1968 Lotus Super Seven Reviews

RM Auctions lifts the gavel on the only functional submarine car used in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, at its eagerly awaited central London sale, 8-9 September.The car was designed and fitted to propel underwater, and the car being sold is the  seen on screen driving underwater in the days before CGI would have instead rendered the stunt on a computer.The white Lotus commonly tops the polls when movie fans are asked to vote on their favourite film cars of all time. Like all the best Bond cars, the Lotus was a veritable war chest of weaponry and gadgetry, all designed to fox and foil the enemy, while helping Bond to another hard-won victory for Queen and country.Known as `Wet Nellie' on the set, it was developed from one of six Esprit body shells used in the making of the film. As the only car to be built into a fully operational, self-propelled `submarine', by Perry Oceanographic, based in Riviera Beach, Florida, it is the vehicle which claimed the most screen time in the film.The driver of the car was Don Griffin, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL and test pilot for Perry, who operated the vehicle utilising its motorised propellers while manoeuvring with levered steering mechanisms. At the time, the car was said to have cost over $100,000 to create (equivalent to nearly a half million dollars today).Subsequent to filming the underwater scenes in the Bahamas, the vehicle was shipped to Long Island, NY, where it was kept in an unassuming storage unit on a ten year rental, paid in advance. Fate later intervened when, in 1989, the then rent-delinquent unit was put up `blind' for public auction.A modest winning bid from an area couple brought surprise and wonder when the blankets were removed to reveal the iconic 007 `Submarine' Car. After positive authentication, the Lotus was shown occasionally --  including a stint at the famed Petersen Automotive Museum -- but was mostly kept closely under wraps until now.

Lotus have for decades infatuated race crowds, become the envy of enthusiasts and even won a Bond girl. Nothing has changed. Back from the lip of the black hole of extinction, Lotus now says it will return to its five-car plan and marks time by delivering a road-going racer that represents the core values of the company founded by Colin Chapman's innovative mind.The Exige S is a hybrid in the sense that it morphs the chassis of the four-cylinder Elise with the drivetrain of the V6-engined Evora. Effectively, it creates a very light, very powerful small car that is fast, fascinating and perhaps a little bit fragile.VALUEIt costs $119,900 plus on-road charges and that puts it in the searchlights of cars as similarly purpose-built as the Caterham and Morgan, as balanced as the Porsche Cayman S and as more street-savvy as the BMW M3 and 335i.The Exige S is closer to the Caterham in its rawness but adds more power, a hint more civility and a roof. Standard equipment is minimalistic - as you'd expect - and really only admits it's now 2013 with the airconditioner, iPod/USB friendly audio, electric windows and the three-mode engine management mode.DESIGNLotus currently doesn't have a lot of money. That's why there's some hint of the Evora from the front. Basically it's a hardtop - though it's unboltable - Exige and only the test car's beautiful $3250 premium pearl white paint makes it stand out more than its sisters.The seats are now made for humans rather than the tipped-up fibreglass bathtubs of the Elise. The fact it sits on an Elise chassis - true, with 70mm added to the wheelbase - means no change to the intimacy of the cabin. Nor to the body-folding techniques owners and their loved ones will practice to become part of the cabin.There is a pair of simple gauges, a scattering of warning lights and LED fuel gauge - all impossible to read in sunlight - and a couple of switches. Bare aluminium floors, wrap-round alcantara seats, and a tint Momo steering wheel complete the look.TECHNOLOGYThe engine comes from Toyota and continues the relationship with the company sealed when Lotus moved to replace the Elise's Rover 1.8 with a 1.6 from Japan. Now it's an Aurion/Lexus 350 V6 that has been tweaked and modified by Lotus to pump through an Australian Harrop supercharger for 257kW/400Nm and a 7000-plus redline. There's a six-speed manual - an optional auto is coming - and Lotus-bred suspension, big disc brakes and 18-inch rear wheels. The engine has three selectable modes - Touring, Sport and Race - to alter engine characteristics and launch control is a standard fitment.SAFETYJust the basics here with electronic chassis and brake aids and no crash rating. There's no spare wheel - just an aerosol can - and even rear park sensors are a $950 option.DRIVINGIt's not as mind-numbingly noisy and bone-trembling shuddering as the Elise, so that was a pleasant surprise. Find a smooth road and a compliant gear and it will cruise quietly and comfortably at 100km/h with only about 2400rpm on the tacho dial.The seats help ride comfort a bit, now padded and unlike the glass tubs of the Elise. Other than a sense of dread at passing SUVs and the feat they will never see me and my 1.1m-high white plastic shell, it coped well with traffic.But not as well as the open road. Long country roads with frequent repair patches of bitumen will bounce the car around and with it, the occupants. Not pleasant. But the long sweeps of Wanneroo Raceway treat it as royalty.The Exige S will flow perfectly through the corners, the direct and unassisted steering picking up every stone and peeled tyre rubber fragment and relaying it accurately to the driver's fingers. Learn how it moves through the arcs and you can apply some more power.And this is where the car erupts. It's more about the push of the torque that urges from just above idle through to a big hit at 3500rpm then on a plateau through to 7000rpm. It's such a strong, effortless flow and the noise from the exhaust - oddly, the supercharger whine is modest - so addictive that you can quickly drain the small 43-litre fuel tank.Sport mode is good for the track but “race” is the best, sharpening the engine further, turning off the ESC and making it feel like a deranged go-kart. You arrive back at the pits tired and smiling and wanting more, the essential emotions of a true sports car.VERDICTSadly, this is at least the second car in the driveway. For any Sunday or any track day or any excuse to leave the house and clear the mind.Lotus Exige SPrice: from $119,900Warranty: 3 years/100,000kmCapped servicing: NoService interval: 12mths/15,000kmResale: 67%Safety: 2 airbags, ABS, ESC, EBD, TCCrash rating: noneEngine: 3.5-litre V6 supercharged-petrol, 257kW/400NmTransmission: 6-spd manual; rear driveThirst: 10.1L/100km; 95RON; 236g/km CO2Dimensions: 4.1m (L), 1.8m (W), 1.1m (H)Weight: 1176kgSpare: none

If you are really serious about your driving, about pure unadulterated 'drive feel', you'd be hard pressed to look past the new Lotus Exige S V6 Coupe.It's a raw experience right down to manual (non power-assisted) steering, nearly rock hard seats, cabin access with a high degree of difficulty and a rigid, racetrack-bred aluminium tub chassis.You can feel every dynamic event affecting the car through the wheel, the brakes and the seat of your pants. You can hear the whirring, bellowing engine just behind your head.This is all well and good but what you really need to appreciate is all of this Porsche beating performance is available at less than half the price of the German thoroughbred.The test car (ours had expensive option packs) is pitched from a starting price of a snip under $120 grand - about half what you'll pay for a Porsche 911 which wouldn't see which way the Lotus went.Take that back to the Porsche Cayman at around $150 grand and it's the same story. But the two Porsches are much more civilised everyday cars with nice seats, easy steering, premium audio, luxury goodies and relatively mild manners when you compare them to the Lotus.This is the latest Exige two seater and comes this time with supercharged 3.5-litre,V6 power courtesy of the Lotus Evora and before that, Toyota.Yes, it has a Toyota Avalon heart beating amidships - but the engine is substantially modified from it's whitegoods beginnings.The supercharger is a Harrop 1320 unit mounted neatly to the right top of the compact V6 which resides, on display, under a glass fastback cover.It drives the rear wheels through a six-speed close ratio manual transmission after transiting a lightweight flywheel and button clutch arrangement.Power output is a hearty 257kW at 7000rpm with 400Nm of torque available at 4500rpm. It's enough to propel the 1176kg Exige V6 from 0-100kmh in 3.8 seconds, a figure we actually achieved with the help of the launch control system. Gets 10.1-litres/100km too.The aero package includes a flat undertray, front splitter, rear wing and rear diffuser and ride height is extremely low. The Exige S V6 looks impressive on the road with elements from both the Lotus Elise at the front and the bigger Evora at the rear.It's longer and wider than the earlier four cylinder Exige and looks the better for it. Inside is functional and tight but there's aircon, cruise, a power outlet, OK audio and two drink holders.The instrument pod looks like it came off a motorcycle but who cares, this car is all about the drive.This car is an ANIMAL. We didn't even have it in Race mode and it's frighteningly quick, totally engaging.Not only in a straight line either because it corners like a big racing kart limited a tad by a lack of weight over the front wheels.Go through the Exige's spec' sheet and it's all the real deal in terms of performance component suppliers. AP four piston brakes, Bilstein dampers, Eibach springs, Bosch tuneable ECU, Pirelli Trofeo tyres in 17-inch front and 18-inch rears. The aluminium suspension is double wishbone both ends and the car can be dialled in within certain parameters. It all looks to be hewn from solid billet aluminium covered in swoopy fibreglass/plastic bodywork.We marvelled at how much get-up the Exige has -  instantly available under the right foot. It punches hard right out of the blocks through to the 7000rpm redline and then the same again and again through each gear. Wow, makes your head spin.Then, backing up the go department is an impressive dynamic package that is deceptively comfortable despite being set up hard. The dampers must have some sort of tricky blow-off system for sharp bumps because the car floats over normally jolting bumps.No other road car comes close to this level of connection with the driver though we have yet to drive something like a Caterham Seven which we suspect would be kinda similar.Lotus facilitates this back-to-basics race car drive experience with a tiny steering wheel, mechanical feeling  gear mechanism, minimal noise deadening and four-mode dynamic control including stability control `off' and launch control.

For those lucky types seeking an alternative to a Porsche or something similar, there's now a tantalising Lotus drop-top to throw into the mix. It's the fastest-ever convertible Lotus that's due to lob here in time for summer. PERFORMANCE Called the Lotus Exige S Roadster, it combines open top driving with supercar performance and the ability to clock a 0-100 kmh sprint in four seconds, a tad more with the roof off. Sitting alongside the Exige S and its race track variants, the Exige Cup and Exige Cup R, the Exige S Roadster completes the Exige line-up and enhances the track focussed collection by providing a new facet to the range. Powered by the same supercharged 3.5-litre, V6 (toyota sourced engine) as the coupe variants and weighing in at 10kg less than the Exige S at 1166kg, none of the exhilarating performance of the exciting Exige range is compromised. The driver is only “two clicks and a roll” away from cruising in open-top style thanks to the lightweight, factory-fitted soft top. BARGAIN Launched in Australia earlier this year, the Lotus Exige S hardtop is priced at a Porsche beating price of $119,990 and provides a level of performance and handling that can only be described as a bargain at this price. Achieving 0-100 kmh from a standing start in 4.0 seconds, delivering 257.5kW at 7000 , the Exige S Roadster matches the coupe's mechanical spec' but style takes an understated approach having shed its rear wing and front splitter to maximise airflow over its sleek silhouette. The Exige S Roadster is the perfect car for a “joy” ride. Exige S Roadster is now available to order and full specifications and pricing will be announced when the new model arrives in the first quarter of 2014. The Exige S Roadster  Max Power: 257.5 kW at 7000 rpm Max Torque: 400Nm 4500 rpm 0 -100 km/h: 4.0 seconds Weight: 1166 kg Engine: Mid-mounted, transverse 3.5-litre, DOHC, V6 VVTi, 24-valve equipped with Harrop HTV 1320 Supercharger. Transmission: 6-speed manual with sports ratios. Suspension: Fully independent double wishbone suspension with front and rear anti-roll bar. Bilstein high performance gas dampers and Eibach coaxial springs. Brakes: AP-Racing four-piston calipers with ventilated and cross drilled cast-iron discs. Wheels and tyres: Lightweight cast alloy wheels (17 -inch front and 18-inch rear) clad with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres.

