Official: Lotus Sell Out.

"Simplicate, then add lightness." -Colin Chapman

Long ago, when the world was young, gas was cheap, and driving your car off a cliff was generally seen as your problem, there was born a man named Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman. In time, young Colin would become an engineer, and in a quest to prove some of his ideas, he built a racing car and name it Lotus. Whatever else he may have done with his life, was from that moment on, a moot point; the bug had bit, and a gift had been given to driving enthusiasts the world over.

Lotus has a always been a car apart. While other manufacturers in Britain were fooling around with bits of tin, and big, iron blocks and heads, Chapman combined innovative engineering, with advanced materials, to spin design into cars that were sophisticated, light, deceptively simple, and fast. From early, space-framed sports racers, based on bits of Austin Sevens, there eventually came road cars, such as the dual purpose Lotus Seven, and the wonderful, Type-14 Elite. These cars, especially the Elite, with its all glass fibre construction, established a pattern and reputation for innovative, competitive designs, that fell apart constantly, but inspired loyalty like few others. If the cars were fragile, who could blame them? They were built down to the minimum tolerances, and the same things that made them difficult, made them extraordinary.

Through good times and bad Lotus have largely kept those core values of light weight and innovation. From winning the Formula One World Championship seven times between '63 and '78, to a string of highly regarded road cars like the Elan, Europa, and Esprit, Lotus have always been at the forefront of using technology and design to produce cars that are a joy to drive.

And today, they ruined all of it...

We knew about the third resurrection of the Elite. Debuted last week, it's a pretty thing, if a little like a Ferrari California. That likeness betrays the rot that has set in. This is a Lotus like none that has come before. A GT, with a retractable hardtop, weighing-in at a frankly astonishing 3,700lbs. Light this is not. It will, however, be fast, relying as it does on the brute force of Toyota's 5.0 liter V8... and a supercharger... and a hybrid assist.



But that was just a teaser. Today, Lotus have dropped no fewer than four new concepts, all of which seem destined for development and production. The new Elite, will be joined by an Elan, and Esprit, and new Elise, and something called the Eterne. All of them suffer the same lack of essential Lotus-ness. They're overweight, powered by big, heavy engines, and are generally disappointing.

Stangely, it's the least Lotus like among them, that I'm closest to being okay with. The Eterne is a new four-door that shares its platform with the Elite. It's large, heavy, and ugly, but it will sell, and it doesn't disfigure the legacy of a great Lotus with its name. Lotus may need to produce cars like these in order to stay alive, but using the Elite name on a car that weighs more than two Type-14s, is a disgrace. At best though, the Eterne looks like someone left a Porsche Panamera in a rock tumbler...



The new Elan is another matter. It's apparent here that Lotus wants to go straight for the Aston's V8 Vantage. They've done it by using a 4.0 liter 450bhp V6 and another supercharger, which is necessary lugging around the 2,850lb weight. For comparison, an original Elan weighed in at about 1,600lbs.

The new Esprit is no less troubling. It uses the same 5.0 V8 as the the Elite and Eterne. It was rumored to use the LFA's V10, but apparently Toyota haven't been forthcoming with that wonderful motor. A shame, that, as the compact 4.8 liter V10 weighs less than the V6 in the Elan, let alone the V8 being used here, which might have helped keep the Esprit's 3,200lb weight under control. This is the car I have the most problems with. It has no reason to exist. I will undercut most of its competitors, but will offer substantially less in terms of engineering. It will be heavier than most, and slightly more powerful. It will be rear drive, but also comes solely with a flappy-paddle gearbox. It's less of an Esprit, and more a De Tomaso Pantera.



Last is the Elise. This car makes for the most interesting comparison with its predecessor as it's a direct replacement. It's turbocharged, with 316bhp from a 2.0 liter four, and it weighs 2,400lbs, a gain of about 400lbs. All in all, that's not too bad, but I think it could be better. Other sports car manufactures are producing lighter, leaner, more elemental cars. This one is now too much like a Boxster, and it weighs almost as much as a Miata. Lotus can do better, and it should. At least this one looks sort of neat.



They all sort of look the same though, and none of them look like a Lotus. I think that's because they're not. Lotus is now Proton, through and through. For a long time, Lotus Malaysian masters have taken a hands off approach. That seems to be changing rapidly. I'm sure Lotus have engineered these cars themselves, but they've done so to Proton's directive.

