Lotus Racing announced it will change its name to Team Lotus

[marcush.]

Fernandes is clever .He will use the name Team lotus in very possible ways now and it will be a huge boost for Caterham .as these now effectively can be sold with a team lotus badge...when everyone who has bought a caterham ..spoke of a lotus super seven since day one and now the cars can be sold with that logo ,rendering all the westfields,VMs,donkerfords and whatever derivates there are into fakes...if there is much in selling sevens worldide if it´s done professionally remains a mystery,but .

[xpensive]

I think the whole thing is a freaking mess and that calling any of these teams "Lotus" is bordering sacreledge,
while the only true winner is Renault, who actually got paid to get out, as opposed to the other manufacturers.

Believe me, both these teams will be gone and forgotten in just a couple of years.

[Pierce89]

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.

He didn't "seperate the 2 entities". They are two different companies started a different times. They just happen to have the same founder and "Lotus" name. They never really had any connection other than Lotus Cars sponsoring Team Lotus.

[Pierce89]

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.

He would've done something much cooler the electric race cars. More like renewable biofuels(not ethanol)or something fun. Electric cars will kill racing if everything goes in that direction.Racing is a frivolity and has really not led or even followed the trajectory of road cars ever.So, I personally believe the business about racing becoming relevant is tosh. Chapman develop ideas for the road, only to go faster.And right now, at the same weight, electric can't compete, so I've a hard time seeing him go in that direction. Also ,please don't go back to where you start throwing out a personal attack every time someone has a different opinion. You've seemed to have really improved your people skills scince you've been back.

[Pierce89]

This verdit does not solve the issue of 2 F1 teams still using the same name. USELESS VERDICT!

Despite what any verdict might say, the reality is that everybody refers to the green cars as "Lotus" and the black/gold ones as "Renault"...

Group Lotus may win or lose all the court battles in the world, but to the F1 fans and broadcasters they've already lost the rights to the name Lotus before the season even started.

+1 right you are.

[donskar]

Believe me, both these teams will be gone and forgotten in just a couple of years.

Agree.

To me there are two entities claiming the Lotus name. One builds rather good cars called "Lotus." The other bought the rights to a word or two from some guy named Hunt. If one MUST claim a rather tenuous heritage to the name "Lotus," then it seems to me it should be the entity that builds cars of the same name. Rather too sensible for the modern world of F1, I know.

[N12ck]

but donskar, lotus cars have never ever been in f1, so how can they claim heritage to another companies achievements?

[marcush.]

Mr Hunt not only bought the rights he was part of the team that campaigned the last of the original team lotus cars in a formula 1.Hunt secured the rights to the name and did a sterling job selling it to Fernandes who has révived the team lotus name in a professional way so far.
What Group Lotus are on is beyond what can be undestood .Thbey just have not the size or capacity to fund this sort of undertaking and soon the lotus name will disappear from the Renault cars ,simply because lotus is not able to pay for it .They seem to start a new project in motorsport ,or Cars every other week but there is absolutely no hint where the money to finance all this should come from...the few hundreds of cars they build cannot.And developing a fleet of new roadcars will bind an awful lot of finance .If Mclaren is put under a bit of doubt developing one car how about lotus developing threeor 4 completely new ?

[beelsebob]

Mr Hunt not only bought the rights he was part of the team that campaigned the last of the original team lotus cars in a formula 1.Hunt secured the rights to the name and did a sterling job selling it to Fernandes who has révived the team lotus name in a professional way so far.
What Group Lotus are on is beyond what can be undestood .Thbey just have not the size or capacity to fund this sort of undertaking and soon the lotus name will disappear from the Renault cars ,simply because lotus is not able to pay for it .They seem to start a new project in motorsport ,or Cars every other week but there is absolutely no hint where the money to finance all this should come from...the few hundreds of cars they build cannot.And developing a fleet of new roadcars will bind an awful lot of finance .If Mclaren is put under a bit of doubt developing one car how about lotus developing threeor 4 completely new ?

To be fair McLaren do exactly this – fund a major F1 team by producing a few supercars. That said – McLaren's teams has a more recent history of success and hence has seccured bigger sponsors.

[bot6]

To be fair, McLaren fund their F1 team with sponsoring and FOM image rights. The small amount of supercars they build on the side are not the major way they fund F1.

As far as Lotus goes, I see Fernandes as the rightful owner of the brand. He revived the old Team Lotus and the old factory, originally under license from Group Lotus, and then The Bear decided to turn his back on the new F1 team because sponsoring Renault seemed easier and quicker... after he had comitted to Fernandes for building a long term project together.

So sod Group Lotus, frankly. Their new cars look nothing like what Chapman would like them to be anyway. I strongly believe Caterham is much closer to that spirit.

Go Green!

[marcush.]

be realistic.
Mclaren how do they finance their car production ? they put up a proper business plan and found some investors they are not draining their Formula 1 business.

Group öotus is out Sponsoring Renault to go racing that is a massive drain
Team Lotus have aquired Caterham .At this time I do not see any influence on F1 only some benefit to promote the marque .If this will ever be enough to finance F1 is questionablke but it is not necessary as well ..As long as Team Lotus moves forward they will have no difficulty to finance themselves .just look how Sauber turned around in a short time from a rolling desaster to a creditable outfit unchallenged 6th in the championship and announcing new deals every other day after running plain white only last year..

[N12ck]

Could this be the beginning of Lotus Cars being sold, and I'm sure we all know a buyer who will buy it, Tony?

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/lotus-b ... 50791.html