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2020 Ford Escape On The Way

Ford makes it two new SUV announcements in one month, with the new Ford Escape to join the funky Puma. And this time, there’s a plug-in hybrid.

Ford’s replacement for its mid-size SUV, the Escape is on its way to Australia and the Blue Oval is not mucking about. There will be six different versions in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive as well as a plug-in hybrid.

The PHEV version is Ford’s first electrified car here in Australia, too, and is the only one in its class. Before you get going, the Outlander is not a mid-size SUV, despite its small footprint.

How much is a 2020 Ford Escape and what do I get?

The range consists of four front-wheel drives, including the PHEV, plus two all-wheel drives. The ST-Line – one of my favourite mid-size SUVs – makes a return and you can get that in front-wheel drive, PHEV and all-wheel drive.

The new Escape is up to 90kg lighter than previous models while also being stiffer – Ford says torsional rigidity is up by ten percent. Ford also says it’s more spacious for occupants and there is more available cargo space.

If you’re super-keen to know, the Escape rides own Ford’s C2 platform which also spawned the new Focus, which is really rather good.

SYNC 3 and FordPass Connect

All Escapes score the third iteration of Ford’s in-car media system. Accessed via an 8.0-inch touchscreen, you get DAB+ radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat nav.

FordPass Connect uses an embedded data modem to enable app connectivity to the car. You can use it to lock or unlock remotely and the app also allows you to call roadside assistance or book a service. The app also has things like service history and connectivity with a Ford Guide helpdesk person.

PHEV owners get extra info such as navigation to the nearest charging point and the app will show you the level of charge, charging status and let you remotely activate charging (if the car is plugged in).

Safety

The Escape ships with all the usual airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, as well as forward AEB with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, evasive steering assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, driver impairment monitor and auto 000-dialling after a big enough crash (if your phone is connected).

You also get top-tether and ISOFIX restraints.

Service and Warranty

Ford offers a very handy five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with a nifty servicing program. The first four services are capped at $299 each, up to four years or 60,000km. You’ve probably already done the maths and worked out that service intervals are set at 12 months/15,000km.

Ford slings you a motoring association membership (NRMA, RACV etc.) which also includes roadside assist and a loan car when you’re in for a service. You have to get a Lexus for that last thing.

Escape – $35,990 + on-roads

“I feel like an idiot” / New Escape is handsome / Optional HUD on entry-level

The entry-level, front-wheel drive Escape lands at $35,990. You get 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, keyless start, wireless phone charging, reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors.

The Technology Pack costs $1,300 and adds active matrix LED headlights and a heads-up display.

Another $1,000 scores you a foot-wavey gesture opened powered tailgate and $650 buys you prestige paint.

Escape ST-Line

ST-Line FWD: $37,990
ST-Line AWD: $40,990
ST-Line PHEV FWD: $52,940

As you can see, there’s a choice of three ST-Lines. The first two run the same 2.0-litre Ecoboost as the entry-level car and the third, as you can see from the big price jump, the 2.5-litre plug-in hybrid engine.

On to of the Escape’s list of features, Ford fits a different set of alloys, a new grille and front and rear bumpers, rear wing and side skirts. The ST-Line rides on lower sport suspension, which worked well in the car it replaces.

You can also get the confusingly-named ST-Line Pack which adds the foot wavey electric tailgate, heated front seats and the Technology Pack, costing $2800. Escape ST-Line ST-Line Pack seems like a mouthful.

The cabin features lots of black detailing as well as a 12.3-inch digital dash, flat-bottomed steering wheel and “metallic” sports pedals.

The big price jump to the PHEV also includes partial leather interior, 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat and an upgrade to a 10-speaker stereo. Annoyingly, the ST-Line Pack is still an option.

Escape Vignale

FWD: $46,590
AWD: $49,590

The Vignale is all about luxury rather than the ST-Line’s tauter approach. On top of ST-Line you get keyless entry, heather steering wheel, leather “accented” seats (ie fake leather), 10-way adjustable electric and heated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, panoramic sunroof, head-up display, foot-waves electric tailgate, 180-degree wide-view reversing camera and auto parking.

Drivetrains

The new Escape features Ford’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo EcoBoost in all models apart from the ST-Line PHEV.

It’s one of the more powerful engines in the segment, with 183kW and 387Nm. Ford’s eight-speed auto is along for the ride, with paddle shifts.

You can choose between front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The intriguing – and expensive – PHEV swaps the turbo four for a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder, an electric motor and a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery for a combined power output of 167kW. Ford doesn’t give a torque figure, but it’s probably reasonably solid.

The company also reckons you’ll get up to 50km in EV mode. Past experience with these range estimates ends up around 35km, but that’s still good going.

You can choose between EV Auto (which is also the default), EV Now (forces EV), EV Later and EV Charge (uses the engine to charge the battery).

Fuel Economy

For the Ecoboost, Ford reckons both the FWD and AWD will drink 95 RON fuel at 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle.

The PHEV, with a full charge, scored 1.6L/100km on the combined cycle, which is a dumb figure. Even so, you can expect less than half of the Ecoboost’s figure with the attendant drop in CO2. If your power supply is sourced from renewables, you can reduce your CO2 by even more.

Charging and Battery

The charge port is in the front quarter panel. Ford doesn’t supply a charge time figure, but a few hours will do the trick. If you plug in every night and you have a short commute, it’s highly unlikely you’ll use any petrol.

Using the app you can also plug the car in but no start charging until you decide and you can program the car to charge at specific times to take advantage of lower rates.

The battery lies under the rear seats, so doesn’t cut into the boot.

Competition

This segment is a warzone. Mazda’s CX-5 is doing well, but the turbo costs a lot more than an ST-Line AWD, a GT Turbo whacking you for $48,490. It’s a good car and fun to drive.

Volkswagen’s Tiguan 132 (as in 132kW) is $46,990 and the more comparable 162 TSI Highline hammers you for $40,990, almost at ST-Line PHEV money. Sister-brand Skoda is better value.

Toyota’s RAV4 is compelling, but not as well-equipped and the hybrid version is good value but not a plug-in.

Hyundai’s turbo-powered Tucson is on the way out as it’s getting a bit old and probably isn’t in the same league as the Escape.

Redline Recommendation

I really like the current Escape and I reckon it’s criminally underrated, just like the Focus is. Without driving it, I’d suggest the ST-Line will be the pick, maybe with the AWD but the front-wheel drive will be fine too.

The package seems like pretty good value. I can’t see anybody buying the Vignale and the ST-Line PHEV really needs to be at least $5000 cheaper.

