Geneva 2011: Lotus flashes the black and gold with new racing cars

Filed under: Motorsports, Geneva Motor Show, Lotus, Racing

2011 Lotus Race Cars at 2011 Geneva Motor Show

2011 Lotus Renault GP R31 and Evora GT4 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Picking a color scheme for a race car is usually a straightforward matter, but when Lotus opted to revive the black-and-gold combination of the classic John Player Special livery for its new Formula One car, things got a bit complicated. Not because it was once associated with a tobacco brand, but because of the still-unsettled dispute with the other Lotus team.

The Malaysian outfit at the back of the field originally planned on adopting the black and gold for this season, but opted to stick with its existing green and yellow livery shortly after Lotus Cars assumed part ownership of the newly rechristened Lotus Renault GP team.

The naming rights may still be in dispute, but the livery issue is settled. And Lotus isn’t just applying it to the grand prix racer you see here. (Though Renault, incidentally, displayed the team’s car from last year in the new livery on its stand, and Pirelli a selection of last year’s cars as well, Lotus appears to have brought the new 2011 challenger…or at least a mockup.) The British outfit also brought along an Evora GT4 decked out in the same scheme. And it looks positively dynamite on both cars. But don’t take our word for it: check it out for yourself in the high-resolution image gallery below and see for yourself.

Gallery: 2011 Lotus Race Cars: Geneva 2011

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

Geneva 2011: Lotus flashes the black and gold with new racing cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SSC Ultimate Aero II flashes backside for Top Gear

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Design/Style

SSC Ultimate Aero rear end

SSC recently teased us with shots of their new would-be Bugatti assassin, the Ultimate Aero II and Shelby Supercars has allowed Top Gear to provide the world a new angle with which to view their exotic road warrior.

The SSC Ultimate Aero II is designed by skilled artisan Jason Castriota, who his now putting his pen to paper for Saab. The design of the front is a beautiful mix of flowing lines with subtle, hard creases. The rear end seems much more alien, but equally stunning. The previous SSC vehicle, the Ultimate Aero TT, bested the Bugatti Veyron in the all-out speed competition at 256 miles per hour. This all-new Ultimate Aero II looks like it already beat that mark while simply posing for pictures. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if someone handed us the keys then told us “where we’re going… we don’t need roads.”

Our one nitpick? The eventual damage to the exhaust area. It already looks like that rear pod is sitting on the deck so it’s unlikely the SSC will make it through the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Oh well, time to put the checkbook back in the drawer. We’ll just wait for the Saab equivalent.

Gallery: 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero

SSC Ultimate Aero II flashes backside for Top Gear originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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