Post by rcollum on Jan 24, 2021 20:49:43 GMT -5
Lotus has, over the years, done LOTS of work for other car companies. For instance, they have had engineers working on many Corvette models, over the years. Years ago, at a Lotus Owners Gathering in Michigan, two Lotus Engineering employees, based in Detroit, showed up in a then-new Corvette ZR-1. Lotus had designed the engine, and had done a lot of suspension work on the car.
Lotus has expertise in strong, lightweight components. This is extremely valuable to companies that need light weight for lower fuel consumption, or to offset the extra weight when using electric drivetrains.
Over the time I worked on Capitol Hill, I saw two vehicles that were easy to identify as being Lotus products, or at least containing Lotus components. The Dodge Circuit EV was a show car that was, essentially, a Lotus Europa S (the early-2000's model, not sold in the U.S.) with a couple of cosmetic tweaks, to make it look like it was a Dodge product. Dodge had put electrical tape over the VIN, but, when they opened the door, there was no mistaking the extruded-aluminum door hinge as being anything other than a Lotus product.
When I went to Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2011, we saw no less than 4 Elises that had been converted to electric powertrains - like the silver EcoTricity below.
A little further afield is the Carbon Motors prototype police car. It was a proof-of-concept, bespoke police car being proposed back in 2012, and this was the second car I saw at work. Lotus contributed a couple of aluminum components, as part of the attempts to make the prototype as strong and light as possible. When I saw the Carbon Motors prototype, and as with the Dodge, there was no mistaking the extruded door hinges as anything but a Lotus product.
--Bob Collum
Lotus has expertise in strong, lightweight components. This is extremely valuable to companies that need light weight for lower fuel consumption, or to offset the extra weight when using electric drivetrains.
Over the time I worked on Capitol Hill, I saw two vehicles that were easy to identify as being Lotus products, or at least containing Lotus components. The Dodge Circuit EV was a show car that was, essentially, a Lotus Europa S (the early-2000's model, not sold in the U.S.) with a couple of cosmetic tweaks, to make it look like it was a Dodge product. Dodge had put electrical tape over the VIN, but, when they opened the door, there was no mistaking the extruded-aluminum door hinge as being anything other than a Lotus product.
When I went to Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2011, we saw no less than 4 Elises that had been converted to electric powertrains - like the silver EcoTricity below.
A little further afield is the Carbon Motors prototype police car. It was a proof-of-concept, bespoke police car being proposed back in 2012, and this was the second car I saw at work. Lotus contributed a couple of aluminum components, as part of the attempts to make the prototype as strong and light as possible. When I saw the Carbon Motors prototype, and as with the Dodge, there was no mistaking the extruded door hinges as anything but a Lotus product.
--Bob Collum
