end of production Archives

Production of Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora has ended

Just before Christmas, production of the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora sportscars came to an end. Between these 3 model lines and over the course of 26 years, a total of 51,738 cars had left the factory in England. Combined, they represent almost half of the total production of Lotus in its 73-year history. In addition, 9,715 sportscars were built for Lotus’ third-party clients, including GM and Tesla.

From 1996 to 2000, the first-generation Elise and Exige were built in a small assembly hall at the factory, alongside the Lotus Esprit. The current assembly lines, which were installed in 2000, will be dismantled and replaced with all-new state-of-the-art facilities in support of the factory for the new Emira factory. Full Emira production begins in the spring, after the prototype and test phases currently underway are completed, taking Lotus production into a high-tech and semi-automated era, and increasing capacity up to 5,000 units per year on a single shift.

The last examples of the Elise, Exige and Evora models are reserved for Lotus’ growing heritage collection. Joining the collection will be the last Elise, a Sport 240 Final Edition finished in Yellow and the last of 35,124 cars; the last Exige, a Cup 430 Final Edition in Heritage Racing Green – number 10,497; and the last Evora – a GT430 Sport finished in Dark Metallic Grey – the last of a production run of 6,117.

“The impact of these 3 cars has been spectacular over the years, technically, structurally and dynamically. But all technologies and innovations move on and, if you had asked me of my proudest moment 4 years ago, I would have, without hesitation, said the Elise chassis. However, this has been usurped by our new Project LEVA architecture for our new range of electric sportscars, starting with the Type 135 in a few years’ time. This is now the zenith of Lotus architectures as it has moved the technology game so much further. There is a lot to look forward to,” said Richard Rackham, Head of Vehicle Concepts, who was vehicle architect on the Elise and part of the team that pioneered extruded and bonded aluminium technology in the automotive industry.

The Elise and Exige were built around the Lotus ‘small car platform’, notable for its light weight. On the same platform, and also manufactured by Lotus were the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 (7,200 cars built between 2000 and 2005) and the Tesla Roadster (2,515 cars built between 2007 and 2012). Therefore, including the Lotus 340R, Europa, 2-Eleven and 3-Eleven cars, this brings the total Lotus small car platform production volumes to 56,618 cars.

“These iconic cars have not only played a huge role in Lotus’ 73-year history but have also been ever-present in my daily life. Together with the Lotus design team, I have lived and breathed these cars for over 26 years. We will miss them, but a bit like Christmas, once it’s over, the excitement for the next one starts to build – and that’s what’s happening now at Lotus with the Evija, Emira and forthcoming Type 132. 2022 is going to be a great year as a new Lotus generation swings into action,” said Gavan Kershaw, Director of Vehicle Attributes.

Next out of the Lotus stable will be the Emira, a brand new mid-engineered sportscar. Unveiled last July and on a world tour ever since, it is confirmed to be the last petrol-powered car from the British carmaker. After the Emira will come the first electric Lotus – the Evija hypercar which will be the most powerful production car in the world – and then the all-electric Type 132, Lotus’ first SUV, which will be revealed to the world in early 2022.

Lotus Vision80 plan to transform company on journey of global expansion

Art works accepted as payment for Polestar 1

Polestar, the company created as a joint venture between Volvo and Geely Holdings, is known for exploring new ways of operating in the car industry. For example, rather than following the decades-old way of selling cars via a network of dealerships, it is connecting directly to the customer with a digital sales model through its website or via an app.

Its latest idea is a first-of-its-kind initiative which allows artists and collectors to trade art for a Polestar 1, a low-volume model which will have production coming to an end later in 2021. It’s not known exactly how many cars have been built at the factory in China although the company did mention, in 2019, that its production run would be 500 cars a year over a 3-year period.

The halo electric performance hybrid has a price of 155,000 euros (about RM777,720) and Polestar will consider all forms of art, including paintings, sculptures, photography, installations and more. It is Polestar’s intention to, after a period of ownership, sell the art, either via the above auction houses or through the dealers that represent the artists. So the items are not going to end up permanently on display at the company’s headquarters or CEO’s office.