When you think Lotus you're also supposed to think about adding lightness. It's the philosophy of Lotus founder Colin Chapman, and it was the ethos with which Lotus cars were designed, developed, and produced. One area Lotus doesn't want to be light in, is of course its own wallet. Thanks to a little bit of walking around money, the British sports car manufacturer and engineering firm might be able to breathe a little easier. According to a report from Autocar, Lotus is nearly ready to receive a cash injection of £10 million (about $15 million). This comes from a government program called the Regional Growth Fund (RGF), which is designed to help companies create new jobs and provide training. Giving Lotus a bit of this money shows that the automaker is prepping to move forward with new models and production. Apparently Lotus initially applied to receive funds via the RGF over two years ago. At that time the automaker was under the guidance of Dany Bahar, and we all know how that saga shook out. Now, under the leadership of a new management team, Lotus is ready to get its hands on the cash. Still, the actual amount of £10 million is under a bit of speculation. It was based on the initial application paperwork filed by Bahar. There could be new paperwork, or Lotus could've finally finished the process to receive its initial request. www.motorauthority.com  

Five new models remain firmly in Lotus' future as the company this week threw cold water over rumours of ill health.Disruptive publicity has blanketed Lotus but the fragile sports-car maker now says it's only direction is forward. It has also enforced a closed-book approach to announcing future product - though some grains slip through the floorboards.The latest is conformation that the five-car line-up is going ahead, with the Esprit the first expected to be launched in late 2014.In Perth to launch Lotus' latest supercharged Exige S, Lotus Australia marketing manager Alastair Manihera says the $119,900 Exige S will be followed by further variants of the Exige, Elise and Evora.He also confirmed that Lotus in the UK has ``turned off its PR machine and plans no forward communication''. Pity.But Mr Manihera says the five-car plan is a definite and that demand is so strong for Lotus product at the moment that the company has opened a second production line."We are in full operation and stock is coming through,'' he says. "We have eight road models available and a ninth - the Exige S Roadster - due in Australia later this year. For Lotus, it's business as usual.''The five models planned by Lotus, displayed at the 2010 Paris moor show and shown to Carsguide at the factory in 2011 are the Esprit, Elite, Elan, Eterne and Elise. The innovative city car, the Ethos, is off the books.The Esprit is targeted for release late 2014 and wears new engineering including a rumoured 4.8-litre 456kW V8 engine, while the Elise is a new car carrying the old name and the Eterne is a four-door to take on potential rivals including the Aston Martin Rapide.Funding for the plan was to come from then owner Proton but now has been bankrolled by Malaysian firm DRB-Hicom that bought out Proton's share in January 2012.Meanwhile, Lotus will import 35 Exige S examples this year and 16 are already sold. The 35 is made up of 25 coupes and 10 roadsters that are expected in Australia in December.For 2014, Mr Manihera forecasts 120 cars for Australia and 30 for Western Australia. "That's the target,'' he says."Then we have to ensure that the factory can make enough cars for us. There's a lot of people very interested but won't commit until they've driven the car."I think also people want to be assured that there's continuity of Lotus product. On the one hand it looks bad if there's no publicity from the factory and that creates rumours but on the other hand, Lotus is flat out making cars."The Exige S is the halo car that shows that Lotus is refocused.''The Exige S Roadster loses the roof, rear spoiler and front splitter and gets a softer leather for the upholstery. The topless version, which will cost about the same as the coupe, is 10kg lighter than the coupe at 1166kg. "It's the best way to dry your hair,'' says Mr Manihera."It is limited to a 233km/h top speed (the coupe runs to 272km/h) for safety reasons as it doesn't produce the same downforce as the coupe.''The supercharged Exige is promoted as the beginning of new Lotus push in Australia. It was shown in Perth to prospective owners - five have already been sold - in a pearl white paint. Buyers will pay an extra $3750 for this coat but will also have to wait.Mr Manihera says the paint process is complex and takes a long time. "The idea is to drop this paint option until production gets up to demand,'' he says.The Exige S, which uses the same Toyota-sourced V6 engine as the Evora S - and sharing the Australian Harrop supercharger - pumps the same 258kW/400Nm but the Exige's sub-1200kg weight clips almost one second off the 0-100km/h time, now down to 3.9 seconds.A three-mode Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) system allows drivers to switch between Touring, Sport and DPM-off settings. A Race Pack option will offer a fourth mode (Race) for maximum traction, a launch control function and optimised suspension tune.The Exige S has AP Racing four-piston calipers over 350mm ventilated and cross-drilled front discs and 322mm solid rear discs with ABS.Lotus road models now in Australia are the Elise 1.6, Elise Club Racer, Elise S, Exige S V6 Coupe, Evora manual and automatic (called IPS), and Evora S supercharged in manual and IPS.Race-only cars - including Exige V6 Cup, Exige V6 Cup R, Evora GT4 and GTE - are also available for more serious players.

The epitome of 1960s cool, the Lotus Elan sports car was featured in the television show The Avengers alongside the high kicking Emma Peel in skin tight leather cladding. The Elan was launched in October 1962 at the British Motor Show, just as the Sixties started swinging. Jaguar had launched the E-Type the previous year, AC had the Cobra and Ferrari the GTO. But the Elan was very different and typically Lotus ultra modern, lightweight, rapid and huge fun.  It was technically innovative with the first backbone tube chassis of any road car, a fibreglass body, four-wheel independent suspension, 670kg with a peachy power-to-weight ratio, bang up-to-date styling beloved by Kings Road cruisers and a liberating, rock n' roll attitude. The Elan came with luxuries that were a rarity at the time, like electric windows, carpets, a heater, and in vogue wooden fascia, but it was still light enough on the scales to outrun other automotive competition not to mention groupies. The Elan Sprint, a more powerful 1973 alternative, could hit 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, which even now would be considered respectably fast. Four different series were produced up until 1973, including a coupe version. The car was designed by Ron Hickman, who went on to make millions when he patented the Black & Decker WorkMate. He died last year, having earned an OBE for services to industrial innovation. The Elan was the design inspiration for the Mazda MX-5, which was one of the biggest selling sports cars of the 1990s.  

The addition -- coming as part of the Exiga’s mid-life revision – puts another possie in the middle of the second row, taking the original six-seater up a notch.The passenger in the new spot gets a proper three-point lap-sash seatbelt – the absence of which was the reason Subaru did not offer the seven-seat option when the Exiga first arrived three years ago.There are now also three sets of child-seat anchor points in the middle row. Other changes to the Liberty Exiga include a new door mirror design on all models and new 17-in alloy wheels for the Premium spec versions.The price remains at current levels, starting from $37,990 for the 123kW/229NM 2.5-litre Liberty Exiga 2.5i and from $42,490 for the Premium spec that adds features such as leather, foglights and window tinting.“Liberty Exiga will now appeal to even more families that need the option of a seventh seat, in addition to the significant cargo volume it offers for load carrying, with the seats down in a variety of combinations,” Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior says. 

The shock news that its outspoken chief executive, flambouyant former Ferrari executive Dany Bahar, has been dumped came on the weekend from the new owners of Lotus, Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom. Automotive News reported that Bahar has been temporarily suspended after "an operational review''. The review was sparked by an investigation made by unnamed sources into Bahar's conduct, the Automotive News says. Bahar's suspension comes on the heels of growing rumours about the future of the niche carmaker that, until this year was owned by Malaysian car manufacturer Proton. Lotus' future was further in doubt after accounting firm KPMG was said to be the intermediary in a sale of Lotus to a Chinese buyer. But Automotive News reports that a DRB-Hicom spokesman said it was "business as usual'' at the Lotus headquarters in the east-England county of Norfolk. He says that in Bahar's absence, three representatives of DRB-Hicom have been authorised to manage the group,. Bahar, a former Ferrari sales executive, joined Lotus in 2009 with ambitious plans to launch new products and quadruple annual car sales to 8000. DRB-Hicom bought Proton, the Malaysian parent company of Group Lotus, in January. Proton, a maker of sedans and taxis, bought control of Lotus in 1996, but has never made a profit from the British unit. Before Proton, Lotus's owners included General Motors. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp - which has a joint venture with GM in China - has denied it is interested in buying Lotus.

