Lotus Drift?

[MonkeySlide]

I was press days for the LA Auto Show this week and when I was checking out the Lotus exhibit I started talking to their PR guy and he told me that Lotus is looking to start a drift team using their new Exige S and they are actually going to start testing soon with what he said was "very popular with the drift crowd" but he couldn't remember the guys name.

Anyone hear any thing about this?

Oh by the way here is a pic of the Exige S..

[Slapshotnerd]

i would not be surprised if it was either tanner or sam, as those guys are pretty popular with the manufacturers.

But i wouldn't expect it to be very competitive. I think it's too short of a wheelbase and too hard to keep sideways, a la the miata.

ps - don't trust the guys at the autoshow. They will talk out their asses to convince you to give their brand publicity, especially on the press days

[Ghost of Duluth]

But i wouldn't expect it to be very competitive. I think it's too short of a wheelbase and too hard to keep sideways, a la the miata.

I dunno, I know a couple guys around Atlanta that rock Miata's solidly. All in how you drive it.

[Slapshotnerd]

I dunno, I know a couple guys around Atlanta that rock Miata's solidly. All in how you drive it.

driving a miata around a parking lot track is one thing.

Being competitive in 4th gear in Formula D is another

[hunterd557]

This is true, some of these cars that people get sideways in a parking lot or on a runway simply wouldn't compete as well as say . . .an S14 or GTO in a high stakes event such as FD or D1.

I mean, I'm all about diversity and uniqueness when it comes to drifting, I mean, hell, if we all drifted the same cars, how boring would that be?

However, cars such as the Miata and Exige may be just a little too short, wheelbase wise, to drift competitively. Then again, I feel the same way about the AE86 and "Drift Evo" and, as I expected, people argue me down with that all of the time stating that it's how it's pushed and not how it's built.

These cars are excellent grip racers and track cars when keeping the nose forward, however when you start facing that nose opposite of the embankment then you start seeing what we mean when we say the wheelbase is too short. The E30 I'm building up is starting to show the weaknesses of having a shorter wheelbase as well, which is why I plan on also competing with my Thunderbird as well.

Anyway, that Lotus does look extremely sexy, sideways or not, and I would love to see it in competition. It may surprise us all and kick some serious *Censored**Censored**Censored*, especially with a driver like Mr. Faust or that Crazy Swede, hehe ^_^

-Dave

[IDCR]

If I do recall they have had Tyler drive one to see if it can drift. And I belive they have been contacting different drift series to see if it would be a legal car for the rules. I know we had been contacted and possibly FD but I can not speak for them.

But just like any new car it will take track time to work the kinks out. Look at the pontiac.''Not the GTO'' it has been testing for how long?
High end comp is totally different when you have the likes of a Viper on your butt as compared to a open track. But don't rule it out they are very nimble cars and lotus does have a good racing history it just depends on if they will put all their support behind the effort.

It most likely is to sell more cars but at what pirice? Most drivers can't afford them.

[swifty949]

I seriously doubt they'd run a program, it's the wrong market for thier cars. How many people on this board can really afford a elise, much less an exige.

BTW Lotus has 700 exiges on the way to teh US, that is supposed to supply the US for the next 3 years. I highly doubt a US drift program from Lotus would take place.

[MonkeySlide]

I seriously doubt they'd run a program, it's the wrong market for thier cars. How many people on this board can really afford a elise, much less an exige.

BTW Lotus has 700 exiges on the way to teh US, that is supposed to supply the US for the next 3 years. I highly doubt a US drift program from Lotus would take place.

It WILL take place..they're already testing This was coming straight from their PR/AD guy with the company's North American CEO standing right next to him. So they're definately going to do it, I just wanted to know which driver they're testing with.

Im thinking that they decided to jump into this when they saw how big the sport is growing and probably more so when they saw the JIC Drift Porsche at SEMA. Granted that's not a factory drift team. But, I think they saw a rear engine rear drive car and thought "hey if that can drift we can do it too and impress some people." At least that was the vibe I got from the CEO and the Ad Guy when they were talking to me.

I think it's smart of them to try and get into it now. While 80% of the current core audience couldn't afford an Exige S (they'll be priced around the mid to high 50's), based on what I've been hearing from certain key people..drifting is about to grow in a HUGE BIG GIGANTIC way within the next few years. And when that happens Lotus will be right where they want to be.

I hope they can make it work. I think it would be pretty cool to see that lil bugger sliding around. It's an awesome car.

[Slapshotnerd]

It WILL take place..they're already testing This was coming straight from their PR/AD guy with the company's North American CEO standing right next to him. So they're definately going to do it, I just wanted to know which driver they're testing with.

Im thinking that they decided to jump into this when they saw how big the sport is growing and probably more so when they saw the JIC Drift Porsche at SEMA. Granted that's not a factory drift team. But, I think they saw a rear engine rear drive car and thought "hey if that can drift we can do it too and impress some people." At least that was the vibe I got from the CEO and the Ad Guy when they were talking to me.

I think it's smart of them to try and get into it now. While 80% of the current core audience couldn't afford an Exige S (they'll be priced around the mid to high 50's), based on what I've been hearing from certain key people..drifting is about to grow in a HUGE BIG GIGANTIC way within the next few years. And when that happens Lotus will be right where they want to be.

I hope they can make it work. I think it would be pretty cool to see that lil bugger sliding around. It's an awesome car.

Coming from a guy who didn't know that Alex Pfeiffer was drifting the BRS FD after SEMA (when he had drifted it in Vegas and at SEMA)... I'm not so sure I trust your opinion.

I've heard a lot of promises in this sport in the last few years. Heck, I've dug up some dirt for a website I work for that has been published well ahead of other outlets (including some information about Cadillac and Lexus factory rides ). I don't see drifting fitting lotus's target market, and again, I really don't trust too much of what comes out of the guys at the autoshows. I'm still saying it's a possibility, I just don't think we will see Lotus on the podium in '07.

[MonkeySlide]

Coming from a guy who didn't know that Alex Pfeiffer was drifting the BRS FD after SEMA (when he had drifted it in Vegas and at SEMA)... I'm not so sure I trust your opinion.
.

Dude WTF..if you're skeptical about the story then fine..but dont go attacking my credibility just because I didn't know that Alex drifted the RX-7 a few times.

Im pretty sure you didn't know that Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car title this year for the third time in a row which is the first time that has been done since Ted Horn in 1948...I guess that means you aren't a credible source huh??

The point is neither one of those facts are hardly important enough to try and take a shot at someone's credibility.

[Slapshotnerd]

Im pretty sure you didn't know that Sebastien Bourdais won the Champ Car title this year for the third time in a row which is the first time that has been done since Ted Horn in 1948...I guess that means you aren't a credible source huh??

If we were talking about champ car, it sure would.

[hunterd557]

LOL, you guys are impossible, hahahahaha!

[MonkeySlide]

Look Im not going to turn this in to a flame war. I have absolutely nothing to prove especially not to jacob.

The fact that you had to over reach that much and use some obscure fact to try and take a shot at me speaks for itself.

[Slapshotnerd]

let's just see where this sits in 6 months.