What are the odds of finding the first car built by Lotus founder Colin Chapman? Continue reading
Category Archives: Lotus
1950s / 1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Alfa Romeo / British / Caterham / Citroen / Dino / Fiat / Ford / French / German / Italian / Japanese / Lancia / Lotus / Matra / Neckar / Peugeot / Porsche / Renault / Swedish / Toyota / Volvo
Events: the 4th annual Ventabren Retro Passion show
This small, regional show tends to offer an eclectic selection of cars. Continue reading
1990s / British / Kia / Lotus / South Korean
A quick look at the Kia Elan
Less than 1,000 examples of the Kia Elan were built. Continue reading
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Time traveling: 1980s European cars at the Chicago Motor Show
The first edition of the Chicago Motor Show was held in 1901, making it one of the oldest car shows in the world. The Chicago show was once one of the nation’s largest automotive events but it is overshadowed today by bigger, more important industry trade shows held in New York, Detroit and Los Angeles. … Continue reading
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Topical advertising: Badge-engineering
Badge-engineering is one of the best ways to illustrate the microeconomics concept of economies of scale. Simply put, the average cost of each unit goes down as quantity goes up. Selling the rights to a car or even to a component like a chassis or an engine can save automakers a substantial amount money in … Continue reading
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Topical advertising: Old vs. new
Automakers commonly bring historic models from their own collection to media events in an attempt to create a link between the past and the present. Sometimes the connection between the two cars on display is evident, sometimes it’s a little more heavy-handed. A photographer generally shoots the old car next to the new one but … Continue reading
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The 2014 Monte-Carlo Historique rally
The 17th annual Monte-Carlo Historique rally kicked off a little over a week ago and ended yesterday when a Belgian team at the wheel of an orange 1978 Opel Kadett GTE won the event. This year, the participants left from six European cities (Barcelona, Glasgow, Monte-Carlo, Oslo, Reims and Stockholm) and the common stages took … Continue reading
1960s / 1970s / 1980s / 1990s / Editorial / English / Fiat / German / Italian / Japanese / Lancia / Lotus / Porsche / Toyota
Moderately Priced Mid-Engined Cars
Automotive manufacturers have understood the advantages of placing a car’s engine in the middle (or, behind the driver and ahead of the rear wheels) for some time. By placing the engine there, the weight balance of the car can be made much more even over the front and rear axles. This allows (in most cases) … Continue reading
British / English / Formula One / Lotus / Race oddity
Race Oddity: Lotus 56 “turbine car”
Turbine powered automobiles have been tried and tested many times as a replacement to the conventional piston engine. Essentially a jet-engine mated to a mechanical drive shaft, turbines allow a vast power curve and relative simplicity. The idea became gained popularity in the late 1950’s “Jet Age” and was experimented with heavily by Chrysler in … Continue reading
Grocery Getter
>You don’t often see exotic English supercars parked in front of your local supermarket, but this Lotus Exige S was spotted in front of a Wegmans in Erie a few days ago. The perfect choice for making 148 mph runs to pick up a few rolls of toilet paper – which you may very well … Continue reading
