The German specialist in craftsmanship on luxury vehicles has already worked with Lotus on a range of special editions, and will offer Lotus enthusiasts the ultimate tailoring service. At the Paris Motor Show in September this year, Lotus will unveil an exciting new model variant in collaboration with Mansory.

Assigned to special projects, Mansory will contribute bodywork, trim and special finishes for Lotus’ acclaimed model range; the Elise, Exige and Evora. As the Official Customisation Studio, Mansory is working closely with Lotus’ engineers and designers to produce modifications that scream individuality and quality.

Since the exciting reaction to the Evora Concept Bespoke at the 2011 Geneva expo, Lotus and Mansory have collaborated on several projects together, principally the road-going Evora GTE – the most powerful Lotus yet – which prompted a deluge of international orders.

‘Specials’ followed: The chrome-red Evora GTE by Swizz Beatz and, most recently, the raw carbon-fibre Lotus F1 Team Evora GTE, have claimed poster space on teenagers’ bedroom walls and sparked frenzy among supercar collectors desperate to get their hands on these extremely limited-edition models.

Eponymous founder Kourosh Mansory has always been passionate about British luxury and sports cars. He spent many years in England in order to absorb vehicular values such as tradition, craftsmanship, and state-of-the-art engineering.

Kourosh Mansory, Owner, Mansory Design and Holding GmbH: “At Mansory, we have always been passionate about British cars, and the cooperation with Lotus is the perfect partnership as it meets our quality standard of production on the highest technical level combined with masterly craftsmanship and the most precious materials. As the Official Lotus Customisation Studio, we amplify the existing options with harmonically designed aerodynamics and ultra-light aluminium rims. High-quality accessories and stylish interior fittings complete the Mansory assortment.”

Wolf Zimmerman, Chief Technical Officer, Group Lotus: “Mansory are leaders in their field, and having worked closely with them on the Evora GTE and the special editions we’ve unveiled recently, we now wish to take the partnership to an official level. Together, I am confident we will continue to produce outstanding sports cars, with the bespoke qualities that many of our discerning customers look for.”

Maurizio Parlato, Commercial Director, Group Lotus: “There’s a strong market for official customisation, and Mansory is the perfect partner in ensuring the quality and style we strive to maintain at Lotus. For customers who are seeking Lotus’ principals of speed, innovation and fun, but with added exclusivity, our Official Customisation Studio is the answer. The Lotus Evora GTE is a great illustration of what is to come. The car has already prompted around 250 orders and leads between China and Europe and we expect it to have a very successful future as the top of the range Evora.”

Lotus’ resurgence in worldwide motorsports in Formula 1, IndyCar, WEC LMP-2, ALMS GT, GT-4, GP2, GP3 and the FIA European Rally Championship continues to draw fans to the marque and to the Lotus Cup. The Lotus Cup is for Lotus owners who, whether they’re a novice or experienced racer, would like to exercise their sports cars and take part in competitive racing alongside fellow Lotus enthusiasts. The popular Lotus Cup Series runs in the US, UK, Europe, Eastern Europe, Italy and Japan.

The Lotus Cup USA Series is open to all owners of Lotus production-based cars such as the Elise, Exige and Evora or purpose-built Lotus Racing track cars such as the Exige Cup, 2-Eleven, Evora GTS, Evora GT-4 and the new Exige V6 Cup car.

While the headliner of each Lotus Cup USA Series event will be the road races featuring multiple classes racing together, there are also Time Attack track sessions in which each competitor races the stopwatch and the drivers (per class) with the fastest lap times in the time trial session are awarded the win. A VIP Lotus Evora Performance Driving Experience will be conducted on select Lotus Cup USA weekends providing Lotus owners and prospective owners an opportunity to experience the thrill of driving the Evora and/or Evora S in the safe and controlled environment of some of the best race tracks in North America. Driver coaching is available throughout each Lotus Cup USA weekend with professional driving instructors on hand to help all participants improve their track driving skills and extract the very best from their Lotus sports car.

The 2012 Lotus Cup USA Series begins with the first event this weekend of Saturday and Sunday, March 24 – 25 and continues through eight Western US events, three Eastern US events and one event in the South Central part of the US at Motorsports Ranch Houston:

Hardcore soft-top:
More raw than a Japanese tasting menu, the Lotus Exige S Roadster combines its coupé twin’s mesmerizing grunt and handling with an open air experience that makes the driver feel all the more at one with the road. It’s the first time an Exige model has been offered with a factory-fitted soft top roof, one which is typically lightweight and easy to put up and take down. In true Lotus fashion the finely tuned suspension delivers a responsive ride and sublimely agile handling, whilst the supercharged 3.5 V6 engine with race-derived technologies delivers stunning performance. Reaching 100 kph from standing in a neck-snapping 4 seconds (0 – 60 mph in 3.8 seconds) and 0 – 160 kph (0 – 100 mph) in 8.5 seconds this little roadster packs a punch both on and off the track. The Roadster comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, but will also be available with Lotus’ Serial Precision Shift (SPS), a paddle-operated automated manual transmission, which makes life more relaxed in the city and more F1-like when it’s let off the leash.

