New 2013 Lotus Evora S Ips 2+2 Red Velvet & Ebony Factory Warranty New Quick! on 2040-cars

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Lotus sells loads more cars, earns way more money

Sports-car company Lotus has reason to be excited. It released some facts on its sales and financial performance for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal year, and it has seen some impressive improvements. According to the company, it sold nearly 60 percent more cars in mainland Europe compared with the 2015/2016 fiscal year, and it sold six times as many cars in the U.S. compared with that year. This helped it go from a loss of GBP16.3 million for the previous year in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to a GBP2 million profit EBITDA. The fact that those numbers are given before all those extra expenses is noteworthy, though, as it means the company isn't truly profitable yet, despite major gains. The company did report numbers that only excluded tax, and those show the company still lost money. But the good news is that it lost much, much less money than the year before. Before taxes for the 2015/2016 fiscal year, the company lost GBP41.2 million, and this year, it only lost GBP11.2 million. The company expects it will be profitable before tax in the coming year. So Lotus isn't perfectly healthy yet, but this, combined with Geely's recent acquisition, shows it's well on its way to becoming fit as a fiddle. We like the cars Lotus makes, so we hope that things keep getting better, and that we'll maybe get more Lotus models in the future, beyond just the Evora road car and 3-Eleven track car. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Lotus Evora 400: First Drive View 29 Photos Image Credit: Lotus Earnings/Financials Lotus Coupe Lightweight Vehicles Performance

Now’s your chance to buy Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s 1981 Turbo Esprit

Lotus founder and Chairman Colin Chapman’s former 1981 Turbo Esprit Series 3 sports car is for sale, and it looks fantastic in its metallic silver exterior imprinted with “turbo esprit” on both sides and the bonnet, and contrasting red leather interior. Built in February 1981 but not registered until August, it was ChapmanÂ’s personal car until his death in late 1982, and was also driven at one point by former Lotus Formula One driver Elio de Angelis. Chapman even arranged for British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to drive it, at the Norfolk Airport in 1981. Thatcher was quoted in the local paper as saying it was “lovely to drive.” Right, then. Lotus built the car to ChapmanÂ’s specifications, with a lowered and modified suspension, modified bodywork to reduce wind noise, special brake pads and features like power steering and air conditioning that didnÂ’t figure in production models. Chapman, who suffered from hay fever, also had pollen filters installed, plus a roof-mounted Panasonic stereo system. ThereÂ’s also a specially assembled, blueprinted engine; Esprit Turbos of that model year featured a 2.2-liter turbocharged inline-four that made 210 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. This was also the first Esprit model to be fitted with BBS alloy wheels. After ChapmanÂ’s death, the car was maintained for a few months by the companyÂ’s Factory Service Department, and eventually made its way to a succession of private owners. The car is currently on its sixth owner across seven transactions (one ended up re-acquiring the car), but it has just a hair over 11,000 miles on the odometer, with a new clutch slave cylinder and radiator core installed in the past decade. “This vehicle has lived a pampered existence and is a testament not only to its rich pedigree but to those who have cared for it over the years,” says the listing at Mark Donaldson Ltd., which claims it comes with extensive records. According to Top Gear, the seller is looking to fetch at least 80,000 pounds, or around $97,000. Related Video:    

The Stig bungees a Lotus F1 car in Durban

Remember a couple of months ago when a mischievous Stig broke into the Lotus racing headquarters in Enstone and made off with an F1 car? Well, now we know where he went with it.
In this humorous clip from Top Gear, the tamed racing driver in the white suit disembarks with Pastor Maldonado's Lotus-Renault E22 (not the E21 he took from the team's headquarters, eagle-eye viewers might notice) in Durban, South Africa, and takes it to Moses Mabhida Stadium for the Top Gear Festival. After having some fun on a dirt bike, a chrome Mustang drift car and a few other curiosities, he hooks it up to a bungee cord and jumps off a tower behind the wheel.
Now we're not quite convinced they actually did this and that it wasn't all CGI, but it's still worth a watch and a laugh.