The cars will be here in the third-quarter of 2020.

I’m kind of looking forward to it, actually.

February 28, 2020
Bang! Pop! The AMG A45 and CLA45 are coming.

AMG’s A45 and CLA45 are coming to Australia, with buckets of power, mighty torque and a bunch of new technology. Midnight poppity-bangs just got faster.

Mercedes-Benz is bringing its twin tiny terrors, the AMG A45 and CLA45. Based on the standard A and CLA class cars, they pack new four-cylinder turbo engines from AMG, a new twin-clutch transmission and huge bunch of changes to match the price tags.

How much are the A45 and CLA45 and what do I get?

AMG A45 / CLA45

A45 S: $93,600 plus on-roads
CLA45 S: $111,200 plus on-roads

Those are both very big numbers, so you’ll rightly be expecting a lot of gear. And, as is tradition, Australian cars are the S versions, no mucking about with the basics.

Today’s release doesn’t go into deep detail, but you get 19-inch alloys, a Burmester surround-sound stereo, the excellent AMG steering wheel, electric heated front seats, leather trim, climate control, keyless entry and start, panoramic sunroof, privacy glass and configurable ambient lighting.

The CLA gets slightly wider wheels and a different nose.

As it’s a new Mercedes, you also score the excellent new MBUX entertainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system works off the second of two huge screens that sweep across the dash like an E-Class’s and it all looks terrific.

Look and feel

You can see the A-Class and CLA-Class underneath these cars. The A45 has a typical AMG grille and jet-fighter inspired front bumper. The rear bumper sprouts a small diffuser, quad exhausts and side vents while the tailgate has a big wing stapled to it.

The CLA, meanwhile, is a little more restrained, with its own front bumpers, no flaring and the rear wing is more of a lip. Mercedes says the front end looks like the four-door GT, but I’m not sure I see the obvious resemblance, at least not in the photos.

Inside it’s all very lovely and, crucially, looks expensive. Plenty of nice materials, stitching and various trims to make the car look and feel not only like an AMG but a hatchback and sedan that land either side of $100,000.

Chassis

There’s been a fair amount of work going on here because there’s a lot of power and torque to keep under control.

AMG was at great pains to ensure a stiff body, starting with a reinforced bodyshell. An aluminium plate – known as a “shearing plate” – has been bolted underneath the engine to improve front end torsional rigidity. Further strengthening of the suspension system, says AMG, also helps to provide “highly precise responses even at the physical limits.”

Both come with a new AMG Dynamics system, which remaps the traction and stability programs to help stop you throwing yourself off the road.

AMG Ride Control adaptive damping allows for a choice between comfortable(ish) and performance focussed.

The front brakes are six-piston calipers on 360mm discs while the single-piston calipers at the rear grab 330mm discs. The rotors are perforated and internally ventilated, don’t you know.

Drivetrain

Here we go. The new 2.0-litre four-cylinder smashes out a scarcely believable 310kW and 500Nm. To get that power to all four wheels, there’s a new eight-speed twin-clutch. The old car had tons of power, this has so much more. That’s 155kW per litre. An extraordinary figure.

Although I hope it feels less highly-strung than the old car’s, although max power arrives at 7200rpm and maximum torque is available between 5000 and 5250 rpm. So eight gears will definitely be useful. Australian cars feature the Driver’s Package, which means a largely pointless 270km/h top speed, MBUX data logging and Night Package.

Along with the all-wheel drive system is a new rear diff with a pair of multi-disc clutches to apportion power left and right to the rear wheels. Why would you need that, I hear you ask? Because the A45 and CLA45 now have drift mode. Just what you need on a wet roundabout.

I hope there’s a proper rear-wheel drive mode rather than just a silly sideways mode, because I always found these two cars a bit of a shut-up-and-hang-on proposition.

Redline Recommendation

These things are going to be very fast. I hope they’re a bit more involving though (Drift mode or not). The A45 and CLA45 were super-fast but I never really felt like I was in control of them. With a bit of sparkle, though, these things will be absolute weapons.

The AMG A45 and CLA45 are on sale now. Poppity bang!

February 26, 2020
2020 BMW X5 M & X6 M Australia Pricing and Spec

BMW’s hefty, V8-powered X5 M and X6 M are on their way. New pricing, more power and plenty of gear to go with the go (and the dollars), they’re coming soon.

I was quite fond of the old X5 M, less so the X6 M. Not because the X6 was any worse, I just didn’t like the look of it. It was, fun, though, in a high-up, make-some-noise kind of way.

The 2020 X5 M and X6 M will be along for first deliveries in May and will come exclusively in Competition form, just like the X4 M and various other M cars.

How much is the BMW X5 M and X6 M and what do I get?

X5 M Competition: $209,900
X6 M Competition: $213,900

The main differences between the X5 and X6 M are, of course the bodywork. While the X5 is a very sensible large SUV – if indeed they’re large – the X6 is the swoopy coupe version. In other words, the one everyone loves to hate.

As for what’s included, the short answer is “a lot” because this new car is a lot more expensive than the old one. The X5 is M $21k more and the X6 M $16k.

So, you get huge alloys (21s at the front, 22s at the rear), auto laser light headlights (they’re awesome), four-zone climate control, live cockpit dash and 12.3-inch iDrive screen, leather and Alcantara everywhere, head-up display, Comfort Access including keyless entry and start, electric and heated front sports seats, auto parking, reversing assistant, reversing camera, around-view cameras, massive panoramic sunroof and a space-saver.

The no-doubt many-speakered harman kardon system is run via BMW Operating System 7.0 which includes wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless charging. BMW Teleservices uses the sat nav for various clever things, too. It also has gesture control so you can look like a lunatic (and flick a V when you want the next track, potentially enraging the person ahead of you).

Drivetrain & Chassis

Being a proper M, you get a 460kW, 750Nm twin-turbo V8, pretty much the same one in the M5. That’ll get you to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds, which should be hilarious fun. The turbos are both twin-scroll units, which should mean impressive response at low revs for a huffed V8.

BMW says the engine has a motorsport oil supply system and a forged crankshaft to deal with all that twist.

As always, the excellent 8-speed ZF automatic sends the power to M’s version of xDrive, which is very rear-biased. An active M differential keeps things amusing between the rear wheels, too.

The 21-inch wheels at the front wear 295/35s and the rears, rolling on 22-inch wheels, are shod with 315/30 rubber. Thankfully, the usual M dynamic suspension can be left in comfort for some semblance of ride quality.

To keep things from entering orbit or a hedge, the front brakes measure 395mm with six-piston calipers and the rears are a still huge 380mm. 100km/h to zero happens in a mildly scary 32 metres. As in, if you’re stopping a car this big in that distance, you’ll be hauled out of your seat and hanging in the belts.

