Showing posts with label Lotus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lotus. Show all posts
Lotus Hot Wheels Concept
>> Friday, March 12, 2010
Lotus Hot Wheels Concept
Group Lotus plc has teamed up with Hot Wheels, the famous global die-cast brand, to design, develop and produce a Lotus Hot Wheels Concept vehicle. This 1:5 scale model was on display to the world at the annual SEMA Show at the Las Vegas Convention Centre between 29th October and 2nd November 2007, and a 1:64 scale version of the design will become part of the Hot Wheels product range in spring 2008.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, Hot Wheels approached Lotus and other world leaders in he automotive industry with the challenge for each company to produce a vehicle that embodies its own engineering philosophy and brand. The result from Lotus is a stunning open-top two seat sports car concept. Russell Carr, Head of Lotus Design said; "This was a dream job for the design team because, for many of us, when we were children, it was Hot Wheels that first ignited our passion for cars and design.
Lotus Design's international reputation for designing visually dynamic and exhilarating sports cars perfectly fitted the brief for this programme and we relished the opportunity to design a concept that was free from the typical technical and legal constraints of a full size car. In addition the design offered unique challenges because it has to work as a toy and we therefore had to remember how specific views, features and tactile qualities of toy cars fascinated us as children. I am very proud of the final design by Steven Crijns that succeeds in being both instantly recognisable as a Lotus and a Hot WheelsCar. Steven Crijns, Design Manager at Lotus Design and creator of this concept design explained; "Hot Wheels cars are barely 75mm long, so specific attention went to create a bold shape that would work well at this scale. Another challenge was to create an exciting design that would work well as a toy.
The car needed to be recognisable as a Lotus without having to turn it over to look at the badge underneath, so I took elements from the Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige such as the headlight design, the Lotus 'mouth', the pronounced wheel arches and trademark bonnet graphics. I was keen for the design to express the Lotus philosophy of performance through lightweight: the shrink wrapped body is kept to an absolute minimum to save weight. The dynamic voluptuous curves make the car look agile and fun to drive. Bold aerodynamic aids are incorporated to achieve exceptional Lotus handling. The top exit radiator at the front, a distinctive Lotus design feature, the rear diffuser and a large rear wing all provide down-force helping the vehicle stick to the road. In addition, large side air intakes and an open rear end aid engine breathing. Inside the car, the exposed centre spine is part of the structure and incorporates the switches and gear linkage and supports the rear wing."
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus Plc said "We are delighted to have worked with Hot Wheels, who share our passion and enthusiasm for all things automotive. Lotus Design has a global reputation and is responsible for the design of all Lotus cars, including Lotus Europa, Exige and iconic Elise and many designs for our engineering clients globally. The same design team who created this stunning concept is also designing our new range of cars, the first of which, codenamed Project Eagle, will go into production at the end of next year."
To celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, Hot Wheels approached Lotus and other world leaders in he automotive industry with the challenge for each company to produce a vehicle that embodies its own engineering philosophy and brand. The result from Lotus is a stunning open-top two seat sports car concept. Russell Carr, Head of Lotus Design said; "This was a dream job for the design team because, for many of us, when we were children, it was Hot Wheels that first ignited our passion for cars and design.
Lotus Design's international reputation for designing visually dynamic and exhilarating sports cars perfectly fitted the brief for this programme and we relished the opportunity to design a concept that was free from the typical technical and legal constraints of a full size car. In addition the design offered unique challenges because it has to work as a toy and we therefore had to remember how specific views, features and tactile qualities of toy cars fascinated us as children. I am very proud of the final design by Steven Crijns that succeeds in being both instantly recognisable as a Lotus and a Hot WheelsCar. Steven Crijns, Design Manager at Lotus Design and creator of this concept design explained; "Hot Wheels cars are barely 75mm long, so specific attention went to create a bold shape that would work well at this scale. Another challenge was to create an exciting design that would work well as a toy.
The car needed to be recognisable as a Lotus without having to turn it over to look at the badge underneath, so I took elements from the Lotus Elise and Lotus Exige such as the headlight design, the Lotus 'mouth', the pronounced wheel arches and trademark bonnet graphics. I was keen for the design to express the Lotus philosophy of performance through lightweight: the shrink wrapped body is kept to an absolute minimum to save weight. The dynamic voluptuous curves make the car look agile and fun to drive. Bold aerodynamic aids are incorporated to achieve exceptional Lotus handling. The top exit radiator at the front, a distinctive Lotus design feature, the rear diffuser and a large rear wing all provide down-force helping the vehicle stick to the road. In addition, large side air intakes and an open rear end aid engine breathing. Inside the car, the exposed centre spine is part of the structure and incorporates the switches and gear linkage and supports the rear wing."
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus Plc said "We are delighted to have worked with Hot Wheels, who share our passion and enthusiasm for all things automotive. Lotus Design has a global reputation and is responsible for the design of all Lotus cars, including Lotus Europa, Exige and iconic Elise and many designs for our engineering clients globally. The same design team who created this stunning concept is also designing our new range of cars, the first of which, codenamed Project Eagle, will go into production at the end of next year."
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Lotus Elise Club Racer
>> Monday, January 11, 2010
Lotus Elise Club Racer
The Special Edition Lotus Elise Club Racer introduces new and exclusive colour schemes, bespoke interior and lightweight components all in a world class, high performance and low emission sportscar.
Lotus has taken four of the classic colour schemes used by Lotus in the 1960s (Elite Yellow, Carbon Grey, Sky Blue and Old English White) and combined them with exclusive Club Racer interior design features to give a stunning sportscar that beautifully morphs function and form.
The firm and supportive Lotus Elise seats are clad with lightweight microfibre comfort pads perfectly positioned to give the right amount of support with the minimal amount of weight, but still keeping the body coloured seat shell partly exposed.
The exterior body colour theme is carried over to the transmission tunnel and combined with silver and black paint highlights, bisecting the cockpit and tying together the whole sporty theme unique to the Lotus Elise Club Racer.
Another exclusive interior design features of the Lotus Elise Club Racer are the anthracite anodised gear knob and handbrake sleeve, the Club Racer (CR) logo hand embroidered on the seat headrest and the unique anodized aluminium flooring in the driver's and passenger's footwell. The small 320 mm diameter leather rimmed steering wheel has an on-center marker, enabling the more spirited driver to quickly and safely identify the straight ahead position of the front wheels.
The lightweight six spoke alloy wheels, shod in bespoke Yokohama AD07 LTS tyres are also anthracite anodised, complementing the key interior components.
Luke Bennett, Director of Lotus Cars said, "Special Editions of the award winning Lotus Elise have always proved popular with our customers around the world, and I expect the Lotus Elise Club Racer to be no different. We have taken colour schemes from our past, used on the Elite and Elan in the 1960s and cleverly brought them up to date with a modern feel to the interior. The whole design package is modern with a classic twist, which of course matches the peerless ride and handling of a Lotus and the convertible experience of the Elise perfectly."
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