carscoop: Lotus

Showing posts with label Lotus. Show all posts

Shaken, Not Stirred: Sky Movies Puts Together James Bond Driving Scenes

He has a license to kill, instantly charms all the pretty ladies and gets all the latest toys. And by “toys” we mean all kinds of vehicles, from trucks to Soviet battle tanks and of course, cars, lots of them.

The one he has been most associated with is the Aston Martin DB5, while his most recent drive was a DBS. In between, he has also sat behind the wheel of a Lotus Esprit that doubled as a submarine, a Jaguar XKR and some BMWs – the best of which, the Z8, was cut in half.

Former Lotus CEO Dany Bahar Sues DRB Hicom for Wrongful Termination, Asks for Close to $11 Million

In June, new Lotus owner DRB Hicom fired the British sports car maker’s CEO, Dany Bahar, after placing him under a two-week suspension. The official reason cited for his termination was "the results of an investigation into a complaint made against him by the company’s penultimate holding company, DRB-HICOM Berhad".

Now Businessweek reports that 40-year old Bahar (pictured above with Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda) has filed a claim against both Lotus and its parent company, DRB-Hicom, for wrongful termination of his employment and asks for a US$10.6 million compensation.

Lotus Rumored to Build New Renault Alpine and Infiniti Emerg-e Sports Cars

In the past few months, Lotus has been making the headlines, but not for the right reasons. After Proton sold the British sports car maker to DRB-Hicom, CEO Dany Bahar was ousted and its future was once again thrown into doubt.

However, the Renault-Nissan Alliance may be the knight in shining armor that will give the Hethel-based company a new lease on life.

DRB-Hicom Declines Offer for Lotus, VW Reportedly Interested in Parent Company Proton

Last week, Reuters reported that the ever-expanding Volkswagen Group is considering to place a new bid for Proton, which owns the Lotus brand, some five years after the Germans failed to form a tie up with the Malaysian carmaker as it seeks to extend its reach in the southeast Asian markets.

Today, DRB-Hicom, which acquired a 42.7 percent stake in Proton earlier this year, said that it had received an offer from an unnamed foreign company to buy Lotus for £1 (US$1.6 / €1.3) and take over the British company's debts that amount to more than £200 million (US$311 million / €257 million).

Cheap eBay Steering Wheel Comes off Locost Seven During Race

While this wouldn't be the first time we have witnessed a steering wheel coming off a racecar, it never gets old and…scary.

This latest incident occurred to Alex von Ehrheim while driving his Locost racer, which is a home-built clone of the open-top Lotus Seven sports car, at the Donington Park circuit in the UK.

Lotus Sacks Dany Bahar, Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

After placing Dany Bahar under suspension for two weeks pending an internal investigation for misconduct allegations, the Malaysian owners of Lotus have now confirmed that they have fired him from his post as the chief executive officer of the British sports car maker.

Lotus issued the following statement on the matter:

Lotus Boss Dany Bahar Suspended from his Role Following a Complaint

More problems for British sports car maker Lotus as the company's chief executive office Dany Bahar was suspended from his role today pending an investigation of a complaint against him by DRB-HICOM Berhad, which acquired Lotus back in January. Read more »