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Lotus Type 130 electric supercar officially named Evija

Only known as the Type 130 to this point, the new Lotus supercar finally has its official name: Evija. Lotus made the announcement at the 2019 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and some fans have the lucky opportunity to get a sneak preview of the all-electric performance vehicle during the event. The Evija, which is pronounced "ev-eye-a," will be the first car Lotus has produced under the ownership of Chinese umbrella company Geely. Evija means "the first in existence" or "the living one," according to Lotus, thought the company did not go into the origins of the word. With cars such as the Rimac C_Two already in existence, the Evija is not the first electric supercar, but Lotus says it is the "first all-electric hypercar" from a British automaker. It's also the first electric Lotus. The Evija is slated for its world debut in London on July 16, 2019, and production is expected to start in 2020. However, Lotus set up a light show experience at Goodwood that involves that car. So, fans won't see the full vehicle, but the experience will tease small yet-to-be-seen details.  Very little information is known about the car yet, save for a nebulous aero image and a couple short video teasers. It will have a push-button gear selector, a light-up rear Lotus badge, an electric charging dock cover, and it appears it will have a tablet style dash setup. And, of course, carbon fiber will be the material of choice inside and out. We'll have full specs, photos, and information shortly. Auto News Green Green Lotus Lotus Evija

Jay Leno goes old school with 1966 Lotus Elan 26R

On the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage the guest's are both from inside the garage: the man they call Professor Jim Hall, Leno's master fabricator, and the 1966 Lotus 26R that he spent 18 months building. The Elan 26R was the racing version of the Elan that Lotus founder Colin Chapman began building after watching privateer teams prep their roadgoing Elans for competition duty all over Europe. Built by the factory from 1964-1966, drivers like Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart won silverware in the roadster called "the giant killer."
Hall, a veteran Lotus wrench, started with the 1966 Elan street car and turned it into a 26R that's arguably better than the factory original. Except for the engine block and head, original 26R body and Elan chassis, just about everything is custom built, highly modified or special order, from the fabricated oil pan, brake lines, safety wiring and oval exhaust tubing to the six-speed sequential transmission.
The episode is an unusually-long 21 minutes because, as an in-house build, Leno can go through the process of putting the whole roadster together. When he takes it for a drive and keeps going on about how it sings, you can hear it, too. It's worth the time to check out Mr. Hall's Opus in the video below.

Fighter jet-inspired Lotus EV was developed for endurance racing in 2030

Lotus is about to start writing a new chapter in its long history, and the plot could include a renewed focus on racing. It unveiled a futuristic concept called E-R9 that explores what an endurance race car might look like in 2030. Developed by Lotus Engineering, the E-R9 is a digital design study that exists only in computer-generated renderings (shown above). It's finished in black and gold, a color scheme chosen as a tribute to the British company's past race cars, and it's equipped with a stunningly advanced suite of active aerodynamic add-ons. Its morphing body panels can be controlled automatically or manually, depending on the situation. On long straights, they flatten out to reduce drag. When a corner approaches, they generate more downforce. The vertical control surfaces on the back end of the triangle-shaped body adjust themselves as-needed to allow the car to pivot around a turn. "The result is a racer that’s partly driven like a car and partly flown like a fighter jet," Lotus promised. Fittingly, the driver sits in a fighter jet-like cockpit with a wrap-around windshield that provides excellent visibility. Photos of the cockpit haven't been released, however, but it's likely as science fiction-esque as the exterior design. Power for the E-R9 comes from a fully electric drivetrain that assigns each wheel its own motor. It's an evolution of the system fitted to the Evija, the first production-bound electric Lotus. Details like range, horsepower, torque and acceleration aren't available, but the firm hinted that its racer uses a battery pack built with a mixed-cell chemistry. Interestingly, it also pointed out the battery can theoretically be swapped out during pit stops, which solves the issue of pausing the race — or losing precious seconds — while the driver waits for the pack to take a charge. Many of the features showcased by the E-R9 are not in production, but Lotus says that could soon change. "The Lotus E-R9 incorporates technologies which we fully expect to develop and be practical. Lotus has an amazing history of developing unique solutions, and weÂ’ve done it many times in motorsport and with our road cars," said Lotus chief aerodynamicist Richard Hill in a statement. While that's not a confirmation that Lotus will send the E-R9 to the track in 2030, it's a strong signal that the company wants to continue racing for decades to come. Related video: