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Lotus Type 132 electric crossover leaked in patent images

Lotus is preparing to merge into the mainstream by releasing an electric crossover called Type 132. While we won't see the model in the metal until late in March 2022, a series of images leaked out of a patent office have prematurely revealed its exterior design. Discovered by Motor1, the renderings appeared on the website for the Australian patent and trademark office, IP Australia. They're attributed to Wuhan Lotus Cars Co., which is the new division in charge of developing the company's so-called "premium lifestyle" models. What immediately stands out is that the Type 132 — a code-name that most likely won't appear on the production model — looks nothing like the current or past members of the Lotus range; it's not merely a reshaped Emira or a stretched Elise on silts. Its unusual proportions match what we've seen in earlier spy shots, and distinctive styling cues like the thin light bar that stretches across the hatch also appeared in official preview images released by Lotus. Fully electric, the Type 132 is characterized by a short front end fitted with angular headlights, a relatively long wheelbase, and a roof line that's low and rakish; it certainly tilts more towards sport than towards utility. At first glance, the overall design looks less pure than what we're used to seeing from Lotus, though we'll need to wait until the model makes its official debut to tell for sure. What's certain is that the people-hauler depicted in these images is completely different than the one that leaked out of a patent office in China in October 2017. Either what we saw nearly five years ago was something else entirely, or the British firm sent its design team back to the drawing board. We spot several interesting details in the patent images. Look closely, and you'll notice that the Type 132 is not fitted with conventional door mirrors; it features door-mounted cameras, like certain Audi models. And, check out that pod on the roof. While it's almost shaped like an air vent, this is not a car designed for the World Rally Championship. One possibility is that it's there to house the various sensors required to power a semi-autonomous driving system. Lotus is controlled by Geely, which also owns Volvo and Polestar, so it has access to a tremendous amount of technology. Lotus will introduce the Type 132 online on March 29, 2022, and production will begin shortly after in China.

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.

Last Lotus Elise delivered to the person it was named after

Lotus just made an announcement on its social media channels that the last customer-bound Elise has been built — we'll note that Lotus built the very last Elise for itself — and delivered to its final customer, Elisa Artioli. If you havenÂ’t heard of her before, itÂ’s time for a little Lotus history lesson. Back when the Elise came to fruition and was released in 1996, Romano Artioli was the companyÂ’s chairman. When it came time to finalize a name for the two-seat sports car, Romano looked to his granddaughter, Elisa, for inspiration.  For those who find full-circle stories satisfying, itÂ’s hard to get any better than this one. The Elise youÂ’re looking at here is the final customer-bound Elise in the world, and itÂ’s going to none other than the woman who the car is named after. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As for the spec of the car itself, this is an Elise Sport 240, and itÂ’s painted in “Championship Gold.” The Sport 240 features a 1.8-liter supercharged four-cylinder thatÂ’s good for 240 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. Weighing only 2,033 pounds, itÂ’s capable of a 4.1-second 0-60 mph sprint and has a top speed of 147 mph. What a lovely story! WeÂ’ve asked Lotus for more photos and additional information, and weÂ’ll update when we hear back.