Team Lotus buys Caterham Cars

Skeeter

Skeeter

Skeeter

Caporegime
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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90955

And a nice blog about it here:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/more-on-the-team-lotus-caterham-deal/

The Lotus 7 and Team Lotus are the 2 best things Colin Chapman ever did, and now they are back together again. Thankfully, Lotus Cars doesn't have a hand in it at all. I have really gone off Lotus Cars since they have started acting like spoilt school children and taking Lotus Cars to somewhere where they will likely fail.

So, rumors are Team Lotus will become Caterham Team Lotus. All good with me :)
 
All seems a bit farcical now.

It really could so easily go the incomprehensible route of Group Lotus having their brand pulled from underneath them. Leaving Bahar up the creek without a paddle. Their "F1 team" would then need to cease using the Black & Gold livery because that would be deemed to be a past branding of Team Lotus.

This is a **** storm that has been brewing for years. Ever since the Malaysians bought them but left the one important question of "This includes the F1 team rights as well, yah?" till the very end and after all the paperwork was already signed.

When Bahar's dream for Group Lotus fails, I can honestly see Fernandes being the man to step in and buy them out. Then he will own both Caterham and Lotus. Two of the last remaining British car manufacturers.
 
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NathanE said:
All seems a bit farcical now.
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On the contrary. The whole ethos of Team Lotus has been very serious and down to earth. If anything its Lotus Cars that have got all farcical and made themselves look like fools.

I think Team Lotus are going to make much more of a success selling Caterhams than Group Lotus are going to of the new up market, fatter and heavier Lotus Cars range.
 
Had an great day at Duxford with Team Lotus.

Many thanks to the lovely young Lotus PR lady *she really was very lovely* who got me into the media bit and also got me the freebee's ;)

T128 now has EBD too. They were running it this afternoon.

Tf anyone wants a T128 Caterham, spec up the Caterham you want, then add £3k for the T128 pack. Really want one.

Had a quick chat with Tony as well. He really seems to know what he's doing with Caterham and Team Lotus. Group Lotus *read Bahar* have decided that they are Ferrari, so Team Lotus are taking up the space they are leaving with cars that Chapman would approve of.

As for Group Lotus, I suspect bankruptcy beckons and it wouldn't surprise if Tony bought the whole of Group Lotus as well and brought them all in together.

Actually Caterham building replicas of historic Lotus road cars, Lotus Cars building the new ones, Team Lotus racing their cars.... All they need to do then is get Classic Team Lotus involved. Maybe even purchase Ketteringham Hall and remodel that for the new base for Team Lotus.
 
:cool:

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Caterham is such a cult brand, mixing it with Lotus is awesome. They should ditch Marussia-Virgin and HRT from F1 entirely, I think that would give a really balanced set of teams.
 
Fernandes has built a pathway for new drivers to F1.

Start of in Caterham supported Karts, move up to Caterham 7 racing, then onto the SP/300 series, then on into Air Asia backed single seaters (I think they have some Formula Renault teams don't they?), into Air Asia Caterham GP2 team, then into Team Lotus in F1.
 
Skeeter said:
Fernandes has built a pathway for new drivers to F1.
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For this reason alone i'm glad Fernandes and Lotus are in F1 now to help open up the sport on many levels.

The Caterham link bringing back the Lotus 7 connection is all very nice but i despise the Chapman marketing links because it only tells half the story.
 
Really like Fernandes, hope it all works out for him

Has Branson completed his bet with Fernandes about doing a flight on Air Asia as a stewardess?
 
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