They’ve built cars. They’ve built supercars. They’ve built cars for James Bond. Now, Lotus is planning to build motorcycles.
Lotus is bringing together race car team, Kodewa, car designer Daniel Simon and motorsport parts maker Holzer to work on a two-wheeled project they call the Lotus C-01.
They’ll need all that expertise; the C-01 is supposed to use Formula One technology; it’ll be built of carbon fibre, titanium and aerospace quality steel; they haven’t said what engine configuration they’ll use, but they plan to use a motor that makes about 200 hp.
Simon’s previous motorcycle work includes designing the motorcycle used in Tron: Legacy; that’s hardly a road-going effort, but at least he knows how to make a cool-looking machine. We’d expect nothing less from Lotus.
This move could actually be a pretty cagy move by the car manufacturer, as high-end bikes have been one of the fastest-growing segments of the motorcycle industry in recent years. As the rich get richer, they’re spending more money on two-wheelers, and Lotus could be poised to grab a bunch of that dough that’s being spent on luxury bikes.