Redline Recommendation

Well, without driving it, who knows? But if they’re anything like the old cars, they will be hilarious fun. We’ll know more in the middle of the year.

February 25, 2020
Interview: David McIntyre, Lotus Cars

Bringing Mostly Lotus Week to a close, The Redline talks to David McIntyre about the future of Lotus on the road, track and in the showroom. The company’s executives keep telling us that Lotus is back. Do we believe them and, most importantly, do they believe themselves?

It’s been a big week for Lotus. As well as being Mostly Lotus Week on The Redline, the new Evija assembly hall opened, ready to deliver cars to the Hethel test track. And, by the end of the year, customers.

One of those executives is David McIntyre who luxuriates in the title of Executive Director, Asia Pacific, Lotus Cars. Based in China – when it’s safe – David has a literal track record running race teams and is involved in the new Evora GT4 project. And, more importantly, putting Lotus back on the map in Asia-Pacific.

But I want to know what’s coming and what makes Geely’s 2017 purchase of Lotus different to the previous terrible owners – General Motors, the delightfully bonkers Romano Artioli (whose granddaughter, Elisa, supplied a car name) and Proton.

Lotus survived under effective leadership from people like Mike Kimberley and Jean-Marc Gales who believed in the brand as Proton steadily lost interest. The Malaysian company finally sold Lotus to Etika and Geely, and then it all went a bit odd.

Maybe not as odd as Danny Bahar’s short reign a decade ago, but Gales talked about maybe axing the Elise and then said that an SUV was on the way.

Gales left not long after all this, but left the company profitable for the first time in decades.

In 2018, Geely tempted Phil Popham away from life on the high seas at Sundowner, which came after his long stint at Jaguar-Land Rover. Popham knows what life is like to be at a company rescued from a bad owner (Ford) and a cashed-up owner who said, “Here’s a stack of cash, get on with it.” (Tata).

Geely has excellent form in rescuing a company from a bad owner (Volvo from Ford) and also saying, “Here’s a stack of cash, get on with it.”

We’ve been here before with Lotus, haven’t we? What’s changed?

DM: What attracted me to the role was Lotus and the potential that it’s always had to grow. I think with the investment now that is possible through Geely, it was an opportunity that I couldn’t resist. You can see what is happening at Hethel.

We now have the new factory for the Evija is finished. We’re building a new restaurant for the staff but also visitors. A visitors centre, a heritage centre. So there’s a lot of work going on at Hethel but also with our shareholders in terms of investment for future product and the business.

The people who are coming in are people who have been with other brands and they’ve had to implement things. We’re not frustrated by the [current] lack of process, by a lack of systems – that’s why we’re here.

The senior management and the people who are coming in to support the markets have a can-do attitude. We’re here to make a change, make a different and grow the business. We don’t have a lot of things, but that’s okay, that’s why we’re here.

You are going to have sell more cars to survive and Geely will want to make some money. How are you going to get there?

DM: Last year we wholesaled 1519 cars globally, which was a 23 percent increase. And largely that was through Evora, we had a 57 percent increase on Evora, largely due to the US but also China.

In China we were effectively out of the market. We had a previous distributor. Through 2019 we appointed new dealers. We had one at the beginning of the year, we now have five. By the end of next year we’ll have ten. China is an important market for Evora. It’s almost that the Evora has been our best-kept secret.

PA: We thought so too – The Redline reviewed the Evora two years ago and called it The Forgotten Supercar. The uptick in US and China sales also explains the recent announcement of the softer Evora GT 410.

DM: People, when they drive it, they either drove it ten years ago and couldn’t remember what it was like or had a certain perception of the car. Or they’ve never driven a Lotus or never driven an Evora and it seems to surprise people.

I went out with Grant Denyer for a couple of laps and I was very impressed from the passenger seat of the capability of the car. More people are driving it and getting interested in Evora and that’s driving the business.

Where are you going to get the growth?

DM: We also need to be able to bring in new technologies and revitalise the brand. I think the presentation of the Evija was a real statement of intent that we can do new things, we can go into new segments. We can build a hypercar.

1519 units is a very small number globally and it doesn’t allow us to achieve the economies of scale that we need to be a long-term, sustainable, profitable business. So we need to go into new segments to be able to do that.

Hypercars aren’t going to deliver the volume either, but it’s a statement of intent and capability. So we will go into new segments, we’ve some great product plans. We can’t talk about them yet, but we do know we need to go into new segments to deliver significant growth.

PA: I will admit to having a little panic when Jean-Marc Gales said that there was an SUV on the way. When a car company not making SUVs says they’re looking at new segments, they generally mean SUVs.

Does that mean the Lotus SUV is going to happen?

DM: If you look in the history of press communications of Lotus over previous years, a lot of things have been confirmed and then not happened. We don’t want to do that. When we present something now, it’s happening. So Evija, we showed recently, we’re building it.

We’ll start building the cars and delivering the first customer cars before the end of this year. We have new products coming, we’re going into new segments, but we’re not going to talk about those until they’re actually available.

This isn’t a no, but it’s not a yes, either. We know there’s a new car coming in 2021 and I wanted to know if it’s going to be an easier car to live with than Elise.

How long to Lotus fans have to wait for the next phase and what is going to change?

DM: We have said that the next product will be a sports car and will be revealed at some point next year. It will come with an internal combustion engine and that’s about all we can confirm at this stage.

We haven’t decided what powertrains we’ll have in future products. We have a lot to choose from within the [Geely] group. There’s no particular pressure either way. We drive our own strategy as Lotus. We have access to resources within the group. We definitely drive our own strategy on design and engineering in the cars.

We’re working on future powertrains as every other company is and looking at different alternative powertrains. Every company is being driven by legislation in terms of future investment opportunities and that’s the same for Lotus.

The good news is we have a lot of choice within the group as far as resources we can apply.

It’s more around architectures. The Geely group has what they call the CMA architecture, which is a great platform for electronics and infotainment which we could apply.

The core of the brand will always be sports cars. Hethel is our home and has been since 1966. We’re investing heavily in Hethel. We continue and are committed to Hethel, the history, the heritage is there and to building sports cars. Everything we do is absolutely for the drivers.

One last question – is this a reboot, rebirth or renewal?

PA: These are each subtly different things, which is why I asked.

DM: Evija is a signal that Lotus is back. In some ways I guess it is a rebirth, or the next phase of the company. It’s signalling we’re back as an innovator, technology leader, delivering firsts – the first British electric hypercar.

