Make no mistake, the Lotus Turbo Esprit was not just a slightly modified Esprit, nor just an easy and conventional way of gaining incremental sales for Lotus. In the Hethel scheme of things it was very important and technically very significant, if only for the fact that it was chosen to spearhead a new assault on the United States market in 1983. It is tempting to suggest that if only Lotus had been able to give the car a different body style, they would certainly have been justified in giving it an entirely different name as well. Under the skin, which was extensively retouched by Giugiaro, there was a new chassis-frame, new rear suspension, new aerodynamic features and a turbocharged version of the 2.2-litre 16-valve engine, which produced no less than 210bhp. For this amazing car, Lotus claimed a top speed of 152mph —and it meant that they had produced their first true Supercar. By any engineering standards, the Turbo Esprit was, and is, a phenomenal motor car. However, like the original Esprit, it was first shown to the public a long time before deliveries could possibly begin. The occasion of the car’s launch was an extravagant party at the Albert Hall, in London, hosted by Team Lotus’ Grand Prix sponsors at that time, Essex Petroleum, in which one of the three prototypes was displayed in the dramatic Essex blue, silver and red livery. Although the Turbo Esprit was the first Lotus actually to be exhibited with a 2.2-litre engine, the normally-aspirated version of this unit had already gone into production for the S2.2 models. Even so, because of the rush to show a Turbo Esprit at the Albert Hall, the planned release of non-turbocharged engines was overshadowed for several months.
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Scribbled on November 29th 2007 in
Lotus,
Maybach,
Mercedes-Benz
A one-off custom-built Maybach was unveiled in May 2005 at the Tempodrom in Berlin. Commissioned by tyre company Fulda, the Exelero is a chopped-down two-seater coupe, though it’s more than just a show car – in tests at the Nardo high-speed oval, the prototype reached a speed of 218.38mph, despite weighing over 2.66 tonnes. It is capable of acceleration from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds.
The car’s design was the result of a competition amongst students at the Pforzheim Polytechnic Department of Transport Design, which has worked on show vehicles for Fulda in the past. The design of 24-year-old Fredrik Burchhardt was chosen, and his work was co-ordinated with that of the Maybach design centre in Sindelfingen. The project, based on the Maybach 57 limousine, required a certain amount of re-engineering; the A-pillar and doors had to be shifted rearwards, and the steering column, pedals and gearshift all re-located. The standard 550bhp V12 engine was bored out to 5.9 litres, and tuned for 700bhp and over 738lb ft of torque. With final dimensions of 5890mm long, 2140mm wide and just 1390mm high, the car was kitted out with a full-spec interior, including leather, neoprene, aluminium and carbonfibre finishes.
Maybach says the car, built by Stola in Turin, is “a one-off vehicle created to showcase the new ultra-high performance Exelero tyre range from leading tyre manufacturer Fulda”; it’s not the first time the two companies have teamed up, as back in 1938 Fulda demonstrated its tyres on a Maybach SW 38 limousine. There are, however, “no plans to produce the model in series”, though it has been certified for on-road use.
Scribbled on May 2nd 2007 in
Maybach,
Mercedes-Benz,
Pictures