Kimi some lovin’:
Our favourite Finn introduced a very special version of an already limited edition – the Lotus F1 Team Evora GTE is about as exclusive as a sports car can get. Kimi returns to Formula One with Lotus in 2012, and what better way to celebrate the return of the former world champion than by creating a special F1 edition? Unique F1 and Kimi-inspired touches include: An unpainted high-gloss carbon-fibre body, carbon interior with copper inlays, gold-piped black leather bucket seats, and Lotus F1 Team Limited Edition badging. The GTE, expected to be homologated for EU markets by May 2012, is the most powerful Lotus road car ever: 444 horsepower from a 3.5 V6, and with over a 100 kg sheered from the standard Evora it boasts a better power-to-weight ratio than most machines this side of Kimi’s office. What’s not to love?

Discovering the car today Kimi said: “If the Lotus F1 Team Evora GTE is as quick as it looks then it is going to be absolutely incredible. I would love to have this as my company car! I like its aggressive shape and the carbon-fibre finish makes it stand out even more – I can’t wait to drive it. It’s great to be back in Formula One and I’m really looking forward to my first race with Lotus next week in Australia.”

The evolution of endurance – Lotus style:
Lotus is competing in the 2012 World Endurance Championship with a Lotus V8-powered Lola-designed LMP2 prototype racer. The team, which is run by former F1 principal Colin Kolles and his Kodewa squad, kicks things off at Sebring on March 17.

This partnership is ideal for Lotus as it climbs the endurance racing ladder, having returned to the GT class last year with the Evora. Though hugely important in themselves, the build-up races of the season are really an amuse bouche for arguably the greatest motor race in the world – the Le Mans 24 Hours – and our LMP2 should be right in the thick of the action.

Journe Alesi:
This May, Formula One legend and Group Lotus ambassador Jean Alesi is taking on a stirring new challenge – to race in the Indianapolis 500. Lotus, of course, has a glorious history at the 500 having won it with Jim Clark in 1965. His Lotus 38 was the first mid-engined car to ever triumph at the Brickyard. Lotus returned to IndyCar last year and has stepped up its involvement in 2012 by manufacturing its own engine and powering no less then five cars. Innovation has always been key to Lotus’ DNA, and it’s something shared by Lotus’ newest partner, Swiss watchmaker F.P. Journe. The shared values help to explain why the exclusive watchmaker’s decided to support Lotus and Jean with his first Indy outing. In addition to partnering with Lotus for the Indy 500, Jean will be wearing an F.P. Journe Centigraphe Sport watch, the first all-aluminium mechanical wristwatch. At just 55 grams, its lightweight philosophy is perfectly in line with Lotus, and its high-tech aluminium alloy is normally found in aeronautical engineering and Lotus’ acclaimed chassis technology.

And there’s more:
Hall 2’s Stand 2230 in Geneva is packed with plenty more head-turners from Lotus:

Road cars
The Elise S is all torque and all action. Its 1.8 supercharged engine delivers a buttock-clenching 220 PS, which means more speed, more versatility, and more efficiency. It results in lower fuel consumption and emissions than the previous Elise SC, which the S replaced last year.

Following its debut in Frankfurt, the new Roadster’s brother, the Exige S in its coupe version, makes another appearance – the ultimate closed-cockpit road-faring missile that will make a mess of the competition but not your hair.

And if you missed it in Frankfurt then now’s your chance to see the Evora S with IPS gearbox, the paddle-shift variant of Lotus’ current premium model. Its supercharged 3.5 V6 pumps out 350 PS, which the acclaimed chassis fully exploits. The Intelligent Precision Shift allows a high and even level of power transfer as well as quick, smooth shifts. It allows for more comfort in the city, better fuel efficiency and lots of fun when it comes to the fast stuff.

Motorsport
Lotus is turning up the heat in Formula One this year. World champion Kimi Raikkonen is back in the driving seat alongside a very promising youngster, GP2 champion Romain Grosjean. The Lotus F1 Team’s E20 has been impressive in pre-season tests. While the team is hard at work, we have one of our black-and-gold F1 machines on the stand in Geneva.