We’re delivering the way we apply the battery positioning in a different way, we’ve got four different motors, we’re applying this technology in the way we want to be first and seen to be a company delivering first, as we had been through the Colin Chapman years.

And to be an innovator.

February 23, 2020
Lotus Exige Sport 410 Review: Track

A Lotus Exige Sport 410 and a race track is an extremely hard proposition to turn down. When that race track is Mount Panorama, it’s impossible.

In the second review of Mostly Lotus Week, I can tell you what it was like to drive an Exige 410. Along with 120 Lotus owners and their significant others and friends (sometimes the SOs were cars…) at the 2019 Lotus Only track day.

Bathurst’s Mount Panorama hosts four big race events every year and the track stays closed to traffic for a week after the Bathurst 12 Hour. This means car companies like Porsche, well-heeled supercar owners and, in this case, Lotus customers with $1395 in their back pockets can try Bathurst for themselves.

Being the absolute cad I am, Lotus invited me to find out what a Lotus ONly track day is like. You can read about that here. You can also read about my first ever blast around Bathurst with me in charge of a car, the Elise Cup 250.

What is an Exige Sport 410?

The answer is both simple and complicated.

The simple answer is that it’s an Elise with a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 with a supercharger bolted in by the loons at Hethel. Except it isn’t that simple, obviously. That would be mad.

At first glance, the bodywork looks largely similar, but the closer you get, you see the differences. The Exige is longer by 260mm with a wheelbase stretched by 70mm to 2370mm. You need space to fit that V6. It’s also 83mm wider.

So, yes, it’s a V6 Elise, but it’s more than that.

How much is a Lotus Exige Sport 410 and what do I get?

Exige Sport 350: $139,500
Exige Sport 410: $159,900

Given you probably have functioning eyes, the word “Sport” in the car’s name is the most amusing redundancy in motoring history. A car that looks like this is hardly a boulevarde cruiser. The 410 in the name reflects the horsepower but this version plugs a gap between the 350 and hardcore 430.

As with the Elise, the standard inclusions list is limited. You get air-conditioning, an alarm, rear parking sensors, remote central locking, leather steering wheel and handbrake, partial leather trim, electric windows and LED taillights.

What you don’t get is flab – the Exige 410 weighs just 1110kg for a mighty power-to-weight ratio.

Safety

Again, it’s a fairly slim offering. Given the age of the platform and a series of company owners who weren’t very helpful, is unsurprising.

The Exige has two airbags, ABS and stability control.

No ANCAP safety rating, EuroNCAP or even IIHS ratings. Not uncommon for this kind of exotica and, as we all know, the aluminium tub is exceptionally strong.

Warranty and Servicing

Lotus Cars Australia has been in the capable hands of importer Simply Sports Cars for the past couple of years. The previous importer was not exactly committed to the brand and offered the minimum enforceable by law, which was a 12-month warranty.

New Lotus buyers get the 333 program – three-year warranty, three years/45,000km of scheduled servicing and three years of roadside assist. You do not get that with BMW, Audi or Mercedes, especially not on their fast stuff.

Yes, it would be nice if the warranty lasted longer, especially at this price, but you’re hardly buying a Lotus with one eye on the warranty.

Well, I hope not, anyway.

Lotus Cars Australia does keep an eye on aftermarket bits, so be careful about that as it might void the agreement.

Look and Feel

You can obviously see the Elise in the front end of the car, but the bodywork is quite different when you get up close. Deeper front air dams, slightly recessed lights and a more pronounced radiator exit. The front grilles are wider, the splitter huge and little air curtains sprout at the sides to guide air around the front wheels.

The big rear wing is adjustable and when you get down the back for a good look, the Exige’s backside is all about aero.

The interior is where you see most of the similarities between the two cars. It’s basically the same, except darker because the rear screen is full of engine.

The Cup 250’s open gate gear shift is the same and you can see all the same bits and pieces, right down to the GM-sourced indicator stalks and the shape of the seats. It’s, er, very clean but a couple of small details aside, pretty much timeless. Everything works, but then again, there isn’t a lot to work.

The bits you touch – gearshift and steering wheel – are lovely. The cool alloy of the shifter looks terrific too. Like an Alfa 4C‘s exposed carbon fibre, the extruded aluminium chassis is on display and it’s glorious.

Chassis and aerodynamics

Front and rear double wishbones keep everything off the deck and are, of course, made of aluminium. Lotus loves Eibach springs while the dampers are from fan favourite, Nitron.

The three-way shocks are adjustable for compression while the Eibach anti-roll bars are also tweakable.

The 410 has 17-inch front wheels and 18-inch rears and Lotus says they’re ultra-lightweight, fully machined forged aluminium wheels. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s are onboard, 215/45 at the front and 285/30 at the rear.

The ultra-quick steering – 2.86 turns lock-to-lock – ensures a pretty pointy kind of experience.

Braking is by AP Racing two-piece J-hook discs and four-piston calipers at the front and they’re painted red.

Between the front splitter, rear diffuser and huge wing and various other aero bits, the Exige produces 115kg of downforce. Admittedly at 280km/h, but that’s still good going for a road car.

Drivetrain

The Exige 410 runs the excellent 3.5-litre 2GR-FE V6. Fitted with a supercharger and the usual Lotus ECU magic, it produces an impressive 305kW at 7000rpm and 420Nm from 3500rpm. While these are big numbers, you have to remember that at just 1110kg, all that power means an impressive of 275kW/tonne.

With a six-speed manual transmission bolted into the back of the transverse, mid-mounted V6, the 410 will hit 100km/h in 3.4 seconds.

Top speed is the same as the 430, reaching 280km/h.

The main difference between the 350’s V6 is the addition of chargecooling for the extra power and an ECU map.

Driving

The step up to the Exige is startling. Bumbling down pit lane, it all felt very familiar bar the slightly more settled ride that I am possibly inventing in my head.

Like the Cup 250 I drove, the Exige arrived after coming up to Bathurst the long way. The team checked it over and it was ready for the Mountain. You can’t say that about many cars that can do what the Exige is about to do.

Now, obviously, I am not a highly experienced racing driver. I was still buzzing from laps in the Elise when stepped into the Exige. As soon as I was released from pit lane and on to Mountain Straight, the huge power and torque jumps were immediately obvious. The Exige accelerates as though rammed from behind by the truck from Duel.

After a gentle installation lap with the pack, during which I kept testing the acceleration, we were unleashed.

