small airfield called Murrayfield. People moved in opening kennels as that was the council permitted zoning around the airfield. Those very same people are now petitioning the council to minimise use or close the airfield as it is making the dogs bark. Like dogs don't bark when caged up and left alone.

As far as I know, Murrayfield is still operating as it normally did.  

[Vanya]

Looks like more money is needed to fund that lightweight SUV that will only get unfavourably compared to a Cayenne, and that nobody will buy. 

[Vanya]

16 hours ago, The Pits said:

Struggling to see any positives in this announcement.

Half the world is waiting for a chargecooled Exige. The other half wants a Cayman GT4 but Porsche have told them to sod off. They've got the engine up and running in the 311 already. It's like someone doesn't want to make any money at the moment. Exige owners are getting tired of waiting and Komotec are reaping the rewards. WhyTF isn't there a 400bhp Exige and an Evora with a removable roof panel out already? Minimal costs, maximum rewards. If they're going down I'd like to see them go down swinging for heavens sake, not just have the life sucked out of the place.

Dunno bout you mate, but I'm waiting for a new Esprit

Or anything else that won't be compared to a bloody run-of-the-mill Porsche. 

[The Pits]

See now that would involve a big investment, entering new territory in the market and very uncertain outcome. Chopping the top off a car as rigid as an Evora is not a big risk or investment and they would find homes quickly based on what people here want to buy next. I really don't get why it's not for sale already. The fact that an easy win isn't means all hope is lost for a new Esprit very sadly.

[JayEmm]

If I were a betting man I'd say the reason we didn't have one five years ago rhymes with "banny dahar"

[The Pits]

Yes Bahar was famously disinterested in the Evora and axed any plans to develop it. However JMG has taken his sweet time in doing something as simple as making the roof panel removable. I think Lotus have wasted time and money working on an electric roof, believing (wrongly imo) that buyers at 'that end of the market' would only want a push-button roof. I'm sure there are real engineering issues with making removable panels stay on at 170mph but nothing beyond a company with the engineering talent of Lotus.

One thing Bahar did do was to plan a 2 seater around the Evora tub and engine (his Elan). That still seems like one to file under 'no brainer' to me. Not his Elan but something altogether more gorgeous and striking to look at. They could call it the Esprit too for all I care and make it an £80+k car rather than a £130+k car. It wouldn't share the same supercar ambition of the original Esprit but it would be entirely excellent to drive and have more of a fighting chance being a pure, simple, communicative car without any obvious rivals. If Russell Carr knocked the styling out of the park I honestly think it would sell strongly.

[JayEmm]

Lotus seem to me like a student who's only eaten bread and cheese for five years but not yet discovered cheese on toast.

The Evora platform was built to be modular, the Esprit recipe is obvious for all to see, except it would appear Lotus. I totally understand not having a new Esprit, I bet anyone at Lotus asking Proton for money gets sent to the office of no very quickly.

A convertible is definitely a missed opportunity - hell, I more or less bought the Elise for those days when the Evora isn't the car I want to be in. I see no reason not to have a removable panel a la the F355, Corvette, etc.... after all, the top-end Lambo roadsters, Porsche 918, etc... don't have leccy folding roofs

[JayEmm]

Someone correct me if I am wrong here, but I recently noticed all of Snetterton's track days now have a 92dBa drive by limit. I am certain it used to be 98 for a lot of days.

I wonder if this is related to Hethel being in trouble?

[ChrisJ]

On the track days I did at Hethel this year there was no noise test, whereas for the two in 2015 there was.

 

[Nelly]

23 hours ago, The Pits said:

One thing Bahar did do was to plan a 2 seater around the Evora tub and engine (his Elan). That still seems like one to file under 'no brainer' to me. Not his Elan but something altogether more gorgeous and striking to look at. They could call it the Esprit too for all I care and make it an £80+k car rather than a £130+k car.

I thought the Bahar Elan was the best and most complete looking of the 5 concepts and was clearly aimed to replace the Evora. I agree though that I would happily see that being called Esprit although oddly enough I thought the Esprit concept looked more in keeping with what an Esprit should be.

Its funny, having read the "Hethel at 50" magazine and all the positive comments inside, it is totally at odds with the negativity on this thread.  Very difficult to know what to think of the future.

[Bibs]

Since Lotus published it, it's not gonna be doom & gloom! 

[Nelly]

True, I suppose like everything it depends what spin you put on something.

[fmxa]

7 hours ago, Nelly said:

I thought the Bahar Elan was the best and most complete looking of the 5 concepts and was clearly aimed to replace the Evora. I agree though that I would happily see that being called Esprit although oddly enough I thought the Esprit concept looked more in keeping with what an Esprit should be.

Its funny, having read the "Hethel at 50" magazine and all the positive comments inside, it is totally at odds with the negativity on this thread.  Very difficult to know what to think of the future.

 

I also thought the DB Elan was a great looking car and would have added one to the collection in a heartbeat. The original MJK era Esprit (MSC) was also a stunner at the time. In fact, I flew halfway around the world mid 2000's for a sneak peak of the MSC and it was gorgeous.

It's just so damn frustrating to see the stunning designs the studio guys create end up going nowhere. Like I mentioned, I've moved on for now, but wish Lotus all the best (so long, and thanks for all the fish!)

[mawheele]

I just thought it should be Donato Coco (any relation to @CocoPops? :-) ) who should be connected to the Elan and Esprit. I thought both were market winners with the Esprit blowing away the MP12 and R8 of the time. And the Elan had a timeless look to it.

Also, the reason I understood Dany's roadmap was executable was that Elan and Esprit were both based on an updated Evora tub - with a new subframe for the V8. So, I totally get why he under-invested in Evora, as it was due to have been replaced by now. Had the Esprit project been left to continue, that car was due 3 years ago now.

All the same; JMG has been at the helm now for more than enough time and his strategy of sweating the existing platforms with minimal investments enough to meet legislative requirements has yielded the 400 (already under way before his arrival), the 3-11 and some Cup cars.  And now he's cut the artery that at least gave him those 'specials.' JMG's only input into the 400 was how to take cost out - hence the laboratory - where the ruse has been about weight saving. Call me cynical ;-)

[Bravo73]

You have really been suckered in by the Bahar fluff. Bahar's intention was never to produce 5 new cars; all the PR and fanfare was to draw attention (which as a marketeer, Bahar was obviously very good at) but it was all 'smoke and mirrors'. Over time, 4 of the cars were going to be dropped, only leaving the Espirit. But even that was never going to work. Do you know how much it costs to develop a new engine (i.e. the Lotus V8)? Billions. There was never the money for it. 

And that doesn't even include the highly suspect (if not illegal) payments that Bahar was extracting from the company. You would shudder to see how much was spent on helicopter trips alone. 

[mawheele]

Not sure I would agree with you; I think if you ask anyone from Lotus what the development budget was for the original Lotus V8, it was not a lot. Did they not split the development budget during that timeframe between Elise and the V8?  And there is perfect precedent in the Ricardo engineered McLaren V8 M838T. I can assure you Ricardo did not spend a Billion (even acquiring the intellectual rights from TWR) as they could not possibly amortise that across 1600 units a year. And Lotus's new V8 was on test beds running.   I take your points , but you don't hire Wolf Zimmermann (now at AVL Graz) and currently consulting Ferrari with their hybrid drive trains to develop nothing over the 2.5 years many of them were there.

I've not seen any of the helicopter invoices. Did they become public domain during the court cases?

 

[Bibs]

It was settled out of court so never made it to trial. The V8 was running in mules and Wolf said it was 'better than expeted'. I believe over 9 figures (just) went into that project alone.