I don't think it will work. Lotus has tried to move upmarket in the past, but they're too small to provide the same level of product completeness of larger fish like Porsche, Ferrari and Aston. They've been able to compensate to an extent by offering off, beat engineering-lead solutions for the problem of making a performance car. Here though, they seem to have lost even that. These cars bring nothing new to the table, and relinquish their light weight birthright in pursuit of mass market acceptance.

They come up short on all counts. The Ferrari 458 Italia and McLaren MP-412C are more advanced and lighter than the new Esprit. The Esprit compensates with slightly more power. Lotus now find themselves ceding home ground to their rivals. The cars may be profitable. They may even be enjoyable to drive. But they're not Lotuses.

Forgive them Colin, for they know not what they do...

Images Pilfered From: Autoblog

Future Shock.

What are we going to do with all this technology? I’ve been wondering this for about a week, and I’m no closer to an answer. The new found pondering stems partly from the obscene cost of the clutch for my poor Focus, and partly from the announcement of Alfa’s new Mito Quadrifoglio Verde, which features Fiat’s new “MultiAir” system of intake-valve actuation.

First to the clutch: In short, the cost for replacement came to a slightly staggering $1561.03. Not to belabor the point, but that’s a lot of money; even more so considering that the car in question isn’t an exotic, but a hatchback, albeit one that’s a bit hotter than the average. The source of all this extra cost is not the clutch itself, but the dual-mass flywheel, a device of questionable benefit that carries with it a major drawback. It’s not exactly new technology, but it’s only in the last decade or so -perhaps just in time for the death of manual shift, but that’s another rant. Designed to allow a certain amount of give between the engine and drivetrain, and thus damp vibrations, it also in theory allows smoother shifting. I have not noticed this in my car’s case. What I have noticed is a motor that feels like a high-revving power plant handicapped by a heavy flywheel effect. The other thing I’ve noticed is that it can’t be re-surfaced in the manner of a conventional flywheel, and thus needs to be replaced at considerable cost with every clutch. The DMF is also supposed to prolong engine life, and allow increased fuel-economy. Of the first, I can only say that I’ve never had to replace an engine in a modern car, and that increased life in the motor must be balanced to some extent against the increased cost of the DMF system. Of the second, well… the SVT gets decent mileage on the highway.

This of course is for a traditional manual gearbox, not an automated manual or the now fashionable Dual-Clutch Transmission. I have little experience driving with either of these systems, and none with owning them, but I cannot believe either would end up making cost of ownership lower. And while I’m sure it’s a great thing to give people too lazy to figure out how to shift their own gears the warm glow of satisfaction in mistakenly thinking they now own a manual gearbox and are real drivers, I can’t see any real advantage to any of these systems. At best they’re toys, a halfway house that allows limited amusement to those who lack the ability to discern between action and interaction. A twin-clutch system may get you to 60mph a fraction faster than you could using only your own left foot and right hand, but is that the point? As I’ve lamented lately, areas where one can deploy a cars performance are in short supply these days, and paying more, both to buy, and to repair, a system that only makes the car easier to drive fast seems counterintuitive. This is the same argument I have against this decade’s fad for AWD rally replicas; as far as I can see, all they offer is less involvement, with three times the differentials to service.

MultiAir is another matter entirely. It’s a system with tangible, inarguable benefits, and it may be the technological leap that lets enthusiasts continue to buy sporting cars for the foreseeable future. In concept MultiAir is little more than a set of hydraulic push rods between the exhaust camshaft and the intake valves. This allows some of the benefits of a DOHC system, with lower drive losses, a not inconsiderable plus by itself. But the real benefits of the system come in when a computer (of course), and a set of pressure regulating valves come into play. At that point MultiAir becomes little short of black magic. This video does a better job of explaining than I ever could. All of this makes the New Mito Quadrifoglio Verde a better car than the first Mitos were. It’s cleaner, more powerful, and more efficient. And keep in mind this is with conventional fuel injection, combined with the latest generation of direct-injection systems, the results could be staggering.

At the same time, I can’t help but be a little chagrined at yet another layer of computer control between driver and car, and the added complexity the system brings to what is, in effect, a simple hatchback. It also seems destined to be a frustrating source of extra maintenance and fluid leaks. In truth, it’s been a while since home mechanics could realistically pretend to care for a new car without specialist assistance. But with systems like MultiAir and Direct-Injection motors become so complex that almost no involvement with the machinery is possible. There simply isn’t anything (other than perhaps changing the oil) that you, and a set of tools, can bring to the relationship. It’s just as well that they cover engines over with sound deadening these days, seeing one could only make you a little sad.