The Exige surged forward and I was off, picking off Elises as I went. It wasn’t me, it’s that engine. If the gears were longer, I’d say the power builds in a linear fashion. But the tacho swings so hard you worry it’s going to come off its fixings. Second-third-fourth are dispatched with a gentle clack-clack-clack, the alloy pedal pinned to the floor.

Finding speed in the Exige is effortless. Where the Elise is almost entirely benign and just plain quick, the Exige adds brutality.

That’s not to say it’s in any way clumsy. Everything is smooth. Super-smooth. The brakes bite assertively but never suddenly. They respond to pressure adjustments faithfully. The unassisted steering’s weight remains predictable and perfect all the way through the lap, gently describing the road to my sweating palms.

I had to think a lot faster in the Exige as the time difference between point A and B was so much smaller, the torque flinging me from corner to corner. But it was never scary.

Obviously, I ran this car in Race mode with the traction control left on. I’m not that kind of idiot, but the Exige was still amusingly adjustable without threatening to rotate you off the road.

Redline Recommendation

Bathurst is a scary place. The Exige is the right weapon to batter it into submission. While I wasn’t there to take risks, I was so much faster on my last flying lap than my first. Like its little sister (doesn’t feel right to call the Elise its brother), the Exige makes you comfortable in its aluminium tub.

The Exige feels so at home on the track, it’s hard to believe that you can pop in a set of earplugs and drive it home in relative comfort. Yes, it’s expensive and yes it’s hard to get in to, but once you’re in, you don’t want to get out.

February 21, 2020
Honda Civic Type-R Limited Edition Unveiled

The Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition goes the lightweight and exclusive route to keep us interested. Out goes the sound-deadening and psss go your retinas.

The Honda Civic Type-R is a car that needs no introduction. If it does, read this and watch the video. It’s a belter of a car with one small problem – it’s quite ugly.

Honda is okay with that and it seems that they’re prepared to own it in the form the Civic Type-R Limited Edition. Because this just isn’t a lightweight special, not by a long shot. The Limited Edition introduces “Sunlight Yellow” to the colour mix. I know you’re blinking and yes, you can still see it with your eyes shut. I can’t help with that.

To ensure you’re across the limitedness, the roof, scoop, rear wing and mirror caps are also blacked out. Engine outputs remain unchanged at 228kW and 400Nm. Which is fine, because it doesn’t need any more.

What is it for?

Well, you know, it’s been around a couple of years, so carmakers bring out specials to remind people that it exists. Honda is smart enough to know that the changes wrought to Limited Edition…

Can we just talk about that name for a sec? It sounds like a Camry with maroon crushed velour interior and pinstripes.

Which to be fair, isn’t far off. According to the press release, the seats are a vivid shade of red and now the steering wheel has some red accents. The release says “new steering wheel” but I don’t know if the wheel is new or just the accents, because there are no interior photos.

Speaking of the interior, it’s going to be loud in there. To reduce weight, the sound deadening is gone from the roof, hatch, front bumper and dashboard. My favourite bit of the release is this snarky sentence:

However, unlike other brands’ track-focused performance hatchbacks, the Limited Edition retains its rear seats and the everyday usability for which the Civic is renowned.

Glorious. Hopefully you get a rally-style intercom system so you can talk to each other.

How much is the Civic Type R Limited Edition and what do I get?

Price? Glad you asked. We don’t have one yet.

One imagines the specification is basically the same as the standard car. It’s quite a nice spec to help justify its price, so you get a decent speaker count, touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, adaptive dampers, driving modes and lots of Alcantara in the interior.

The LE has new 20-inch forged alloys with Michelin Sport Cup 2 tyres. Honda says the dampers have been recalibrated for the new rubber.

You also get a new app built in called LogR. This talks to a smartphone app and can be displayed on the central touchscreen. The app records a bunch of parameters you can access through three different modes – Performance Monitor, Log Mode and Auto Score.

The Performance Monitor feeds you information about gear position well as various pressures and temps. You can also switch to a G-Meter that measures the g-forces in various directions.

In Log Mode, the phone records your position via GPS and builds a telemetry picture of your driving, while suggesting improvements and encouraging smoothness. Great for the track, but for the road? Hmmm.

A lot of this sounds familiar because it’s in RenaultSport Meganes and Clios.

The final mode is Auto Score. This one encourages you to drive sensibly on the road (good) and scores you on your daily driving.

When?

Good question. You can register your interest on the Honda site and expect deliveries early 2021. We’re not going to get many of them, so you might want to get cracking on it.

It’s not a super-lightweight race car for the road or anything, just a nifty special with bragging rights. Until we know how much weight is actually saved, it’s hard to know if it will be that much faster.

February 20, 2020
Alpina B3 Pricing and Spec Australia

The Alpina B3 is coming to Australia in both sedan and wagon and wears a pretty sharp price tag. And packs BMW’s wickedly powerful S58 straight-six…

German tuner Alpina is going through a little local renaissance, with the B3 joining the B5 later in 2020. There are a number of reasons why this is exciting.

As you may (or may not) know, Alpina enjoys a very close relationship with BMW. Each car wearing the distinctive red and blue shield is built by the German giant with the smaller tuner adding its own flavour. And chassis number.

The first reason the B3 is exciting is that it’s the first passenger car with the B58. While the X4 M already runs that extraordinary engine, the Alpina is the first 3 Series to go on sale with one on board. So yeah, it’s beating the M3 to market.

Secondly, BMW has no plans for an M3 Touring, so if you’re keen on this kind of power in a wagon, you’ll have to buy an Alpina.

How much is an Alpina B3 and what do I get?

Sedan: $142,900 (plus on-roads)
Wagon: $145,900 (plus on-roads)

At this C63-beating price you get 19-ionch alloys, 16-speaker harmon kardon stereo, Live Cockpit digital dash and 10.25-inch iDrive touchscreen with BMW OS 7.0, head up display, keyless entry and start, adaptive LEDs, leather everywhere, variable rack steering, auto parking, and a comprehensive safety package.

To that lot Alpina adds blue and green stitching to the steering wheel, various Alpina badging and embossing, a body kit with Alpina lettering in the front splitter, rear spoiler, brakes, and floor mats.

And this is a first – proper gearshift paddles instead of the weird buttons of previous Alpinas.

Chassis

Alpina sets to work on the standard BMW chassis and…softens it. No, really. This is where the car really departs from the M3. While that thing will be a bone-shaking track weapon (can’t wait), the B3 turns the dial to Comfort. Literally, as it turns out, because instead of M-style modes you get a Comfort+ mode, which you don’t get in a BMW M car.

The B3 rolls on those distinctive multi-spoke alloys, with Pirelli P-Zero tyres stamped with ALP. While it will be a rocket in a straight line and, in Sport modes very much like the M340i, Comfort+ offers a completely different experience. Well, I imagine it will, because it does in the B5.

