Lotus Racing announced it will change its name to Team Lotus

[Pandamasque]

Tony Fernandes is just using F1 as a publicity stun to promote Airasia, he should just do what Richard Branson did and call it Team Airasia instead of Team Lotus.

Team Lotus name is a lot more helpful for attracting other sponsors, than Team Air Asia. Besides it looks like he has the legal right.
I used to be very sceptical about this team a year ago, now I'm more sceptical about Group Lotus' moral right to use the Lotus name, after it has been taken over by Danny the Bear and co.

[gridwalker]

Likewise, I used to be massively against the return of Lotus (publicly stating that they were standing on the shoulders of giants) but I have warmed to the team because of the openness they have demonstrated over the season that has given us a much more intimate view of the team than I have seen from any other organisation on the grid. I have found it hard not to like the new Lotus, even if I have misgivings about their branding.

If the Lotus name must return to the sport, I would much rather that a plucky group of independents pick up the mantle keft by the former kings of privateers, rather than a large and faceless corporation who are only interested in reviving the brand as a marketing exercise.

Having checked the Group Lotus website, I am appalled by the fact that they are trying to claim the racing heritage as their own. Even before the internet penetrated into most homes and business premesis, it was still incredibly easy to find out that Group and Team Lotus were separate entities. This fact must have been published in dozens of books prior to the Proton/Group Lotus takeover and had slipped into the public consciousness (I discovered this little fact from my dad when I was just 9 years old), so it staggers me that such a massive corporation failed to discover this when they were researching the acquisition : surely they had lawyers available to assess the intellectual property and trademarks that were bound to their purchase?

Maybe they saw the Team Lotus brand as a lapsed identity that they could quietly usurp at a later date, but it is still an incredibly callous and inappropriate way to try and capitalise on one of the greatest names in engineering.

I hope Tony and Co succeed in their endeavour, not because I think they are worthy of the name, but because I think they are the most deserving of the chance to prove that they are.

[gibells]

Could any of you historians out there enlighten me to exactly how (and why) Chapman separated the 2 entities back in the day. I'd like to know more than just that they were separate.

[gridwalker]

There has been much discussion of this topic over the years, with the main theories being :

• Protecting the finances of Lotus Cars against problems caused by accidents or losses incurred by the race team
• Tax avoidance through transferring funds between the companies (UK taxes in the 70s being somewhat exorbitant)
• Ensuring the car business would remain stable, even if the race team folded

Unfortunatley, the real reason was something that Mr Chapman was always rather coy about : he seemed to see the matter as his business and wouldn't be drawn on his true motivation.

EDIT :
I also believe that the two businesses were never part of the same company. Lotus Cars was set up to trade on the name of the race team, but was always separately listed and maintained a separate board of directors. The two companies were independently founded, but traded on a mutually beneficial common name.

[autogyro]

I believe Colin Chapmans main motivation with 'Team' was engineering innovation.
The race team was built and developed on this and the road car company used many of the ideas from the team.
When the regulations became ever more narrow focused Colin began to loose interest.
Ferrari by comparison simply hoovers up others ideas.

[gibells]

Thanks guys

[spinmastermic]

Really glad they went with the Team Lotus name. One of the new cars I'm really looking forward to. The balck and gold livery is gonna be sweet.

[Intego]

Really glad they went with the Team Lotus name. One of the new cars I'm really looking forward to. The balck and gold livery is gonna be sweet.

You never now what the fans make of this ...
http://www.f1technical.net/news/15697

[CHT]

Tony Fernandes is just using F1 as a publicity stun to promote Airasia, he should just do what Richard Branson did and call it Team Airasia instead of Team Lotus.

Team Lotus name is a lot more helpful for attracting other sponsors, than Team Air Asia. Besides it looks like he has the legal right.
I used to be very sceptical about this team a year ago, now I'm more sceptical about Group Lotus' moral right to use the Lotus name, after it has been taken over by Danny the Bear and co.

Tony is very smart guy. What he did was to position the team as a Malaysia team (for funding purpose) and use the Lotus brand to promote british pride (marketing stun).

At the end of the day whoever who own Lotus brand and its racing heritage will have to deciede if Tony is the right person to market the brand.

IMO its hard to get a budget airline boss to promote the Lotus brand.

[WilliamsF1]

IMO its hard to get a budget airline boss to promote the Lotus brand.

Lotus is a budget sports car company. Who better to market a budget brand than Tony.

[CHT]

IMO its hard to get a budget airline boss to promote the Lotus brand.

Lotus is a budget sports car company. Who better to market a budget brand than Tony.

Lotus is not a budget brand and their current line of sports cars they are NOT budget products. Beside Lotus have already lined up an aggressive range of sports cars to challenge the Ferrari 458, the 911 and even Aston Martin over the next 4 to 5 years.

[autogyro]

I wish Lotus Cars well CHT but I do not believe that top of the range sports cars was Colin Chapmans reason for starting the company.
If Colin were alive he would be building the first cost effective electric sports car, I have no doubt of this.

[Pandamasque]

Ferrari by comparison simply hoovers up others ideas.

Are you always like this in real life too? "Thank you so much, the breakfast was delicious! Ferrari, on the other hand..."

Beside Lotus have already lined up an aggressive range of sports cars to challenge the Ferrari 458, the 911 and even Aston Martin over the next 4 to 5 years.

Bla bla bla... and also compete in every class of motorsport bar tractor-pulling. Their plans are ridiculously ambitious even for someone as big as VW group, let alone Proton. I wish Lotus well, but all that's likely to end in a rather disastrous way. Who needs a 2 ton Lotus with a Ferrari-esque price tag? Before long they may well end up having a Proton-based FWD convertible as their only model to try and pull the company out of bankruptcy, before they can become a small but excellent sports car manufacturer, that they've been for the last decade.

[gridwalker]

So, David Hunt has dropped his support for Tony Fernandez and is refusing to assist him in court. Apparently, this is because Tony hasn't actually paid for the Team Lotus brand ... WTF???

http://en.espnf1.com/lotus/motorsport/story/43663.html

After all of the shouting, posturing and general c*ck-waving that has been going on between Fernandez and Danny Bahar, you'd have thought that Fernandez would have ensured that he'd have paid for the biggest weapon in his arsenal ...

[donskar]

If it is true that Fernandez has not paid up, then he has no right to the name. It was, from the beginning, nothing but a phony PR attempt to trade on a great name.