Lotus of Scottsdale has opened. Stop in; it will accelerate your world.
In the former Penske Pre-Owned Ferrari building, 6855 E. McDowell Road, in Scottsdale, Penske Automotive is celebrating the opening of Lotus of Scottsdale. The facility is adjacent to Scottsdale Ferrari-Maserati, also a Penske-family showroom. More than 150 dealerships nationwide, 325-plus worldwide, carry the Penske name.
The Valley’s new Lotus dealership comprises 12,000 square feet including seven service bays and a parts department, with two sales associates and one sales manager under General Manager John Schlitt.
The street-legal vehicles available at Lotus of Scottsdale are the Elise, Elise SC, Elise SC RGB Edition, Exige S240, Exige S260 Sport and the Exige S260 RGB Edition and the all-new Evora, recently named a Top 10 car for 2010 by the New York Times and the Most Fun to Drive Car for 2011 by Popular Mechanics magazine.
For racers, Lotus Scottsdale can also special order the spectacular track-only Lotus 2-Eleven —sold through the Lotus Motorsport division. The Evora GT4 race car and the Lotus 125 Formula 1-inspired track car — also new — will be available in Scottsdale as well.
“We are proud to offer the great race- and street-proven Lotus products with our other world-class marques at our Scottsdale Penske campus,” John says. “For six decades, the Lotus name has signified speed, performance, ride and handling to everyone who loves cars.”
Scottsdale Lotus will also sell and service the Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne models that Lotus revealed at the Paris Motor Show Sept. 30 and the LA Auto Show Nov. 17. Lotus Cars USA, Inc., based in Duluth, Ga., expects to debut these to the public in this tentative order: Lotus Esprit, late 2013; Lotus Elan, late 2013 or early 2014; Lotus Elite, mid 2014; Lotus Elise, early 2015; and Lotus Eterne, late 2015 or early 2016.
“Our Elise and Exige range of pure and visceral sports cars have enjoyed great success in recent years. With the launch of the Evora, and the new variants of Evora yet to come, Lotus is at a key growth point in the history of the company,” says Arnie Johnson, director of operations for Lotus Cars USA. “We’re thrilled to have the Penske organization representing Lotus in Scottsdale.”
The restyled mid-engine Elise, introduced 14 years ago, is available in two basic models, both on a lightweight bonded-aluminum chassis: Lotus Elise, a 1.8 liter, 4-cylinder engine with 189 horsepower and 133 foot pounds of torque, and the Lotus Elise SC, a 1.8-liter supercharged 4-cylinder engine with 218 horsepower and 156 foot pounds of torque. The MSRP for the two-seat Elise is $46,661. Also available are the 2011 Elise SC RGB and 2011 Exige S260 RGB Special Editions.
The 16-valve Toyota engine, with Intelligent Variable Valve Timing, delivers peak horsepower at 7,800 rpm and torque at 6,800 rpm. VVT-i technology enables the engine to maximize low-end torque for improved acceleration and high-speed performance, John explains, noting that both the Elise and the supercharged Elise SC are controlled by the Lotus-designed T6 Engine Management Control System.
The Magnuson-produced supercharger, joined to the intake manifold plenum, requires no intercooler and its associated pipework — a reduction of 17.6 pounds compared with the intercooled Exige S, John notes. The result for you: “The Elise SC delivers outstanding 0-60 mph acceleration — in the mid four-second range,” he adds.
For both models, an all-aluminum C64 six-speed manual gearbox, also from Toyota, is mated to a Lotus-designed shift linkage mechanism for optimum gear shifts.
For 2011, The Elise and Elise SC offer styling changes for the U.S. and Canada. As with all Lotus cars, the new models combine style with efficiency.
Body changes include a new front clamshell hood, rear bumper and twin-spine engine cover, integrated headlights with LED daylight running lights and LED direction indicators. In addition, the already excellent Elise aerodynamics have been improved, resulting in a four-percent reduction in Coefficient of Drag for improved fuel economy. New forged-aluminum wheels can be ordered in silver or black — almost five pounds lighter than the also-new cast versions.