Again, I could be wrong; perhaps MultiAir will prove not only incredibly reliable, but also maintenance friendly, a drive system that can simply be drained and dismounted as a unit. Time, and ownership surveys will tell. But at the moment it’s just another pile of complex technology that takes the automobile –especially the performance car- further from being the purely mechanical objects that I’ve known and loved, and further toward a computerized transport module that makes me want to take the bus.

Ahem, Mr. President!

Don't know if you caught it yesterday (if not you can see it here), but in the middle of his address to congress, president Obama stated emphatically, "the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it." This seemed to imply that the United States was that nation and not Germany as everyone knows it was (except as we're about to discover, it wasn't). Of course, the US was the first nation to truly mass produce the automobile, thanks to Henry and his "T" but that's another story.

From the moment he said it the internet and radio were abuzz with corrective statements attempting to lead the President's attention to one Karl Benz of the then recently united Germany, who's 1885-6 Motorwagen is irrefutably the first commercially available vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine. Well then, job well done everybody. Glad we could bring this to the attention of an administration charged with running the most powerful nation in the world. Aren't we all so smart...

Shut up everyone until you know what you're talking about. That's the lesson here. Clearly Herr Benz was very much on the cutting edge of internal combustion technology in his day, and was the first to patent his invention. But to name him as the father of all that is the automobile is to ignore the efforts of many others. Here I will name but four.

1. Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, 1885-6: At the same tim that Benz was finishing off his Motorwagen, Maybach and Daimler were putting the finishing touches on the engine that would make the motorcar more a practical concern and less a novelty. The fact that the work of these two men went on separate from, and without detailed knowledge of the work of Benz, and the broader application of their work (they created the first motorcycle, and were the first to use four wheels on an gas-powered vehicle, they also were the first to apply their new engine to marine craft).

2. Nicholas-Joseph Cugnot, 1769: This gentleman almost certainly created the first self-propelled vehicle that did not require a fabricated running surface (a track in other words). Cugnot's fardier à vapeur (Roughly: "Steam Wagon") was designed at the behest of Louis XV of France to carry heavy artillery pieces (incidentally, in may have also been involved in the first car crash when it went out of control and smashed into the wall of an Arsenal), but was abandoned due to poor performance. If though, an automobile is defined as a vehicle that is able to run without a prepared track, carries its own power source and some fuel, is able to carry a load other than that required to power it, and can be controlled from within (and I think that's a pretty good definition), then this is really where it first came together.

3. Ferdinand Verbiest, 1672: Bit of a mystery here, and there's some debate as to whether it was ever built. Even if it was, it doesn't satisfy all the requirements of being an automobile because it almost certainly couldn't have been ridden, or controlled. Still, this Jesuit monk at least created a design for what, if it was indeed built, would have been a very early example of a self propelled vehicle. I for one find this sketch somehow darling with its modified Hero's Engine concept driving an impeller. It's the first turbine car!

So, I hope this has cleared up a little bit for some people. In between of course go the lives of countless imitators and innovators who's stories will have to be recounted another day. Now if you're ever elected to the highest office in the land, you'll know the history of the industry to which you're offering a bailout, back to its earliest incarnations. And if you're the internet charged with correcting that person, you won't sound like an idiot for starting more than two hundred years after the story began.

Do Not Want.

Clearly, there has been some mistake... Saw this on the way into work this morning and while it's not my habit to call other drivers out on their selection of customizing choices, I'm baffled by this. Buying a Volkswagen Phaeton was a brave choice that showed a commitment to understated cool in the face of severe depreciation. It's an awesome car, much cooler than the Bentley Continental and Audi A8 with which it shares its platform. Most of them left the factory in black or white, simple colors that kept the car hidden in traffic. Honestly, even white or silver were too bold for the Phaeton, black was the way to go. And this one is... is... bronze!

The Longhorns stickers reveal all. This is the car of a UT graduate, and he's painted the car to remind himself how he got where he is. Thing is, in doing so, he's violated a sacred trust, that of the secondhand luxo-barge buyer. And honestly, who buys a Phaeton just to paint it an obnoxious color and put stickers all over it? Just wait until you can afford the offensively styled Audi instead, then go nuts.

Look, as gearheads, we're counting on Phaetons to come down in price and give access to a slice of German cool the likes of which we'd only be able to read about when new. What are we going to do if people start tarting them up to look like last weeks special at a Scion forecourt? We don't have many cars like this left now that BMW have ruined the 7-series for all time, and the S-class has become a nightmare of electrical problems. The only thing around that compares is the last Infinity Q45, and that car seems to be holding its value to a disturbing degree. Besides, it's Japanese, and thus, good as it is, it's not nearly the same thing.

