Lotus Cars USA Announces North American Debut of Lotus Sport

April 18, 2006 – Lotus Cars USA, the importer and distributor of Lotus cars in North America, has introduced the exclusive Lotus Sport brand to North American enthusiasts with the world debut of the ultra high-performance Lotus Sport Exige Cup and Lotus Sport Elise. Lotus Sport, the British automaker’s exclusive competition subsidiary develops, designs and engineers limited- edition production and purpose-built race cars as well as individual parts and accessories developed specifically to excel in a motorsports environment.

Unveiled at the New York International Auto Show, the first U.S. products to feature the distinctive Lotus Sport badge are the supercharged 243-hp Lotus Sport Exige Cup, a pure track-only competition car, and the street-legal 2006 Lotus Sport Elise, equipped with track-ready performance and safety upgrades that fully prepare it for serious competition. The first in a new line of Lotus Sport competition parts also debuted at the show: enthusiasts who are well versed in the nuances of advanced chassis set up will appreciate factory-tuned Lotus Sport Ohlins shocks, featuring the flexibility of extensive rebound and compression adjustments.

“The Lotus Sport brand is the ultimate expression of Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s vision of optimizing performance through light weight,” says Mark O’Shaughnessy, director, sales and marketing, Lotus Cars USA. “Every product in the Lotus Sport portfolio is created with aggressive, factory-proven racing DNA – and the result is a collection of unique products for only the most competition- minded customers and Lotus purists.”

The introduction of Lotus Sport in the U.S. market is also welcome by current Lotus owners, says O’Shaughnessy. “There are thousands of Elise owners in this market who are serious about increasing the performance of their Lotus in a motorsports environment and the debut of Lotus Sport products will give them access to the most sophisticated and factory-proven performance products and parts.”

Established in 1999, the Lotus Sport division is located at the Lotus world headquarters in Norfolk, UK, adjacent to the automakers own Hethel test track. In addition to engineering special edition road cars, race-ready variants of Lotus production cars and individual performance parts, the Lotus Sport team is also frequently retained to upgrade or build individual competition cars, such as a recent commission to craft a Lotus Exige specifically for GT2 competition in the Asian market. Lotus Sport also created and supports the European Lotus Cup spec series and is preparing to support a Lotus Exige GT3 team in the 2006 British GT Championship series. The subsidiary’s race workshops can also be commissioned to service, repair, restore or upgrade standard road cars or competition Lotus. In addition, Lotus Sport develops and conducts track-based driving experiences for groups and individuals as well as guided tours of the Lotus factory.

An Historic Formula for Winning
Whether headed for a weekend track day, club racing event or a weekend autocross, Lotus enthusiasts who choose a Lotus Sport product can rest assured that every car, part and accessory is backed by nearly six decades of racing success.

Since the first Lotus car was introduced by founder Colin Chapman in 1948, the company’s incredible success on the track has migrated to every subsequent production car. Through its history, Lotus has won hundreds of races and championships, including seven Formula One Constructor Championships and 6 Driver Championships.

With the debut of the award-winning Lotus Elise in 1996, Lotus enthusiasts received the best possible platform for returning to the company’s deep racing roots. Tipping the scales at less than 2,000 pounds thanks to innovations like the Elise’s unique, award- winning 150 pound epoxy bonded aluminum chassis, the Lotus Elise quickly became the company’s best selling car ever. Sports car enthusiasts and aspiring racers immediately applauded the car’s ability to outperform any other sports car in its class—as well as most other classes. And, while the 190hp production Elise already is one of only a handful of cars that has more than 100 horsepower per liter, an elusive watershed mark in engine performance, Lotus enthusiasts have demanded even higher-performance options since the first U.S. spec Elise went on sale in 2004. With the debut of Lotus Sport, an entirely new generation of race-bred Lotus cars will be unleashed at events around the country.

About Lotus Cars
Lotus is one of the world’s best-known British performance brands with a reputation for innovation through a steady stream of winning racing cars and memorable sports cars. The first Lotus car was built in 1948 by founder Colin Chapman (1928-1982). The Lotus Engineering Company has pioneered automotive systems and components still in use today.

Lotus Cars and its sister company Lotus Engineering are owned by Group Lotus, PLC, headquartered in Norfolk, England. The location is home to design, manufacturing, research and development and sales facilities. While Lotus Cars continues to design and build sports cars revered for their performance, handling, style and innovation, Lotus Engineering develops advanced automotive systems and components for many of the world’s leading automakers.

Together, these two enterprises are a powerful team, committed to changing the rules that define automotive excellence. Lotus Cars USA is the North American distributor of Lotus sports cars based in Duluth, Georgia just outside of Atlanta.

SOURCE Lotus Cars