In a repeat of the MG Rover fiasco, they fear up to 1,400 UK jobs could be lost and the 60-year-old business exported lock, stock and barrel to the communist People’s Republic.Lotus was sold 16 years ago to Malaysian car-maker Proton which developed and nurtured the firm.This year, it was on the brink of a massive £500million expansion when a new and bigger set of Malaysian owners – the industrial conglomerate DRB-Hicom – took it over.This business, however, is said to have little interest in making Lotus cars and has appointed City firm KPMG to find a potential Chinese buyer, Parliament has been told.DRB-Hicom insists no decision has been taken on Lotus’s future. But it will not rule out a sell-off.Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar, on a pay and bonus package worth £1.2million, had his employment extended in December, just a month before the Malaysian deal was revealed.It now includes a controversial bonus clause worth millions of pounds in the event of a sell-off which MPs were told means he is ‘incentivised to sell Lotus’.Conservative MP for South Norfolk Richard Bacon told Parliament up to 1,400 British jobs are at risk if the UK factory in Hethel, Norfolk, is dismantled and production moved to the Far East.Ministers pledged to ‘keep Lotus in Britain’ when Mr Bacon was granted a Commons’ debate on the issue late on Tuesday. Mr Bacon said: ‘The fact that KPMG has been appointed with a mandate to sell Group Lotus to the Chinese is not an encouraging sign.’Business Secretary Vince Cable raised concerns with Mr Bahar on Tuesday – less than a day after the car boss’s return from Beijing where he unveiled a new model specifically for China. The company has struggled to make a profit in recent years and it recorded pre-tax losses of £26.1million last year.Mr Bacon said industry experts have warned him of a ‘worst case scenario’ in which Group Lotus would be put into administration, allowing a Chinese buyer to acquire it cheaply – as happened when MG Rover collapsed in 2005, with the loss of 6,000 jobs. A rump of production was eventually resumed at the Longbridge plant two years later.Lotus strenuously denied suggestions that a ‘fire sale’ strategy was being contemplated, or that it could be put into administration, but bosses have not ruled out selling the firm.Group Lotus has ambitious five-year expansion plan for the Hethel plant, which would create 1,000 new jobs, and the Government rubber-stamped a £10million taxpayer-funded grant last year.But that regional growth fund grant is now on hold while Lotus’s new Malaysian owner decides its future.Prospective bidders are likely to include China Youngman, which has been Lotus’s importer in China for the last five year.Business Minister Mark Prisk said Lotus ‘must remain in Britain’, adding: ‘Ministers at the very highest level are taking this matter very seriously. We are working to make sure the new owners understand Norfolk is the home of Lotus.’The Government remains ready to press ahead with its £10million grant to Lotus – but only if the expansion plans for the UK go ahead.Norfolk Council leader Derrick Murphy said: ‘It is important we continue to press the case for the company as so many livelihoods depend on Lotus being based here in Norfolk.’Lotus said: ‘Dany Bahar remains totally committed to Lotus. His over-riding priority is securing the future of the company and protecting its employees.’E FOR ELITELotus was founded in 1952 by car engineer Colin Chapman with the help of a £50 loan from his wife HazelHis initials still form part of the marque’s badgeThe Lotus name is said to come from Chapman’s nickname for his wifeMost models begin with an E – a tradition started with the Lotus Eleven. Chapman liked the way the letter soundedHe died of a heart attack aged 54 in 1982.