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New Lotus 'nostalgia' styling

Started by kayemod , Feb 04 2011 10:42

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12 replies to this topic

#1 kayemod

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Posted 04 February 2011 - 10:42

I couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw how Lotus, that's the Malaysian-funded Lotus that make the road cars of course, not Lotus Renault or the Malaysian outfit calling themselves 'Team Lotus', were describing their re-styled Evora. Apparently they needed to make the car look "More agressive" to try to boost sales, and they claim that their 'big gaping hole in the front' idea was started by the Lotus 18 back in the 60s, apparently ignoring the fact that other road car makers like Audi have been uglifying their cars like this for years.

http://www.autocar.c...AllCars/255267/

Now I've always liked the Lotus 18, I know I'm in a TNF minority, but it's one of my all time favourite Loti, and now the 2011 Lotus seem to be claiming that racing cars didn't have a big hole at the front before the 18, the brainchild of a true visionary, and far greater man than any of the current bunch will ever be. Personally, having had a smallish part in styling the original and getting all the angles right, I can't wait for a Lotus/Proton to appear with an anvil airbox sprouting from the roof.

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#2 RTH

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Posted 04 February 2011 - 11:16

I couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw how Lotus, that's the Malaysian-funded Lotus that make the road cars of course, not Lotus Renault or the Malaysian outfit calling themselves 'Team Lotus', were describing their re-styled Evora. Apparently they needed to make the car look "More agressive" to try to boost sales, and they claim that their 'big gaping hole in the front' idea was started by the Lotus 18 back in the 60s, apparently ignoring the fact that other road car makers like Audi have been uglifying their cars like this for years.

http://www.autocar.c...AllCars/255267/

Now I've always liked the Lotus 18, I know I'm in a TNF minority, but it's one of my all time favourite Loti, and now the 2011 Lotus seem to be claiming that racing cars didn't have a big hole at the front before the 18, the brainchild of a true visionary, and far greater man than any of the current bunch will ever be. Personally, having had a smallish part in styling the original and getting all the angles right, I can't wait for a Lotus/Proton to appear with an anvil airbox sprouting from the roof.

If they want to boost sales, what it needs is a massive price cut.

I have always liked the Lotus 18 as well.

The just launched crop of 2011 GP cars with their very high noses multi element cluttered front and rear wings and return of barge boards to me really do look most unattractive.
I know it is the regulations and the wind tunnel that dictate appearance now, but it did used to be nice to look at a newly revealed car and think wow that looks fantastic, can't say that now .

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#3 arttidesco

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Posted 04 February 2011 - 12:46

MArketing departments have always been at the forefront of producing tosh & watching it spin, this beefy version of the Evora as you say has about as much in common with a Lotus 18 as an Audi, IMHO it's a reasonably accurate rendition of a Reventon.

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#4 elansprint72

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Posted 04 February 2011 - 13:20

They really have lost the plot... again. :rolleyes:

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#5 kayemod

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Posted 04 February 2011 - 13:48

They really have lost the plot... again.

I'd have to agree with that gloomy prediction, I can't see much of a future for the bunch of dreamers currently in charge of Group Lotus/Proton, the operation was only ever intermittently profitable when Colin Chapman was there, and barely at that. According to a recent article in the Financial Times, parent company Proton aren't doing well either, so it's hard to see them propping up Lotus indefinitely. Stories currently circulating, no doubt started by the man himself, say that 'Team Lotus' owner Tony Fernandes is hoping to be able to add the Lotus road car operation to his own profitable business empire, should the opportunity arise at an attractive price. As Tony F is pretty influential in Malaysian Government circles, who are also heavily involved with Proton, I suspect that he'd get a lot of help if he decided that Group Lotus were a worthwhile proposition, and I suspect he's have a much better idea of the best direction to take than Danny Bahar & co, with their talk of taking on Ferrari in the road car business. I've often thought that many of the world's problems, and almost all in the sphere of business can be summed up in three simple words, "Other Peoples' Money", it's always so much easier than spending your own.

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#6 RogerFrench

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 05:43

I think they originally said it was the Lotus Seven that inspired their current rash of gaping carp-like maws. Whatever - it's probably too difficuly to remember all the guff they say.

Edited by RogerFrench, 05 February 2011 - 05:45.

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#7 BRG

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 18:59

Wow! Car maker makes ridiculous claim of some sort of legacy connection! Stop the presses!

AUdi would like you to think that their latest cars are the Quattro reincarnated. VW wanted you to think the 'new Beetle', water cooled front engine and FWD and all, was the Beetle reincarnated, BMW wanted you to think the massive 'Mini' was the Issigonis Mini reincarnated.

Plus ca change.

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#8 BRG

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 18:59

Wow! Car maker makes ridiculous claim of some sort of legacy connection! Stop the presses!

AUdi would like you to think that their latest cars are the Quattro reincarnated. VW wanted you to think the 'new Beetle', water cooled front engine and FWD and all, was the Beetle reincarnated, BMW wanted you to think the massive 'Mini' was the Issigonis Mini reincarnated.

Plus ca change.

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#9 Geoff E

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 19:35

... BMW wanted you to think the massive 'Mini' was the Issigonis Mini reincarnated.

The new Mini Countryman is two inches longer than the Austin Maxi. :rolleyes:

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#10 kayemod

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 20:57

The new Mini Countryman is two inches longer than the Austin Maxi.

Yes, and with a lot less room inside, as unlike the Maxi it's strictly a four seater.

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#11 elansprint72

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Posted 05 February 2011 - 21:15

The new Mini Countryman is two inches longer than the Austin Maxi.

The old Mini has very difficult access to the engine-mounting bolts, as we reminded ourselves today, thank heavens for G-clamps and a vintage Bentley tyre-lever!
How long before BMW "revives" Riley?

Actually the only feature that I really liked about the Evora was the "mouth", as it paid homage to a couple of the old road cars (and a couple of road Ferraris too

). Now that they have removed that, I see it for what it is.

Their other bloated, computer_generated_cars_which_will_probably_never_happen, leave me absolutely cold. I really just do not have the faintest idea what they think they are up to.

Sad.