“I love the idea of letting artists and collectors buy a Polestar 1 with art – it is such a special car and we wanted to find a unique way of celebrating it before its production reaches an end. It is hand-made, precious and tangible, much like a piece of art,” said Thomas Ingenlath, CEO of Polestar.

Polestar’s initiative comes amidst a recent art boom with new ways of trading art emerging, from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to a pair of Kanye West-designed shoes selling for US$1.8 million at a recent auction – as well as auction prices for classic and contemporary art recently soaring.

“Historically, many significant art transactions have taken place outside of what we today associate with the art market,” explained Theodor Dalenson, a leading private art advisor who serves as Polestar’s advisor on this initiative. “Going back several hundred years in time, art trading mainly took place between artists and patrons. Painters like Picasso were known to trade sketches for restaurant meals. Polestar’s initiative is essentially a very natural extension of the tradition of art being used as payment for precious goods.”

Incoming proposals will be reviewed by Dalenson and, if deemed relevant, receive a valuation estimate by the two largest auction houses: Sotheby’s and Philips.

The scheme began on June 10, 2021, and will be on until August 15, 2021 in Europe and North America.

In April 2021, a special edition Polestar 1 (above) was revealed at the Shanghai auto show, featuring a bespoke matte gold exterior paint job with matching brake calipers and black wheels. Inside, colour-matched gold stitching gives the interior an even more unique feel. A maximum of 25 will be built and a handful will be eligible for this initiative.

The Mulsanne chapter in Bentley history ends

After more than a decade in production, the final Bentley Mulsanne has been completed. During that time, more than 7,300 handcrafted units have been produced of what is undoubtedly the ultimate luxury sedan.

The Mulsanne’s lineage, which comes to an end, can be traced back through Bentley’s history, from the original 8 Litre of 1930 – the last car designed and developed by W.O. Bentley himself – as the most luxurious, coach-built Bentley of its time.

The final unit is a Mulsanne Speed ‘6.75 Edition by Mulliner’ finished in Rose Gold over Tungsten. It will soon be on its way to a lucky customer in the USA. However, it has also been revealed that there is one extremely special unit, a final Mulsanne but its future home remains a closely guarded secret.

A true icon
“The Mulsanne is the culmination of all that we at Bentley have learnt during our first 100 years in producing the finest luxury cars in the world. As the flagship of our model range for over a decade, the Mulsanne has firmly solidified its place in the history of Bentley as nothing less than a true icon,“ said Bentley Chairman & Chief Executive, Adrian Hallmark.

“ I am immensely proud of the hundreds of designers, engineers and craftspeople that brought the Mulsanne to life over the last ten years. Now, as we begin Bentley’s journey to define the future of sustainable luxury mobility through our Beyond100 strategy, the role of Bentley flagship is passed to the new Flying Spur.”

In the last 11 years, over 700 people have invested nearly three million hours crafting Bentley’s ultra-luxury sedan. Producing the Mulsanne bodies required approximately 42 million spot welds, and creating the sumptuous leather interiors took more than a million hours alone. Nearly 90,000 hours have been spent polishing cars, before a total of over four million individual quality checkpoints.

Mulsanne 6.75 Edition by Mulliner
In 2020, the final series production cars formed the unique ‘6.75 Edition by Mulliner’ signifying the end of Mulsanne’s reign. Taking its name from the legendary 6.75-litre engine which, this year, also came to the end of production after more than 60 years, the ‘6.75 Edition’ was limited to only 30 units.

How Bentley ensures the highest quality for its cars

Rolls-Royce creates Ghost Zenith Collection to celebrate end of 10-year production tenure

As the Rolls-Royce Ghost nears the end of its 10-year tenure, the carmaker has prepared an exclusive collection as a fitting farewell to the model line. This is a very rare occasion – once in 10 years at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars – that gives collectors of luxury the chance to obtain an item that is truly at its apex.

