IN THE WIND WITH LOTUS
Legendary Automaker Builds A Superbike
To Travel The Midas Road
To Travel The Midas Road
Some time ago,
Lotus announced that it was going to establish a motorcycle division. This much to the surprise of people who'd
been assuming all the long that Lotus was already building motorcycles, in the
form of cars so minimalist that they could be best described as a motorcycle
with four wheels. Quoting from the press
release – "The Lotus C-01 will be a hyper bike with integrated racing
technology. It will be manufactured of materials like carbon, titanium and
aerospace quality steel… It will be a state of the art motorbike powered by an
approximately 200 horsepower engine."
Plenty enough information, when added to the well-established Lotus legend,
to fire up everyone's imagination. But
apparently not enough. It's not very
often that an artist concept of an upcoming vehicle is more conservative that
the vehicle itself turns out to be, but read on to see just how far behind the
curve they were…
The new
motorcycle division, Lotus
Motorcycles, is a joint project with Lotus racing partner Kodewa of Germany as well as car
designer Daniel Simon and the Holzer Group. Kodewa is the race car constructor behind Lotus’ Le Mans and World Endurance
programs and has been involved with DTM and Formula One racing in the past.
The
original idea to create the C-01 came from Kodewa's Dr. Colin Kolles. Speaking
about the project he said: "We set out to create a bike that isn't just
great to ride but also represents a piece of art in motion. Over the years I
have seen my fair share of style over substance, what this bike brings to the
market is a unique combination of both: state of the art technology with a
truly jaw-dropping aesthetic."
Daniel Simon,
meanwhile, is a former Volkswagen Group man and was one of the key designers
behind the Bugatti Veyron’s shape. More recently he’s been designing for
Hollywood, with the 'Lightcycle' from Tron: Legacy being one of his
movie-related projects.
Simon, who is known for his clean and holistic
concepts, said of the new Lotus C-01: "We have only one ambition--to
create a unique state-of-the-art machine that carries its brutal forces with
elegance and style, a high-tech monster in a tailored suit.”
Finally, the
Holzer Group is responsible for production of advanced materials such as
titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace steel. These will feature predominantly in
the construction of the C-01 superbike.
Commenting
on the C-01 Günther Holzer, CEO of Holzer Group said: "I was one of the
first people to ride it and I have to say I was very impressed. Together we
have found that delicate balance between raw, aggressive power and
breath-taking handling. The team has created something very special, it looks
incredible, it sounds fantastic but above all, the ride is sensational. I'm
very happy."
A 75-degree
V-twin displacing 1,195 cc puts out 200 horsepower, powers the rear wheel
through a six-speed jaw-type transmission and hydraulic clutch. Electronic engine management with digital
ignition adjustment ensures optimum performance. Inverted forks, twin
suspension struts, a steel/carbon/titanium fame, twin front disc brake and
single rear disc, and an aggressive frame/suspension geometry complete the
high-performance package.
Lotus plans to
offer the C-01 in a range of liveries honoring the company's four-wheeled
racing heritage, as well as a fully-customizable ordering process.
The company
claims only 100 examples will be built, at a price of approximately $137,000.
Ah, well. At least it exists. And I may yet win the lottery before my
250th birthday.
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