Renault buys out Lotus team!

[dakazman]

I tuned into a race and was a little disappointed when there was no team lotus .
Anyone else have a comment?
Dakazman

[BDA]

Renault bought the team two years ago. I don't know the entire progression, but it really was the old Benetton team. Clive Chapman tried to resurrect the team but was unable to. In other words, the last Lotus team wasn't REALLY Lotus.


The team was doing pretty well the year before its last year but inspite of their good results, they couldn't raise enough money to be competitive. Kimi Raikkoen was in owed several million dollars when Renault bought them. Presumably, Renault paid up.


Kimi went to Ferrari and Grosjean went to Haas, the US team.

[4129R]

The last proper Lotus F1 team became Caterham when Lotus took over the Renault team and renamed it Lotus, and then Caterham disappeared shortly after as they were well off the pace.

That original Lotus team took a lot of the unemployed Toyota staff when Toyota withdrew from F1 at the end of the preceding season.

All down to lack of £. A familiar Lotus problem.

[Roger]

And neither of the teams mentioned had anything to do with the car maker, nor the original Team Lotus. Only the name was used.

[4129R]

Malaysian advertising gimmick.

Soon to be Chinese owned if the rumours are correct.

[dakazman]

 I for one will miss LOTUS name competing with Mercedes, Ferrari .
I guess it might be named yugo  or even hummer
Dakazman

[4129R]

I for one will miss LOTUS name competing with Mercedes, Ferrari .
I guess it might be named yugo  or even hummer
Dakazman

or "Rotus".

[dakazman]

A Lotus crossover is coming...
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2017/09/a-lotus-crossover-could-really-be-happening.html
Dakazman

[dakazman]

 Really. A crossover 😂
Dakazman

[BDA]

Playing the devil's advocate here, Porsche and BMW have SUV/Crossover type vehicles. Why not Lotus?


At the same time, don't confuse me with someone who would be expected to buy one!

[EuropaTC]

Yep, I see a surprising number of Cayennes around here, in fact my impression is that there's more of them than "proper" Porsches !

It could work for them.  The original owner of my Cayman also had a Cayenne for a daily driver, so perhaps Lotus are aiming at that market. Bloke buys an Evora and then gets the missus/girlfriend/mistress a sporty pretend off-roader with a premium badge.   And it could do very well, off road image but with decent handling.

Brian

[4129R]

So let us all think of names for the new cars, all beginning of course with E.

We have had Elite, Elan, Europa, Esprit, Exige, Excel, Eclat, Elise, Eleven, (and Eleven minus Four), Eleven One, and the Evora.

How about Ellesse, or Eclaire, or even Evolve?

[lotusfanatic]

Could they use the name Etna?
(used on a prototype in the 1980's, I believe?)


Mark

[4129R]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Etna

Quite boring really. Looks like an Excel.

I expect the 4 litre V8 would eat gearboxes regularly.

[lotusfanatic]

I meant resurrect the name...

(not the fugly shaped thing from the 80's!)