Highest levels of Bespoke
Known as the Ghost Zenith Collection, there will be just 50 Zeniths that celebrate the timeless elegance of a nameplate which has become the cornerstone of contemporary Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. In true keeping with its name, the Ghost Zenith Collection will feature the highest levels of Bespoke ever seen on a Ghost Collection car.

The only previous occasion when collectors around the world were afforded this privilege was in 2016 when an equally limited number of Phantom VII Zeniths celebrated the end of its extraordinarily long and successful reign. The cars immediately became highly collectable and sought after, re-setting the bar of luxury and, in doing so, creating a modern legend.

Model with a rich and extraordinary past
The Ghost is a luxury icon that carries with it a rich and extraordinary past. From the Silver Ghost, the car that established the moniker of ‘The Best Car in the World’ over 100 years ago, to the 200EX (pictured below), the experimental car that introduced the concept of a contemporary expression of this nameplate at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, this model has offered patrons of the marque a modern, lithe and driver-focused Rolls-Royce.

When the Ghost went on sale in 2009, its elegant lines and dynamic offering quickly made it the most successful Rolls-Royce car ever to be built. Notably, it attracted a new group of young entrepreneurs to the marque. Indeed, the reduction in average age of a Rolls-Royce customer to around 43 is in part testament to Ghost’s global success.

“The Ghost Zenith Collection presents an entirely forward-looking study of the unique characteristics that have seen Ghost ascend to the status of the most progressive super-luxury saloon ever conceived. This unique Collection provides customers with a rare opportunity to own a car truly evocative of our time. Ghost is the most successful Rolls-Royce ever created and the Zenith Collection marks an important milestone in our modern history,” commented Torsten Muller-Otvos, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.

References from the 200EX
The Ghost Zenith Collection draws many references from the 200EX (pictured above), with perhaps the most significant being the inclusion of a commemorative ingot. This came from the original 200EX Spirit of Ecstasy, melted down and set into the centre console of each of the 50 Zeniths. Engraved with the three key design lines of Ghost, the plaque details its significant origins. The Collection’s own Spirit of Ecstasy and clock are engraved with the name of this highly anticipated collection.

Furthermore, 200EX is immortalized in a complex engraving on the centre console of Ghost Zenith. A blueprint inspired artwork enlarged to a point of abstraction has been divided into 50 distinct parts, allowing each Ghost Zenith customer their own personal and individual work of art while, at the same time, uniting the collection as a group homage to Ghost.

An interesting feature is the interior of the Collection’s doors, owing to the illuminated door pockets. Ambient light emits through perforated leather enhancing the architectural elegance of Ghost’s interior. One will also encounter a complex piece of marquetry, created by the master craftsmen and women in the marque’s legendary woodshop. Available in either wood, Technical fibre or piano finished veneer, the door marquetry transitions from the driver’s suite to passenger suite, emphasizing the dual nature to Ghost.

Details inspired by original 1907 model
The rear seats feature embroidery that takes its inspiration from the seat details of the original 1907 Silver Ghost. This embroidery elegantly transitions from the rear to the front of the cabin and, in the case of the Extended Wheelbase Zenith, the headliner thrusts purposefully forward into the poised silhouette of the Spirit of Ecstasy. The seats themselves are accentuated in a contrasting leather, accenting Ghost as the ultimate 4-seat limousine.

Occupants of the Ghost Zenith Standard Wheelbase will experience an extraordinary phenomenon. The famed starlight headliner is presented in a unique Shooting Star configuration. Shooting stars fire at random across the cabin roof, adding an extraordinary sense of theatre. This surprise and delight feature consists of over 1,340 individually mapped and hand-woven fibreoptic lights.

Reminiscent of its Phantom counterpart, The Ghost Zenith Collection’s exterior styling takes on a new interpretation of its own: a special two-tone application with a gloss-contrast paint finish. Customers may select three different colour-ways – Iguazu Blue with Andalusian White, Premiere Silver with Arctic White or a daring Bohemian Red with Black Diamond, with multiple variants available highlighting the flexibility of the model. The Silver Satin bonnet was first seen on 200EX.

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