VIDEO: Lotus Elan Concept?s Digital Instrument Panel in Action

The Lotus Elan was one of five concept sports cars presented by Lotus at last year"s Paris Auto Show while it also made a quick stop at the LA motorshow that followed in November. Now that the concept studies have made it back to the England, the folks over at Paultan visited the British firm"s headquarters in Hethel and shot this video showing the Elan"s digital instruments in action. The panel consists of a large LCD screen flanked on either side by two smaller components. You can watch the video clip after the jump.

VIDEO: Lotus Elan Concept?s Digital Instrument Panel in Action

The Lotus Elan was one of five concept sports cars presented by Lotus at last year"s Paris Auto Show while it also made a quick stop at the LA motorshow that followed in November. Now that the concept studies have made it back to the England, the folks over at Paultan visited the British firm"s headquarters in Hethel and shot this video showing the Elan"s digital instruments in action. The panel consists of a large LCD screen flanked on either side by two smaller components. You can watch the video clip after the jump.

By Csaba Daradics

Via: Paultan

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VIDEO: R&T Takes Hennessey"s Venom GT Out on the Track

Remember Hennessey’s barnstorming, 1,200 hp (895 kW) Venom GT? Well its back and the journalistic titans at Road & Track have driven it. And there’s a video, to boot. Weighing in at a lithe 2,685 lbs (1,218 kg), the phenomenal Venom GT builds on Hennessey’s experience with tuning the Viper, 5th generation Camaro and various Cadillacs, among many others. It’s a simple formula, really. Big power + light weight = big fun.

Hennessey first takes a Lotus Elise, arguably one of the best mass produced, lightweight track cars ever made. They strip it down the chassis, lengthen it and rebuild it with a slippery, restyled body that offers the right mix of down force and engine cooling. Then they swap out the Elise’s 1.8 L turbocharged four-pot for a twin-turbo variant of Chevrolet’s 6.9 L LS9 V8, add carbon ceramic brakes and a KW adjustable suspension setup and et voila, the Hennessey Venom GT.

So what’s the verdict? Well, you’ll have to watch the video and make up your own mind. A small hint, but that’s all I’m giving away: the GT is capable of doing 135 mph (217 km/h) in 3rd gear. If that doesn’t make your automotive blood boil, then nothing will.

Hennessey intends to build just 29 of the cars over three years, with a price topping US$600,000 (€455,373). If this were any other car by any other tuner, I’d call that outrageous, but this is a Hennessey and the culmination of all their engineering knowhow. Believe the hype: there’s a new king and his name is Venom GT.

By Tristan Hankins

Via: R&T

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Lotus Metamorphosis: An artistic take on the firm"s future models [with Video]

To show that the brand is going through a metamorphosis after the presentation of five new models at the Paris Show, Lotus has joined forces with award winning French artist Gérard Rancinan to create seven artistic images that will be showcased alongside a new book by French writer, Caroline Gaudriault, at a special event in Los Angeles on Friday, November 12.

As you may have guessed, the collection of photos is called "Metamorphosis" and the focus is on the five new Lotus models that made the trip to this year"s Paris Motor Show: the Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne, plus two extra large montages.

Gérard Rancinan creator of Metamorphosis commented: "I can see a clear artistic link between the work of Lotus and my photographs in terms of commitment, the relevance of the subject matter, the audacity of the creator, the beauty of the gesture and the perfection of the object. We are engaged in a dialogue which takes place on the same terrain: the world of art."

For a sneak preview of the collection, check out the official teaser video below.

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