The Lotus stand at the recent 2011 Geneva motor show was good enough, if nowhere near as madly ambitious as the little company’s Paris show extravaganza last autumn. Instead of five brave new sports cars, as seen at Paris, we had more predictable fare, not least a new stripped out Elise Club Racer and some fettling to the great-handling but slow-selling Evora. As Lotus boss Dany Bahar commented, Paris was about the future, Geneva the [rather more sobering] here-and-now.
Lotus’s new Renault-powered F1 car was also on hand. As a one-time worshipper of Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Emerson Fittipaldi – all Lotus-driving world champions – it is terrific to see the Lotus name back with a decent chance of getting podium finishes (unlike last year). Pleasingly, behind the Lotus-Renault F1 car, on the Geneva stand, the word ‘ agility’ – the cornerstone of all great Lotuses – was highlighted.
Lotus vs Alfa
But I wonder what Bahar and other Lotus execs – most new to the company – must have thought at precisely 9.30am on the first press day when Alfa Romeo unveiled – with no pre-publicity or press leaks – the new 4C.
Forget the range of meaty Ferrari-targeting powerhouses that Lotus unleashed at Paris, most about as appropriate to Colin Chapman’s Lotus spirit as Amir Khan turning heavyweight.
Why the 4C is more Lotus than Alfa
The 4C showcases all that is historically delicious about Lotus – lightweight, great structural rigidity, small, driver-focused, fast, agile, powered by a tuneful efficient engine.
What’s more, it’s clothed in a delectably curvaceous body, and looks premium. This, rather than the new (V8 engine) Esprit, Elite, Eterne etc – fat boys all – should be the future for Lotus. It’s just a shame that Alfa Romeo got there first.
>> For CAR’s photoshoot of the Alfa Romeo 4C at Geneva, see the new April 2011 issue of CAR Magazine. Click here for a free digital preview