Tag Archive for 'Lotus'

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle?

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by
Cory O'Brien
on September 2, 2008
in Cars
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Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle

The Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition plans to cross the icy continent using state-of-the-art bio-fuelled vehicles and cutting-edge communications equipment to raise awareness of how Antarctica’s fate affects the whole environment.

One of those bio-fuelled vehicles is this Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle, or CIV, which will act as a pilot for the two heavier Science Support Vehicles that will also be making the journey.

With a bio-fueled, supercharged BMW 1150 engine driving the propeller to a top speed of 84 mph, trike skids that bring the overall size to a rather svelte 4.5 meters long and 4.5 meters wide, as well as independent suspension all around, it’s got plenty of go to get them there. Plus, with ice penetrating radar to detect any crevasses, a spiked foot for emergency stops on the edge of any detected crevasse, and weight so low (360kg) that a single person can pull it across the ice, it’s got plenty to get them back as well.

Now if only they rented this thing out at the local skating rink…

[Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition - Lotus Concept Ice Vehicle]

[Via: Autoblog]

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: Lotus Eco Elise?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on July 22, 2008
in Cars
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Lotus Eco Elise

How do you take an already feather-light supercar and reduce the weight by more than 70 pounds?

Easy; just make it more environmentally friendly.

Lotus decided to make an Eco version of their venerable Elise, and in the process, managed to reduce the already svelte curb weight.

Changes include a collection of sustainable materials for the body and trim, including hemp, eco wool, sisal, and a new, high-tech, water-based paint that can be applied by hand and can still achieve the fantastic finish you’d expect from a car of this quality. The new pieces and parts manage to reduce the Elise’s environmental footprint throughout its lifetime, as well as limit the amount of energy used during its production.

Lotus Eco Elise Interior

In addition to the new materials, Lotus has also added a flexible solar panel to the roof that helps power the electric system (less strain on the engine means better efficiency) and added a green shift light (hopefully in addition to the regular, ‘you’re about to blow up your engine’ red shift light) that helps drivers achieve the maximum fuel efficiency while driving the car.

Thankfully the engine and chassis are still the same, and Elise has actually managed to improve the performance by reducing the weight, so you’re still getting one of the best handing cars on the market out of the deal, but if you’d like to save a little Earth while tearing up a little track, the Eco Elise might be just the car you need.

[Lotus - Elise]

[Via: Autoblog]

…Hennessey’s Venom GT looks good?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on December 4, 2007
in Cars
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Hennessey Venom GT

If these concept sketches are any indication, Hennessey is working on a Venom GT that is a pile of speed rolled around in bits of sexy. (Though if you squint a little, it looks like a Lotus Elise on steroids, which also wouldn’t be a bad thing.)

The Viper tuner turned supercar builder is supposedly working on this beast, with a twin-turbo, mid-mounted Viper V10 giving an estimated 0-60 mph time of just 2.4 seconds, and an estimated 0-200 mph time of just 15.7 seconds, with a top speed of 260 mph. (It’s helped by it’s 2,700 lbs. curb weight and 2.7 lbs. per horsepower ratio.)

Will this ever see the light of day?

We can only hope.

[Hennessey Performance Engineering - Venom GT]

[Via: Autoblog]

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