Alpina fits its own front pivot joints to extract more negative camber for better grip and steering response. The company also fits Eibach springs that work with the three-stage variable dampers.

The B3’s brakes measure 395mm at the front and 345mm at the rear, with four-piston calipers up front and floating piston calipers at the back.

Drivetrain

As ever, Alpina takes delivery of an S58-powered 3 Series and fits its own turbos, cooling system, exhaust and ECU. The company’s engineers also get to work on the ZF eight-speed’s calibration and the xDrive all-wheel drive system.

If you’ve forgotten, the S58 spins up 375kW and 600Nm in the X4 M. Alpina dials back to the power to 340kW (I bet a dyno somewhere will find a bit more) but sends the torque northwards to 700Nm. Max power is available from 5000-7000rpm while peak torque arrives at 3000rpm and hangs around until 4250rpm.

Alpina reckons that the B3 will crack 100km/h in 3.8 seconds for the sedan and 3.9 seconds for the Touring. That’s pretty quick.

Claimed economy weighs in at 11.1L/100km. I got that in the twin-turbo V8-powered B5 Touring, so that looks quite gettable.

When?

Alpina Australia expects the first cars to roll off the BMW line in May, shipped off to Buchloe for treatment and then on a boat for late Q3 2020 arrival (TBC).

February 19, 2020
Evija Production Facility Goes Live

Lotus’ new Evija factory hall is live and it’s where the final prototypes will be built ahead of first deliveries at the end of 2020. Yes, it’s an all-new Lotus, and they’re building it.

https://youtu.be/e76dTc-ZF9A

The Lotus Evija first hit the track in November in what Lotus called its dynamic debut. With first deliveries due at the end of 2020, the Evija’s dedicated production hall is now complete.

The new hall is part of a big building program at the Hethel site, with a new heritage centre and visitor’s centre on the way. The production facility backs on to the fabled 3.5km (2.2 miles) circuit, graced by the likes of Jim Clark and Ayrton Senna.

Evijas will begin life in this factory and all 130 will be hand-built on-site. Lotus broke ground on the site around six months ago. Three gantries support the equipment required to build an Evija.

Overhead is a gantry crane and a series of vehicle lifts to move the cars around as they progress through the build stations. A wheel alignment ramp is likely the car’s last stop before a shakedown run on the adjacent track.

Lotus says the project was built by 20 specialist contractors with another 50 consultants (the press release said ‘experts’). And the facility has 30,000 LEDs to provide lighting as well as a light tunnel for final inspection.

This is now the newest car production facility in the world, and to witness it move from the drawing board to reality has been deeply satisfying. It’s testament to the commitment of all involved and is the perfect sleek and high-tech production home for the Evija at our iconic Hethel headquartersPhil Popham, Lotus Cars CEO

“The Evija is a Statement of Intent”

Lotus has had something of a weird decade, even by its own high standards of weird.

I interviewed David McIntyre, Executive Director Asia-Pacific at the recent Lotus Only event at Bathurst. He conceded things have been a bit strange.

(The full interview will be up later in the week)

“If you look at the history of press communications of Lotus over previous years, a lot of things have been confirmed, then not happened. We don’t want to do that. Now when we present something, it’s happening. So Evija, we showed recently, we’re building it.”

To some, the Evija might be fascinating, but is it really a Lotus, a company famous for lightweight sports cars?

“In electric hypercars, we are the lightest. Evija weighs 1680kg. Depending on who you look at, that’s roughly 300kg less than other cars in that segment. The way that we’ve mounted the batteries is actually rear mid-engined, which is great for vehicle dynamics, for changing direction. We’re applying the DNA of Lotus in different ways in different segments. They’re still valid no matter where we operate.”

Lotus fans should be encouraged by his use of the word “segments” because it seems, finally, there is the money and a plan to rebuild Lotus.

We’ll know more next year when the new sports car – still with an internal combustion engine – makes its debut.

February 19, 2020
Lotus Elise Sport Cup 250 Review – Road and Track

I drive the Lotus Elise Sport Cup 250 at the Lotus Only event at Bathurst’s Mount Panorama. The Sport Cup 250 is sharper, more focussed Elise than the Sprint 220. Which is most intriguing.

The first Lotus I ever drove was a mere two years ago, the Sprint 220. It was such an exciting moment for me because I think Lotus is such an amazing company. To stick so wholeheartedly and with such commitment to an ideal set down on the racetrack is hugely admirable. They’re the distillation of racetrack philosophy.

The Elise has been around for 25 years. That makes people at Lotus a bit mad when you say that, but when I say it, it’s a compliment. To make fundamentally the same car for that long and still be in the hunt is quite something.

That one word – fundamentally – is important, though. The Elise Cup 250 is the result of thousands and thousands of changes over the years.

The only thing I wanted from the Sprint 220 was a bit more power. The 250 has that and more. I got to find out what that meant both out on the road and around Mount Panorama.

How much is a Lotus Elise Cup 250 and what do I get?

$107,990 plus on-roads

The Cup 250 is a fairly solid $20,000 more than the Sport 220 on which it is based. Given there aren’t many features in the first place, you can bet that the money isn’t going on big fat plush leather seats, deep woollen carpets and a million stereo speakers.

In fact, you don’t get a stereo but you do get air-conditioning, carbon fibre seats with synthetic suede, leather wheel and handbrake and a tyre pressure sensor. And a tyre repair kit because obviously there’s no space for a spare.

If you want you can drop $9999 on the carbon aero pack or pay individually for the various items in that package. Leather trim is $2999, red calipers $999, tartan trim pack for $2999 (I mean…), a two-speaker stereo for $1199, floor mats for $229, sound insulation for $1099 and a titanium exhaust for $9499. And the two-piece brakes are $4499.

None of it is cheap. But you have to remember, Lotus is (currently) a low volume business. If you ingrates bought more Lotus cars, this stuff would be cheaper.

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Safety

Look, it’s not a long list. Two airbags, ABS and stability control. There isn’t an ANCAP safety rating or a EuroNCAP rating. On the upside, the aluminium tub is astonishingly strong.

Warranty and Servicing

Lotus offers a surprising package called 333. You get a three-year warranty, three years of free scheduled servicing (every 12 months or 15,000km) and three years of roadside assistance.

Yes, the warranty is too short, especially at this price point, but before February 1, 2019, I think it was only a 12-month warranty and that was it.

