James Bond's Lotus Esprit Series 1 Submarine Car Going Up for Auction

Of all the cars featured in the 23 James Bond films, two stand out the most, beginning with the original Aston Martin DB5 used by Sean Connery in the now classic 1964 Goldfinger and 1965 Thunderball movies, which was sold for a paltry £2.9 million (US$4.4 million / €3.4 million at the current exchange rates) during its 2010 London sale.

The other one is the Lotus Esprit Series 1 ‘Submarine’ Car used more than a decade later in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore, and now, it could be yours – well, theoretically, that is.

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Lotus Announces First Ever Motorbike, the 200HP C-01

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Louts went into the motorcycle building business? If not, then you’re going to find out any way in a few weeks’ time, when they will be releasing the first photos of their first ever two-wheeled model, dubbed the C-01. Read more »

New Lotus Exige S Roadster Revealed, Won't be Offered in the States

We just received an email from Lotus' North American division informing us about the introduction of the new Exige S Roadster in Europe along with the unfortunate news that the car won't be sold in North America.

Here's what it says: "I forward along this latest press release from my Lotus UK colleagues announcing the availability of the new Exige S Roadster, not to cruelly tease you with what we can't have here in North America, but because the Exige V6 Cup and Exige V6 Cup R Lotus Racing variants ARE available here in North America for track use only!"

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New Lotus Exige S Roadster Announced in Promo Video

Lotus cars are unique machines, which reflect the company’s strict philosophy on cutting weight, keeping the size small and the driving dynamics agile. They are widely regarded as being very good driving and fun cars to chuck around a track or a twisty bit of road. Nowadays, if you were to say that a car “handles like a Lotus,” you’d be entering the realm of clichés – their handling is their party piece, and it is stating the obvious.

Now, the British automaker is enhancing its range, as it chopped off the roof of the Exige S creating the Roadster, which just made its official appearance in a video, announcing potential buyers that the car is “ready for the summer."

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Lotus Says Media Speculation on Liquidation Claim is Wrong

Stories that Lotus may be going into liquidation started popping up earlier today, and it really put the fright into the souls of British sports car lovers throughout the land. However, now Lotus is denying it, despite the fact that it was one of the names featured on today's Companies Court Winding Up List. Read more »

Hennessey Venom GT World’s Fastest Production Car from 0 to 300km/h – 186MPH

The 1,244-horsepower Hennessey Venom GT has been established as the world's fastest production car from zero to 300km/h (186.45 mph) by the Guinness World Records (GWR).

Under the supervision of a Guinness representative as well as VBox officials, the street legal Venom GT performed two runs made in opposite directions within one hour, which were validated by a VBox 3i GPS-based data logging system, at the Ellington Airport (also used by NASA) southeast of Houston, Texas.

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Lotus Evora Sports Racer is Loaded to the Gills with Features, UK Prices Start at £57,900

What do you do when you’re not having the best time in your (patchy, anyway) history and your new owner has put your new car program on ice? That’s an easy one: you simply roll out a “special” edition of one of your existing models.

The above applies to Lotus that has just launched the “Sports Racer” edition of its Evora mid-engine coupe. So, what is so special about this Evora that makes Lotus claim it’s aimed to serious drivers (sic) that want to get "incredibly excited"?

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Lotus Sues Former CEO Dany Bahar for Allegedly Renting Properties, Taking Helicopter Trips and More

When Dany Bahar left Ferrari in 2009 to become Lotus’ new CEO, he knew his main task would be to turn the cash-burning British sports car maker, which at the time was owned by Proton, around.

It took him one year to show the world how he would do it: by launching five new models, including a new Esprit, by 2015 and returning Lotus to profitability by 2014.

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Oh Kimi…Raikkonen Feels “Not Much Really” After Winning Abu Dhabi F1 GP

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight, said American actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller who passed away last August. Kimi Raikkonen has his way with curves, especially those in a Formula 1 track, and in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he set the record straight.

He still won’t smile, though. Not even after claiming victory in Sunday's race leading Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

Not even when he beat them driving a Lotus, a car that may be the surprise of the season, but surely doesn’t come close to the prancing horse, never mind the reigning champion’s car.

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Formula 1: Korean Grand Prix Race Report

Unlike past seasons, with four races still to go, predicting this year’s Formula 1 champion is, practically, impossible. That’s because consistency and outright performance are two variables that change greatly from one Grand Prix to another, not least because of their tires’ behavior.

The Korean GP that took place on Suday was yet another race that had most teams and their drivers struggling with tire performance.

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A More Modern Design Take on the Classic Lotus Seven Sportscar

The simple and lightweight Lotus Seven is one of the most famous models to ever come out of Great Britain having inspired countless copies over the years from all four corners of the world.

Today, it lives on in the form of the Caterham 7 (or Caterham Seven) after Caterham Cars bought the rights to the design back in 1973.