“The Elise is an iconic sports car, and it was important that we did not complicate its design, so we made the car more pure in its look, improved the aerodynamics and gave it a more contemporary look with high-quality detailing,” says Donato Coco, director of design at Lotus.
The 2011 Exige S 240 features an intercooled and supercharged 1.8-liter Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine, also with Intelligent Variable Valve Timing (VVT-i). The powerplant produces 240 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 170 foot pounds of torque at 5,500 rpm.
You control power through a lightweight aluminum six-speed manual gearbox, and a Lotus T4e Engine Control System includes variable rpm cam switching. Base price is $59,121.
“The Exige S240 weighs only 2,077 pounds, so it jumps to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, has a top speed of 150 mph yet delivers great city and highway gas economy as a bonus,” John says.
He adds that the step-up model, the Exige S260, ramps that to 257 horsepower as a result of performance tuning. In addition, it’s 50 pounds lighter through extensive use of carbon fiber panels. Accordingly, the S260 delivers 0-60 performance at a brisk four seconds.
The 2011 Lotus Exige S240 and S260 both feature new front styling and a new rear wing.
A larger, more angular front air intake funnels additional air through the radiator to improve engine efficiency, and, ahead of the front wheels, another two intakes feed airflow to twin oil coolers, where bisecting vanes bisect further increase cooling efficiency.
Mounted below these air intakes, a new aerodynamic splitter, made from lightweight composite, wraps the front end, while side lips deflect air around the tires, reducing drag.
Based on the design from the Exige GT3 road car concept shown at the 2007 Geneva Motorshow, the race-inspired composite rear wing maximizes airflow while reducing drag and, most importantly, maintains an impressive downforce figure of 93 pounds at 100 mph.
“Overall, the Exige appears more planted and gives the illusion that both the front and rear of the car are wider than they really are, yet without losing its agile and sleek character,” says Roger Becker, Lotus’ director of vehicle engineering, “The changes we have made to the 2011 Exige are quite subtle when taken individually, but taken as a complete package they make significant improvements to aerodynamics and the overall look of the car.”
The Evora, the first all-new Lotus since the Elise in 1995, is the world’s only mid-engine 2+2. Weighing just 3,046 pounds, it’s powered by a Lotus-tuned Toyota 3.5-liter V-6 engine, outputting 276 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and maximum torque at 258 foot pounds at 4,700 rpm. The all-alloy double-overhead-cam engine incorporates dual VVT-i timing and T6e engine management software for this performance. Mid-range torque is impressive, providing exhilarating driving experiences far below redline.
The powerplant mates to a manual six-speed Toyota gearbox. You may choose a close-ratio version of this gearbox for even sportier outings. Acceleration 0–60 mph is impressive at 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 162 — while also providing an EPA-rated 27 mpg in highway fuel efficiency.
“Production of the new Evora is being limited to about 2,000 cars a year, ensuring its rarity and exclusivity, “John says, adding that the MSRP for a basic Evora at Scottsdale Lotus is $64,000. He notes that the upgrade Lotus Evora S and Evora IPS, to be shown at the upcoming New York International Auto Show in late April, will appear in Scottsdale shortly after the show.
The new Evora has been designed to appeal to potential Lotus buyers who, although moved by the marque’s sleekness and fluidity, want a more approachable vehicle, John further explains. As a result, the new sports car incorporates wider, taller door apertures and narrower sills, making entry and egress much easier than that with smaller Lotus vehicles.
He adds that the Evora has been widely tested — in cold, desert, at altitude, at low and high speeds, at Nürburgring and at the Lotus test track.
“By the time the first Evora reached our Scottsdale showroom, it was the most thoroughly tested car in Lotus history,” he says. “We all think Colin Chapman, the company’s founder, would have thoroughly approved of this great new car — and promptly gotten behind the wheel to test it for himself.”
Scottsdale Lotus, 866.415.8548, www.lotusscottsdale.com, or Lotus Cars USA Inc, 770.476.6577, www.lotuscars.com.