Given the type of the car the Elise is, most owners won’t trouble the 15,000km annual service limit and if you fit aftermarket stuff you might void the agreement, so that’s worth knowing. Also worth pointing out that none of the Germans give you three years of free servicing out of the box.

Look and Feel

The Elise always been a triumph of purity in all three of its distinct guises. The original with its punky little face and rounded butt. The Series II with it’s long headlights and cleaner rear end. And the Series III, which has been with us now for getting on half a decade.

That facelift brought a toned-down set of headlights and a more resolved front end. The profile is basically unchanged, with just the details giving you a clue of what you’re looking at. It’s tiny in person and one of the great shames of the Elise is that not everybody can fit. And if you can fit, you might find it tricky to get in and out.

This is the stuff you put up with as an Elise owner. You’ll see why.

Cup 250 open gate / Elise Sprint 220 interior / Elise Sprint 220 interior / Some photos are from the Sprint 220, but the 250 is fundamentally the same.

The interior is barely changed from the original. A new instrument cluster here, a new steering wheel there. The open gate shift is wonderful to look at. The nicely turned HVAC controls are nice to touch. You can see that the indicator stalks are from your mate’s clapped-out old Barina, but there’s nothing wrong with them, so it doesn’t matter.

It’s sparse. Bare. But it looks great with all the exposed aluminium, carbon seats and a blanking plate with Elise inscribed across it where the stereo goes.

There is nothing else on the road like a Lotus Elise.

It’s tight, too. I’m not a big fellow, but I literally rub shoulders with my passenger on the road drive. Who himself is not a big fellow. Didn’t matter, we had a blast and we enjoy each other’s company, so that worked out fine. Couldn’t help thinking how happy Elise-owning couples looked because they obviously spend a lot of time in close quarters. I kind of like that idea, I reckon my wife would too.

Rambling now.

Drivetrain

Optional titanium exhaust

Lotus famously gets its engines from Toyota, in this case starting with a 2ZR-FE. Lotus then, obviously, straps in a supercharger and an engine computer and goes to work. The 250 produces 181kW (250PS) at a lovely 7200rpm and 250Nm between 3500 and 5500rpm.

The tweaks to the 250 might raise the power but the torque figure doesn’t change. Well, it does. While the 220’s engine offers peak torque at 4600rpm, as you can see, the 250’s is spread across a wider range. This is courtesy of charge cooling, which improves the spread.

Top speed rises to 248km/h (+15km/h) and 0-100km/h drops to 4.3 seconds, three-tenths of a second quicker than the 220.

Chassis

This is where your money goes. As if the standard Elise isn’t light enough, the newer Cup 250 knocks a decent chunk of weight to reduce mass from just over 945kg to 931kg. It’s still 8kg more than the standard car, but that’s because it’s carrying a lot of aero bits and some extra engine components. The 181kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio betters the 220’s by 19kW.

Compared to the 220, the higher damper rates at the front (12 percent on compression, 20 percent on rebound) and rear (nine percent compression, 30 percent on rebound) sharpen things up considerably.

The double wishbones stay front and rear, with Eibach springs, Bilstein dampers and an adjustable front anti-roll bar.

The forged alloys come with Advan A052 tyres, 195/50 at the front and 245/45 at the rear. The front wheels are 16s and the rears 17-inches. So the ongoing lack of a spare wheel isn’t an issue.

AP Racing provides the twin-pot calipers and you can go for optional two-piece brakes to knock another 4kg off if you’re keen. And that’s unsprung weight, of course, so that will have a bigger impact than some of the other measures.

Weight saving

Lightweight materials include titanium and carbon fibre, some of which you can see, some you can’t. The carbon sill covers save a mighty 800g and have a 10mm lower profile to make it slightly easier to get in and out. Carbon vents and HVAC control surrounds in carbon save a total of 400g. It’s all real and it looks good.

The bulk of the weight saving comes from carbon fibre seats, forged alloy wheels, lithium-ion battery and a polycarbonate rear screen. If you want to go even lighter, the carbon aero pack replaces the rear wing, bargeboards, hardtop, front access panel, roll hoop cover and engine cover for a total of 11.8kg.

An optional titanium exhaust sheds another 7kg and the open gate on the lovely alloy shifter saves another kilo. Doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re starting from a low base, it all adds up.

Aerodynamics

The standard aero package generates a whopping (for a road car) 148kg of downforce. The Cup sports a big splitter, rear wing and what Lotus calls a barge board but is really a big skirt that looks like a step (with No Step written on it). Along with the diffuser at the rear, it’s quite a comprehensive package.

Driving

I spent a lot of time in the Elise on the first day, driving from the base of Sydney’s Blue Mountains, up the Bells Line of Road, down the other side of the mountains. Then we set off the fun way to Oberon and down the back way into Jenolan Caves. I had no idea about that road, and it’s a cracker, although it was covered in junk and clogged with slow-moving Mitsubishis.

Road

I am an unabashed Elise fan. Having waited so long to drive one, the 220 I drove in 2018 blew my mind. I knew they were good, but the purity of this car is unmatched. No power steering, skinny front tyres (relatively speaking) and a complete lack of heft. Few cars weigh as little as an Elise and they certainly don’t have the depth of engineering. And two decades of constant, iterative change to make it the car it is today.

We got a nice sunny day for our long drive to Bathurst, made longer by the more interesting route we chose. Departing from Spicers Sangoma, we wound our way up into the scorched Blue Mountains.

It’s thrilling to drive something clear of the unnecessary detritus we’ve installed in our cars to make motoring bearable. We’ve stacked in all this weight, convinced ourselves we need all these things and we’re kind of right. We drive our cars in traffic and that sucks. One of my favourite cars of all time, the BMW M2 Competition, weighs a whopping 1550kg and only just edges the 250 Cup on power-to-weight.

The Elise draws you out of traffic and into the roads you wouldn’t think to drive. I only drive Bells when someone tells me to. I’m usually bombing up to Katoomba in two tonnes of SUV, temperature-controlled with all sorts of driver aids reducing my involvement.

The Elise gets you back in the game. It’s a car that would make you look for the squiggly lines and spending time in Kathmandu for the winter clothing that means you can whip off the roof. To listen to 1.8-litre’s snarl and supercharger whine and the tyres at work. It’s so wonderful.

The Elise 250 Cup loves every kind of bend, that broad torque curve hauling you out of the tight ones and building speed through the long ones. The gear shift is short and sweet, with a lovely mechanical clack that you feel rather than hear. And the pedals are perfectly-weighted.

The lack of power steering is minor inconvenience at low speeds and a joy at high speeds. All the while, the suspension keeps you informed of what’s going on underneath you and gives you plenty of warning before things turn ugly.