During the past four decades, the U.K.-based automaker has refined the chassis and updated the Seven's mechanical components, while at the same time, keeping true to its roots.

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Shaken, Not Stirred: Sky Movies Puts Together James Bond Driving Scenes

He has a license to kill, instantly charms all the pretty ladies and gets all the latest toys. And by “toys” we mean all kinds of vehicles, from trucks to Soviet battle tanks and of course, cars, lots of them.

The one he has been most associated with is the Aston Martin DB5, while his most recent drive was a DBS. In between, he has also sat behind the wheel of a Lotus Esprit that doubled as a submarine, a Jaguar XKR and some BMWs – the best of which, the Z8, was cut in half.

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Former Lotus CEO Dany Bahar Sues DRB Hicom for Wrongful Termination, Asks for Close to $11 Million

In June, new Lotus owner DRB Hicom fired the British sports car maker’s CEO, Dany Bahar, after placing him under a two-week suspension. The official reason cited for his termination was "the results of an investigation into a complaint made against him by the company’s penultimate holding company, DRB-HICOM Berhad".

Now Businessweek reports that 40-year old Bahar (pictured above with Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda) has filed a claim against both Lotus and its parent company, DRB-Hicom, for wrongful termination of his employment and asks for a US$10.6 million compensation.

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Lotus Rumored to Build New Renault Alpine and Infiniti Emerg-e Sports Cars

In the past few months, Lotus has been making the headlines, but not for the right reasons. After Proton sold the British sports car maker to DRB-Hicom, CEO Dany Bahar was ousted and its future was once again thrown into doubt.

However, the Renault-Nissan Alliance may be the knight in shining armor that will give the Hethel-based company a new lease on life.

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DRB-Hicom Declines Offer for Lotus, VW Reportedly Interested in Parent Company Proton

Last week, Reuters reported that the ever-expanding Volkswagen Group is considering to place a new bid for Proton, which owns the Lotus brand, some five years after the Germans failed to form a tie up with the Malaysian carmaker as it seeks to extend its reach in the southeast Asian markets.

Today, DRB-Hicom, which acquired a 42.7 percent stake in Proton earlier this year, said that it had received an offer from an unnamed foreign company to buy Lotus for £1 (US$1.6 / €1.3) and take over the British company's debts that amount to more than £200 million (US$311 million / €257 million).

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Cheap eBay Steering Wheel Comes off Locost Seven During Race

While this wouldn't be the first time we have witnessed a steering wheel coming off a racecar, it never gets old and…scary.

This latest incident occurred to Alex von Ehrheim while driving his Locost racer, which is a home-built clone of the open-top Lotus Seven sports car, at the Donington Park circuit in the UK.

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Lotus Sacks Dany Bahar, Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

After placing Dany Bahar under suspension for two weeks pending an internal investigation for misconduct allegations, the Malaysian owners of Lotus have now confirmed that they have fired him from his post as the chief executive officer of the British sports car maker.

Lotus issued the following statement on the matter:

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Lotus Boss Dany Bahar Suspended from his Role Following a Complaint

More problems for British sports car maker Lotus as the company's chief executive office Dany Bahar was suspended from his role today pending an investigation of a complaint against him by DRB-HICOM Berhad, which acquired Lotus back in January. Read more »

Cam-Shaft Gives the Lotus Esprit V8 a Power Boost and a JPS Styling Treatment

The Esprit is one of the most famous and longest-living Lotus models ever having remained in production for close to three decades (!), from 1976 to 2004. Originally penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Esprit's design was freshened up initially by Peter Stevens in 1987 and later on by Julian Thompson in 1993.

Another landmark in the Esprit's lifespan was the presentation of a V8-powered model in 1996, the first of its kind for Lotus. Aptly named the Esprit V8, the British sports car was powered by an in-house developed, all-aluminum, twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V8 rated at 350hp (355PS) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft).

And it is this model that has fallen into the tuning hands of Germany's Cam-Shaft, which has introduced a new package with both styling and performance modifications.

A series of under-the-hood upgrades that include a software optimization, racing exhaust system, modified turbos and a new intercooler sourced from the Lotus Omega (Vauxhall Lotus Carlton), bump output to 485-horses (492PS). The tuner also replaced the stock 5-speed manual with a new 6-speed transmission.

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Superstars: Five Legendary Formula 1 Cars and the Names They Inspired

Last week we drew inspiration from the platypus-style nosecones that are featured on almost every Formula 1 team’s car this year. We noted that there seems to be a direct correlation between ridiculous nicknames and hideously ugly chassis and that the more repulsive a car is, the more bizarre its name becomes.

Nicknames, however, are not only reserved for automobiles that offend us, they are also applied to a handful of iconic vehicles that dominated, dazzled and awed us with their speed and beauty. Just like some famous athletes, movie stars or glamorous supermodels, the following five cars are known by their nicknames alone.

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