We’ve also got our F1-inspired customer single-seater, the Type 125, a car so extreme that everything about it gets the heart racing. Now at the end of its extensive development program, the car has spent the winter with our F1 team in Enstone and has been tested by Romain Grosjean in Portimao. The result is a racing car that can lick F1’s performance envelope, yet is easier to drive, more accommodating, and doesn’t need a 20-man pit crew to run it. Ultimate driver thrills are yours at the touch of a button.

The Evora’s race debut went well last year and we’re looking forward to building on this in 2012. The Evora managed to complete all 24 hours of a punishing Le Mans in June and finished seventh in the GTE-Pro class, which was no mean feat given the programme’s infancy. Meanwhile, the Lotus Sport UK team took three fantastic wins in the British GT Championship’s GT4 category. At Geneva, we have a special gold-and-black Evora GT4 for you to get your paws on.

Lotus Engineering showcased a number of technologies, all of which point the way for the future of sustainable, efficient transport with ultra low well-to-wheel carbon emissions. Leading the Lotus Engineering presence was the Lotus Evora 414E Range Extender Hybrid, developed as part of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board’s REEV project. Under the skin of this innovative technical demonstrator is an electric drivetrain with two electric motors giving 800Nm of torque and 414 PS, linked to the Lotus’ 1.2 litre, 35 kW range extender engine.

Additional exhibits from Lotus Engineering included key components from the Active Valve Train technology, now developed to run at up to 8000 rpm, and the Omnivore engine which can run efficiently and optimally on almost any type of liquid fuel (including petrol, alcohol, diesel, aviation fuel and paraffin) and as such could lead the way in how engines will be designed in the future.

- Official team for 2012 FIA European Rally Championship

- Official team for 2012 European Le Mans Series

- Rewards for results with Lotus Racing Karts

Rallying

The Lotus International Rally team is set to make its race debut in April in the FIA European Rally Championship. In partnership with Italian team United Business, who won the title last year, the hotly anticipated Exige R-GT will be painted in Lotus’ iconic black and gold colour scheme.

Former Portuguese champion and Super 2000 World Rally Championship (SWRC) driver Bernardo Sousa is in-line to race the car at the Rally 1000 Miglia in Brescia, Italy, on 19-21 April, provided the car is ready. Next week the Exige R-GT undergoes its final testing before being submitted to the FIA for homologation. Ten cars will be built this year, with seven cars allocated to the official team and European racing drivers.

Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Racing, started his career rallying and is thrilled to be back. “This will be the first GT car to be homologated by the FIA. Lotus, of course, has been successful in rallying before, winning the 1981 World Rally Championship with the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. So in many ways we’re all going back to our roots. Partnering with the United Business Rally Team in the FIA European Rally Championship makes perfect sense because they, like us, know how to win. I think this is going to be a very strong collaboration. The championship largely takes place on tarmac, which suits us too. It’s so exciting to go rallying with this new project. It’s another big challenge for Lotus.”

Pier Liberali, Owner and President of United Business, commented: “This partnership agreement with Lotus Racing fills me with pride. Lotus is one of the most famous manufacturers worldwide in the motorsports field. It is an honour for us to be able to work with them, and we will do our utmost to exceed their expectations.”

GT

Lotus is to enter an official team in this year’s European Le Mans Series. The black and gold-coloured Evora GTE will compete in the GTE Pro class with factory driver Johnny Mowlem at the wheel. The two other drivers that will comprise this one-car team will be announced shortly.

Lotus Giudici Racing is run by former professional touring car driver turned GT racer Gianni Giudici, who ran an Evora GT4 in the European Blancpain Series last year and finished runner-up.

Testing kicks off at Lotus’ Hethel track, followed by six hour endurance races at Le Castellet (France), Zolder (Belgium), Donington (UK), Brno (Czech Republic) and Portimao (Portugal).

Director of Lotus Racing, Claudio Berro, is pleased to have GTE programmes on both sides of the Atlantic: “Having already announced our American Le Mans Series team, Lotus-AJR, it’s great to now announce our entry in the European Le Mans Series. Last year marked the Evora GTE’s first year of competition. It was a foundation year, which proved promising, and by now splitting programs between these two prestigious series I hope we’ll be able to further hone the GTE into a title contender.

“Gianni Giudici has long been one of Lotus Racing’s most important customers, and creating this official partnership makes perfect sense. He has been very successful in endurance racing, and has the capability to run the car at a very high level. With Lotus’ technical support this will be a good combination for the European platform.”