You don’t even have to be going fast in the Elise to enjoy it. Its fluidity in tight switchbacks is almost supernatural. The front tyres bite into corners like a mad dog into tasty flesh, the diff supporting your apex launching ambitions. The instant throttle response makes you feel heroic as you tune the front and rear with your right foot.

I love it. The lack of conveniences melts away when you’re having this kind of fun, all the while burning not very much fuel and not tearing through tyres and brakes.

Track

Engage terrified-but-smug mode.

So this is new. I’ve never driven Mount Panorama. I’d had a sum total of two fast passenger laps around it and only really learnt it the week before in a simulator at a shopping centre. And Lotus just said, “Bring a helmet.” Rightio then.

Track days with other manufacturers are orderly, managed affairs. A leader heads out and builds speed as you build confidence. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a good safety net, especially for those whose ambition exceeds talent by a dangerous margin.

Lotus is rather more trusting of its customers, and of me. We had a briefing which amounted to, “Don’t be a dick and don’t hold anyone up”, advice for slower cars and plenty of encouragement to enjoy ourselves around this fantastic track. Keep it off the walls, remember its reputation.

You have to remember that a lot of these folks spend a lot of time driving their cars on track so know what their cars can do. I didn’t. It was ever-so-slightly intimidating.

It was also absolutely brilliant. Mountain Straight’s bumps and the dip are quite something in a 900kg car at north of 180km/h. Gentle brake into turn 2, down the gears and the torque is right there for you as you start the climb.

Pretty much once you’re off that Mountain Straight, you’re putting lateral load through the wheels until Forrest’s Eblow. There aren’t many straight lines up there, and if there are, they’re short and a prelude to more close encounters with concrete walls or gravel traps that more often than not deposit you into a concrete wall.

Because the Elise’s tub is so stiff, the platform is a cracker to work with – it means the body can roll, delivering the sort of compliance M or AMG can only dream of. Turn in, feel the tyres start to work and you can start making choices about braking and throttle.

Every lap I got faster and deeper into corners, getting on the throttle early off the apex, realising that this little thing has an entire deck of cars up its sleeve. It’s so quick, the steering communicative and darty. Nothing bad happens suddenly in an Elise and it builds trust with the driver. It’s wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough.

Redline Recommendation

I set no records but I had the time of my life on my first laps of Bathurst in anger and my first track laps in an Elise. It was so easy, so fast and so much actual fun. Some cars are a handful on a track or unnervingly uncommunicative while the computers do all the work and you hang on.

Not so the Elise. It doesn’t have anything but a well-tuned stability control system and an excellent Race mode. There is nothing on the Elise Cup 250 that doesn’t need to be there and you can feel it. It’s all about the drive. You and the road. One on one.

I’ve always wanted an Elise and now I am sick with envy for those who do have one. You can only really use it a few times a year but you will remember every single drive in an Elise.

February 18, 2020
Welcome to Mostly Lotus Week

Lotus Cars Australia took 160 of its closest friends to one of the world’s most famous – and Australia’s most revered – racetrack, Mount Panorama. We were there to soak it all in.

One of the things that excites me about the idea of owning a Lotus is taking it to a track. It’s exciting because, hey, you’ve got a very serviceable road car that can also go nuts around a track. Without bankrupting you because unless you’re on super-serious rubber, you can drive home on the same tyres.

Doesn’t matter whether it’s an Evora, Exige or Elise, you’ve got yourself a genuine track weapon.

The first weekend in February is now Bathurst 12 Hour weekend. One of four total closure of the track in a year – by agreement with residents and the local council – nobody really said how long the closures should be. So after each event, the track is available for bookings. This year Lotus Cars Australia went all out and booked Mount Panorama for the Wednesday after a thrilling Bathurst 12 Hour race.

As you may have already noticed, Lotus were so keen there’s even an Australia-only Elise Bathurst Edition.

I had the extreme fortune to be invited along to see what you can expect if you buy a Lotus – new or used. And a peek into what’s coming from Lotus as the Geely money starts to flow.

The Event

Dinner in pitlane. / Bit of star power – Grant Denyer

It’s not just run-what-you-brung, either. Sixty cars turned up on Tuesday, with owners, partners and friends, not just for the Wednesday thrash but for a unique event – dinner in pitlane.

As the sun set on day that, for once this summer, wasn’t 78 degrees celsius, the Bathurst pits filled with guests and the sound of live music. Lotus fan and racer, Grant Denyer, regaled the audience with his racing exploits, to plenty of good-natured heckling.

It’s a fascinating way to spend an evening, talking to owners of the cars who just love their Lotus and can tell you every single detail.

A wander through the garages was fascinating. There wasn’t much, if anything, pre-Elise. I was expecting one or two brave souls to bring a Europa or an Elan (first or second). Not even an errant Esprit. I suppose they’re worth too much now or, just as likely, have returned to their homeland or Japan.

The huge variety of Elises and Exiges was genuinely breathtaking. While there were a few Evoras (Evorae?) scattered through the assembled throng, the standouts were plucky Series 1 Elises. That a car this old can take the hammering of any track day, let alone the demands of Bathurst is amazing.

Track Support

One of the best things about the day was that not only could you talk to other owners (I say other – I don’t own a Lotus) but the Simply Sports Cars team come fully armed and prepped with tools, parts and machinery to keep you rolling.

More to the point, they turn up with a bunch of people who adore what they do. I’ve been on a number of track experiences now and taken out a few Lotus cars to review. No other car company, not one, has ever had a detailed discussion with me about tyre pressures before sending me on my way.

And when I brought them back, they wanted detailed feedback, good or bad, about the experience. They’ve got Hethel in their blood.

Put these guys at a race track and they’re in their element. They run around with tyre pressure gauges, big grins and things to plug in to your car if things aren’t quite right.

This is what the SSC crew do all year, year in, year out, at all sorts of customer events. The Bathurst Track Day is one of fifty events across the country. If you own a Lotus, you’re going to be as busy as you like spending time with like-minded folks.

The team also came with an army of driver coaches. Targa Tasmania winner (in a Lotus), Paul Stokell was along, with a team of fourteen drivers, most of whom Australian motorsport fans would recognise. Some were backing up from the Bathurst 12 Hour itself, so they knew the track quite well.

Why are you telling me all this?

Because I had the spectacular fortune to be asked along to an event that is absolutely not free and only open to those with access to a Lotus. I also met with Lotus’ Asia-Pacific Executive Director David McIntyre to ask him about what’s next for Lotus.

And I got to drive not one, but two cars around this incredible track.

This week is Lotus Week on The Redline.

February 16, 2020