Sato's Indy Lotus, Even Better

[cosworth151]

I've posted pictures of Takuma Sato's Lotus-Cosworth sponsored Indy car here before. I think it's one of the best looking open wheel paint schemes in years. However, it was missing one thing, something they've now corrected.

They put the white "meatballs" around the numbers! 

[Jericoke]

What does Lotus have planned?  Presumably they're not just using an Indycar to advertise an F1 team.  Are they making street cars?  Are they planning to move into Indycar as well?  Cosworth was in Indy for a long time, I'm sure they'd be happy to be back.

[cosworth151]

Lotus has built road cars since the 1950's.

http://www.lotuscars.com/

[Jericoke]

Lotus has built road cars since the 1950's.

http://www.lotuscars.com/

I wasn't really aware that Lotus was still a fully functioning car company.

Makes sense to advertise then!

[Scott]

Lot's in Europe...you just can't get them in Canada (are new ones available in the US Cos?).  I think one reason is that they wouldn't pass the crash test.  Rear-end someone driving anything bigger than a Taurus and you'll be underneath their rear end.  SUV's wouldn't even see them.  Barely comes up to my hip, and I'm just 5'10''.

[cosworth151]

They re-entered the U.S. market about 5 or 6 years ago.

[lkjohnson1950]

I believe the Lotus F1 team is an entirely separate company. Lotus Cars originally tried to prevent them from using the name. I think. Anyone else? Alia?

Lonny

[John S]

I believe the Lotus F1 team is an entirely separate company. Lotus Cars originally tried to prevent them from using the name. I think. Anyone else? Alia?

Lonny

I shall try to clear up the issues you raise Lonny but the whole rights to the names and logo gets tricky to say the least.

I think the first entry submitted to the FIA in 2009 was from Litespeed 'Team Lotus' who were trying to reuse the original race team name with the approval of the Chapman family. This F1 application had no connection to, nor approval from, the Lotus road car manufacturer whose present owners are the Malaysian Proton car company and this is why objections were raised. However this first entry, 'Litespeed Team lotus', failed to get a place on the grid.

The second entry 'Lotus Racing' submitted to the FIA after BMW failed to sign the concorde was made by the present Malaysian outfit and is part funded by Proton the owners of Group Lotus (Lotus Cars & Lotus Engineering). This second 'Lotus Racing' F1 team entry is not able to use either the name 'Team Lotus' or the famous logo (a green triangle on a yellow circle) as used on their road cars. Hence the current 'Lotus Racing' team chose the new logo, a triangle of Dark green with a yellow stipe in the middle and the word Lotus in black underneath.

The original logo and original 'Team Lotus' name, as far as F1 racing is concerned, are still retained by the backers of the litespeed project or the Chapman family.

If anyone else has anymore info please feel free to jump in, as I have said it's a tricky subject and I may not have all of it right.

 

[lkjohnson1950]

I was thinking along those lines, but didn't have the spot on info. Thanks 

Lonny

[cosworth151]

That was what I thought, too. Then I noticed that Sato's car is carrying the classic Lotus logo, the one with's Chapman's initials.

[John S]

That was what I thought, too. Then I noticed that Sato's car is carrying the classic Lotus logo, the one with's Chapman's initials.

That is advertising Lotus cars which is allowed under the rights the Proton company holds, the IRL car is clearly not a Lotus chassis and so it is just a sponsorship deal that any other company may purchase. I'm pretty sure it is only for F1 that the logo and name 'Team Lotus' is owned by someone else.