So cut it out! After all, this isn't really your car, you're just holding onto it until a kid with an eye for cool and a pizza delivery job can gather up the tips to buy it from you and spend his weekends cruising in it with his friends instead of misusing it to commute to a real job. Don't ruin it for him!

This Will Not Stand Man!

This aggression will not stand! Ok, wanna know what the hell I'm talking about?

Speed limits are inherently bad things. No, really, I just said that. It's not that I want a world where everyone drives around at breakneck speed for the hell of it, but rather that, on evidence, speed limits actually contribute to bad driving, accidents, and... speeding. It's a simple idea, tell a person that the maximum speed at which they can drive is, and they'll drive faster. It really doesn't matter how fast that speed is, it's the limitation itself. Tell them they can do what they want, and most people will moderate themselves, because most people can reason, and don't want to die.

Politicians and police though, do not like it when people control themselves. Politicians and police officers see controlling people as their job. It also helps that people who need to be controlled usually end up paying for the privilege of being told what to do. The more political control is accepted by a population, the more lucrative it becomes. So is it any wonder that politicians will go to extreme lengths in a democracy to convince people to give over more authority to lawmakers and executives?

Speed limits and intrusive automotive safety laws are really just my pet peeve because they affect me more than some of the other controls constantly being sought. I don't really like guns, so it's sometimes hard for me to empathize with gun owners. Still, I do own one gun left to me by my grandfather, who got it from his father. It's obviously important to me as an heirloom, and I'm thus lucky that it doesn't infringe on any recently implemented gun-control (there's that word again) laws in California, because I'm not eager to give it to the government. My car is even more important to me personally, and I'm at the point of being sick and tired of being told how and when, and how much to use it. Here are just a few of the things that governments are doing to ensure that their citizens do not enjoy the freedom of travel that is one of the most important factors in a free society.

1. Speed Cameras, Red Light Cameras: Why doesn't this idea make everyone nervous? Really, really nervous? It should, you're now being watched almost constantly throughout your day. And with this technology, you haven't the opportunity to confront the arresting officer at the time of the supposed infraction. Add to that, the fact that many cities have been caught shortening red lights, a dangerous safety infraction, and that, where the profits turn out to be less than anticipated, the programs have been canceled or deactivated.

2. Toll Road Timing: This is really sneaky. Timing people between toll booths so see if you're speeding, if it doesn't take you long enough to get from point-a to point-b, you'll find your toll cost has increased by the cost of a speeding ticket. Of course, that's why you, as a motorist, have paid for this gigantic, non taxpayer-supported superhighway, so that you don't get anywhere too quickly. Toll roads are preposterous anyway, but screwing over their customers (because that's what we are) like this is totally out of line... and quite lucrative I'm sure.

3. ISA: These three, harmless looking letters are an acronym for "Intelligent Speed Adaptation," which is Orwellian for a GPS controlled speed limiter. Your car will know where it is at all times through that nav-system you paid $1,500 to have stuck on the dash of your G37 coupe because you're too lazy to look at a map (you get what you pay for). By comparing the information from the satellite to the information about area speed limits stored in the nav-system, the car will know how fast it's supposed to be going, and won't let you travel any faster. This really falls down as a safety system when you imagine a highway full of drivers, brains in neutral, foot to the floor, and then throw in say, an errant squirrel... And how long do you think it will be before the police can access your system's records to see where you've been in the last year? And how does the government make money off this idea you ask? Well, do you really think they're going to let just anyone manufacture, install, and maintain such a system? There's so much licencing and taxation possible with this idea that California legislators must be sniffing around like dogs in heat at the very thought...

4. Seat Belt Laws: This is admittedly a sticky one as I personally can't imagine why anyone would drive around without one of these on, but the fact is, it shouldn't be a law, and the fact that it is has nothing to do with reducing highway deaths. This revealed by the fact that any states are considering upgrading their seatbelt laws to the status of primary offense, allowing officers to pull over motorists without other cause, as a way of covering state budget gaps! That's right, they're admitting that it has nothing to do with keeping you safe and everything to do with taking your money.

So, that's just a few of the says that your life is fast becoming the business of politicians, people who can't figure out anything better to do with their lives, than tell other people how to live theirs. How much control do we really want to give them?