12-06-2005
The new Lotus “Circuit Car” was announced yesterday (Saturday, 11 June, 2005) by Kim Ogaard-Nielsen, CEO of Group Lotus, to privileged Lotus Club International members at the annual Lotus Club International Gala Dinner held at Norwich City Football Club. Based on the Lotus Elise Aluminium chassis, and weighing in at approximately 600kg, the single-seater car (with an option of two seats) has been designed and engineered solely for Track Day and Club Racing.
The lightweight composite bodywork of the visually dramatic open-topped circuit car combines high downforce from cleverly engineered aerodynamics. Part of its phenomenal performance is from a supercharged VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing with Lift – intelligent) engine, and is estimated to achieve the 0 – 100 mph (160 km/h) sprint in a staggering 9.0 seconds. This exciting combination has allowed for a dynamic racing package producing higher performance to that of existing Elise-based products. An entry-level naturally-aspirated VVTL-i engine will also be available, powering the car from 0 – 62 mph in under 4 seconds.
Tony Shute, Head of Product Development at Lotus Cars, explains what makes the Lotus “Circuit Car” a leading high performance track car: “The new product has allowed Lotus to once again apply its key “performance through lightweight” philosophy. This is in order to achieve an innovative product for the track day and club racing Lotus enthusiast whilst staying true to the key design attributes of the Elise and Exige products. They are considered to be amongst the finest existing road and track day cars by thousands of owners around the world, and the “Circuit Car” will build on this formidable reputation, helping to further underline Lotus as the ultimate driver’s choice.”
The introduction of the new Lotus “Circuit Car” will generate additional exposure of the Lotus brand and provide Lotus with entry to further key market sectors, as Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, explains “The introduction of this new model plays a key role in developing and enhancing the presence of Lotus Cars on the track, whilst providing the driver of today with a pure circuit car which thrives on the essential values of the Lotus brand. In addition, it
will be yet another example of a high quality product to be built at our world class production facilities at Hethel.” The Lotus “Circuit Car” is due to go into production at the Group Lotus Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, in December 2005, with scheduled volume of approximately 100 units per annum.
Text and photos courtesy of Lotuscars