Karting

The Lotus Racing Karts team is flat-out in preparation for the 2012 CIK-FIA Under-18 Karting World Championship. Registration is now open and the deadline for entries is 30th March. The total entries will be limited to 102 and it’s first come first served.

Therefore, drivers interested in entering this World Championship are advised to enter online as soon as possible: http://www.cikfia.com/championships/entry-form.html

The championship, which starts on July 8 in Braga, Portugal, aims to promote drivers aged 15-18 and rigorously limit the costs involved, such as with the free allocation of tyres and engines to all participants. The series promises to refocus the pure sport of karting not as a spending competition, which has seen costs rise drastically across most other international championships, but as the de-facto school for tomorrow’s grand prix superstars.

Just like the greats, from Jim Clark through to Kimi Raikkonen, aspiring youngsters now have the opportunity to become Lotus factory-supported drivers.

Built in Italy, the Lotus Racing Kart is arguably the most fun, raw and inspirational Lotus ever to hit the race track. The focus is on quality, speed, reliability and versatility through its automated robot welding technology of the C30 and C32 chassis, and on developing the next generation of Lotus racers early.

The top three drivers to race Lotus Racing Karts will be richly rewarded: A fully-sponsored Formula Monza test with the Lotus Formula Juniors team and a go in Lotus’ F1-inspired Type 125 customer car, plus a two-day test with the Lotus Racing Karts team and a tour of the Group Lotus factory and facilities in Hethel, England.

So, points mean big shiny prizes.

David Hewitt with Lotus Evora

David Hewitt, Operations Director for Group Lotus, has joined a select list of captains of industry to promote manufacturing in the United Kingdom.

The Make It In Great Britain campaign calls upon individuals, businesses and media to get behind British manufacturing and challenge the misconception that “Britain doesn’t build anything anymore” – an outdated view that restricts investment, finance and recruitment to one of the country’s most vital sectors.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said, “The outdated perception of the manufacturing industry does not match the reality of today. Make it in Great Britain is all about encouraging support for the sector, dispelling myths and encouraging greater interest in industry by young people and investors .”

David Hewitt has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the modern manufacturing environment, making him best placed to spread the good news we have to tell. That is why I want industry champions like David to generate excitement and interest amongst our young people and future workforce”.

David Hewitt joins 29 other experienced executives, from some of Britain’s most successful and reputable companies, in promoting the government-backed campaign. Group Lotus is one of just five automotive enterprises represented, the others being the Williams F1 Team, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Nissan.

Group Lotus is at the forefront of Britain’s high-tech and automotive engineering industries. Since the first Lotus car was built in 1948, the Lotus brand has been synonymous with innovation, style, and success on and off the race track. With five exciting new models in the pipeline and £509 million pounds planned investment at its factory in Hethel, Norfolk, over the next five years, Lotus is a proud British company with a strong future.

“Britain is a nation of innovators,” explains David Hewitt. “Just look at all the brilliant products and inventions that have originated right here in the UK.

“Lotus is a great British company with a rightful place among the very best our country offers in both manufacturing and engineering,” Hewitt continues. “I want to show that British manufacturing can be an exciting, challenging and rewarding place to be.”

Lotus Sport UK has signed Sailesh Bolisetti to race in the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The 23-year-old from Visakhapatnum, on the east coast of India, will race the Lotus Evora GT4 which took three wins last year, the team’s maiden season.

Bolisetti began racing in 2007 and went on to win India’s inaugural Volkswagen Polo Cup in 2010. As part of his prize, he was promoted to the Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup, a support series for Europe’s DTM championship. Now’s he’s preparing to make the step up to sportscar racing, alongside some of the toughest tin-top competitors in the business.

Commenting on his appointment Sailesh Bolisetti said: “Being associated with such a well-known name in racing is a great opportunity for me, especially one with such a rich pedigree across a uniquely wide range of disciplines. But I don’t take it as a pressure, I take it as a privilege – I’ll be driving for the same brand as some of my all time heroes and sporting legends and I’m really looking forward to it.”

British GT’s seven-race season kicks off at Oulton Park on April 7. In addition, Bolisetti will contest the Indian i1 Super Series in the Middle East and Asia, in order to get as much experience under his belt as possible.

Gary Ayles, Team Manager, Lotus Sport UK said: “Sailesh is a strong talent that hadn’t been discovered in Europe, until now. I first got to know him and his father through my contacts in India, having been involved with the A1GP India team and raced over there in F3. We kept in contact and now Sailesh has come of age and is ready to race here in Europe with our team. You need to keep an eye on this lad, he’s a star in the making.”