2009 Lotus Elise Sc Convertible 2-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Lotus F1 Team promotes Joylon Palmer for next season

After letting its longtime protege Romain Grosjean go to the Haas F1 team, Lotus has named his successor for next season. Driving for the team as it transitions back to being the Renault factory outfit will be one Jolyon Palmer, the current reigning GP2 champion and possibly one of the best-poised drivers to make it into Formula One. The 24-year-old Brit has been steadily working his way up the formula racing ladder, winning races in Formula Two and GP2 over the past several years before winning the latter title last season. During that victorious campaign he also served as a test driver for Force India, before switching to Lotus this season and getting 10 grand prix practice sessions under his harness. Jolyon's own experience undoubtedly sealed the deal, but his upbringing surely put him in a prime position to make it in single-seater racing. He's the son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, himself a past Formula Two champ before completing half a dozen seasons in Formula One. It's what the elder Palmer's been up to since leaving the grid, however, that's put the son in such a strong position. As head of MotorSport Vision, Jonathan Palmer controls five major racing tracks across the UK – including BrandsHatch, Outlton Park, Snetterton, Cadwell Park and the Bedford Autodrome. He also runs a couple of trackday programs, founded the now-defunct Formula Palmer Audi series and continues to operate the FIA Formula Two Championship, the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, and the British Superbike Championship. All of which gave young Jolyon plenty of room to run as he developed his career. Will that be enough to put the young Palmer in a position to win next season? Only time will tell. But he arrives at a pivotal time for the team, which is expected to transition back from the privately held Lotus operation to Renault's hands, running once again as the factory team – but saddled with an engine package that has been underperforming against the competition. One way or another, it ought to be an interesting time to be in Enstone. Related Video:

Lotus updates Elise with new Sport, Sport 220 models

There aren't a lot of models that stay on the market a full 20 years after their introduction. The Lotus Elise is one of those few, so to mark the occasion, the British sports car manufacturer is launching two new versions. Instead of simply dressing the Elise up with special trim and badges (which it has already done), the new models succeed the old ones by "adding lightness" and increasing performance in the classic Lotus style. Replacing the base Elise is the new Lotus Elise Sport, which cuts a good 24 pounds off the already featherlike curb weight – now down to 1,909 pounds. The 1.6-liter inline-four that is sourced from Toyota and enhanced in-house carries over with 134 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 time of 6.0 seconds and a top speed quoted at 127 miles per hour. Fuel economy and emissions figures improve thanks to the decreased weight, but Lotus says the difference is most felt in the brand's signature handling dynamics. Those looking for a little more oomph may be more enticed by the upgraded Elise Sport 220. Taking the place of the outgoing Elise S, the new Sport 220 benefits from the same weight reduction as the Elise Sport, but packs the larger, more potent engine. The 1.8-liter supercharged four delivers 217 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque to deliver a 4.2-second 0-60 time and a 145-mph top speed. Along with the weight reduction, the new Sport models benefit from optimized throttle response, traction slip thresholds, and handling balance. They also feature new Bilstein dampers. Along with ten exterior colors available, buyers will also be able to choose between leather, Alcantara, or (our pick) classic tartan upholstery like the original 1976 Lotus Esprit S1. Unfortunately, we can't count ourselves among those potential buyers, since Lotus no longer offers the Elise in North America. The automaker is, however, tipped to bring the next generation back to these shores toward the end of this decade. And the incremental improvements that it constantly rolls out bodes well for what's to come.

This might be a Lotus SUV test mule

These photos could be our first look at the Lotus SUV in test mule form. The body on the chassis is clearly that of a Lynk and Co. 01 SUV, but the underpinnings are something different entirely. Perhaps the most telling bit of all is the location in which our spy shooter caught the vehicle. We're told that this was shot dangerously close to Lotus' headquarters in Hethel, England. Using a Lynk and Co. body to test the Lotus SUV makes sense when you take into account who owns both companies. Geely happens to own Lotus, Lynk and Co. and Volvo, so they're all under the same roof at this point. These spy photos appear to be hiding a chassis that doesn't exactly fit correctly under the body, though. The front fenders are far wider than they are on the 01, and the rear fenders also look like they've been messed with to fit the much larger rubber. It has a wider, more aggressive stance than the Lynk and Co. SUV, lending more evidence to this being a Lotus SUV test mule. We'd expect a Lotus SUV to handle as well as anything in the class, so all these things do make sense if that's what it is. As for what could be powering the British SUV, that's another story. This tester has yellow caution tape covering where the gas cap is on the 01 SUV, no visible exhaust and a big, yellow high voltage sticker on the windshield. All of that tells us it's most likely electrified in some form. We didn't have intel that the Lotus SUV would be electric previously, but there's every chance they could go down that road. The Lotus 130 hypercar is going to be all-electric. And Volvo sells plug-in hybrids now, so the tech could be borrowed from there, too. Of course, Volvo doesn't have the same priorities as Lotus does with weight reduction and handling, so don't consider anything a done deal quite yet. We can't actually confirm that the vehicle in question is a Lotus underneath, but hopefully more photos and information make their way to us soon. There's still a long way to go in the development process if Lotus is only testing on mules now, so look for plenty more to come on this vehicle.