1987 Lotus Esprit on 2040-cars

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In hindsight, Musk wouldn't use Lotus for Tesla Roadster

The world will be a different place after Elon Musk builds a time traveling device (don't ask us how we know that will happen). For one thing, the Tesla Roadster of the rewritten future will not have been built using the chassis of the Lotus Elise. Also, verb tenses will be becoming even more confusing and, possibly, awkward. "We ended up changing most of the damn car" – Elon Musk We know about the not-using-the-Lotus thing because the Tesla Motors CEO said as much yesterday at the World Energy Innovation Forum at the Tesla Factory in Fremont. The two-day event, which also offers Model S test rides and a factory tour for attendees, featured a fireside chat with the electric automaker's CEO and Ira Ehrenpreis. During the discussion, Musk revealed that if he had to do it over again, he would have built the Roadster from the ground up instead of using the Lotus Elise chassis. "We ended up changing most of the damn car, so we thought later, why did we do that," he said. Another problem with the original idea for the car was the drivetrain. At first, Tesla had meant to use the motor and other propulsive bits from AC Propulsion, only to find that powertrain didn't work well in a commercial application. Instead Tesla only licensed the reductive charging patent, which allowed some integration of the inverter and charger. Besides knocking Tesla's own early efforts, the outspoken entrepreneur took a couple swings at other technologies with quotable quotes such as: "The internal combustion engine is a ridiculous thing!" and "Current lithium ion technology is better than theoretical fuel cell limits. So, game over. Why bother with fuel cells?" Looks like there are some things Musk is not interested in going back in time and changing.

The Stig breaks into Lotus F1 HQ

As Top Gear's mysterious test driver, The Stig has driven just about everything on wheels - and more than a few things without. But an F1 car? That still remains a rarity, even on Top Gear.
That all changes in this latest promo clip, though. The video shows what happened when his Royal Stigness arrived at the headquarters of the Lotus F1 team in Enstone, England, where he somehow managed to scan his way in past security and got his hands on a Lotus-Renault E21, the V8-powered single-seater that Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean drove in the 2013 Formula One World Championship - and which the Stig will apparently be driving on stage during the upcoming Top Gear Festival in Durban. If you're not heading to South Africa this month, though (or even if you are), you can check out the footage in the video below.

Lotus shows how drivers will be able to change the Evija's behavior

Lotus published footage of the Evija, its first series-produced electric car, undergoing shakedown testing on its Hethel, England, track. It also detailed the model's different driving modes, and the effect they'll have on the powertrain. Electric technology is heavy, and Lotus is known for making ultra-light cars, so engineers walked a fine line as they developed the Evija. Gavan Kershwa, the brand's director of vehicle attributes, explained his team managed to give the 2,000-horsepower coupe the handling enthusiasts expect from a mid-engined model by placing the lithium-ion battery pack, which is the heaviest part of the car, directly behind the passenger compartment. Matt Windle, the company's research and development boss, told Autoblog composite materials and clever packaging help offset the battery's weight. The part the steering column is mounted to is also used as a ducting for the climate control system, for example. All told, the Evija tips the scale at approximately 3,700 pounds. Enthusiasts will have five driving modes, named Range, City, Tour, Sport and Track, at their fingertips. Range mode caps the car's output at 1,000 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque and makes the Evija rear-wheel drive to maximize driving range. City makes the Evija easier to drive around town, while Tour lets the driver choose between rear- and all-wheel drive while raising the powertrain's output to 1,400 horsepower. Sport puts 1,700 horsepower and 1,254 pound-feet of torque under the driver's right foot, and it tweaks the various stability control systems to improve traction. Finally, Track unleashes the car's full potential while dialing in the highest level of torque vectoring. It also changes the chassis settings, according to the company. Lotus will continue fine-tuning the Evija in the coming months, and production is scheduled to start in 2021. Though it was delayed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 130 units are planned, and Autoblog can confirm the first year of production is sold out — but there are still build slots available, contrary to what some sources are reporting. Looking ahead, Windle told us the Evija is a trailblazer whose design language and technology will permeate future models.  Related Video: Green Lotus Coupe Electric Performance