Team Lotus buys Caterham Cars

[Skeeter]

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

 

[rpstewart]

Seems like a good fit - both are cars knocked up in sheds over the winter then only driven on Sunday afternoons!

But seriously, good luck to them.

 

[NathanE]

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.

 

[Skeeter]

All seems a bit farcical now.

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.

 

[Flibster]

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.

 

[Shimmy]

 

[TaKeN]

Just a red square in your post from where I'm sitting Shimmy!

 

[Shimmy]

Worked fine for me?

Rehosted the pic now in previous post.

 

[Skeeter]

Wow, Caterhams are tiny!

Got that in any higher resolutions?

 

[Flibster]

Wow, Caterhams are tiny!

Got that in any higher resolutions?

Sadly it's only slightly larger than that version.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/myteamlotus/5661318030/sizes/o/in/photostream/

 

[ZG002]

I bloody love Caterhams me, Hope this ventures works well for both the F1 team and the future of my fav little car ever!

 

[Pete19s]

Will just pop this here, arrived late and they had deicded to move the Team Lotus liveried Caterham where it was difficult to get a shot of it.


DSC_0561 by Pete19s, on Flickr

 

[Skeeter]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/90957

Good interview with Fernandes. Spot the dig at Group Lotus' future plans...

Confirmation they will try to get the GP2 team renamed 'Air Asia Caterham'. So if they follow the same tactic with F1 and make Caterham the 'sponsor' of the Team Lotus team, then the F1 team will be renamed 'Caterham Team Lotus'.

 

[Phreaky]

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.

 

[Skeeter]

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.

 

[Ingleberry]

Fernandes has built a pathway for new drivers to F1.

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.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Team Caterham just doesn't have the same ring

Big fan of what Fernandes is doing with the team though.

 

[Hxc]

Now caterham produce a mk1/mk2 elise replacement as Lotus fall apart going up market? Heard it here first

 

[FrankJH]

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?

 

[Shimmy]

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?

Supposedly tomorrow:

http://www.airasiago.com/service/static_page.cfm?nav=enMALAYSIA&page=richardbranson

Although I've heard it could be delayed due to the royal wedding or something?