Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Officially Official: Team Lotus buys Caterham, celebrates with special Seven [w/video]

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Caterham Seven Team Lotus trio
Caterham Seven Team Lotus Special Edition - Click above for high-res image gallery

We've been waiting a while for official confirmation, and it's finally here: Team Lotus has acquired British sportscar manufacturer Caterham. Both outfits lay claim to Lotus founder Colin Chapman's legacy without any actual support from Lotus Cars itself (with which it is currently embroiled in a naming rights legal dispute) and are now joined under the common ownership of Air Asia chairman Tony Fernandes.

The Malaysian businessman and his partners bought out Caterham's previous owner, Corven Ventures, but have elected to keep Caterham's current managing director Ansar Ali at the helm. The new cash injection ought to help Caterham springboard off the SP/300R to further expand its lineup, while cementing the iconic Seven as a veritable staple of sportscar design.

To celebrate the tie-in, Caterham is preparing to launch a special run of Team Lotus Sevens, of which only 50 examples will be made - 25 for the UK and 25 for overseas. The special package can be added to any variant in the Seven range, bearing the same classic green-and-yellow livery as the team's Formula One racers and a special plaque in the cabin, along with a commemorative book and an invitation to tour the team's factory in England.

Click on to view the special edition in our high-res image gallery below, and follow the jump for a video announcement and press releases on both the acquisition and the special edition.



[Source: Team Lotus]

Continue reading Officially Official: Team Lotus buys Caterham, celebrates with special Seven [w/video]

Officially Official: Team Lotus buys Caterham, celebrates with special Seven [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/27/officially-official-team-lotus-buys-caterham-celebrates-with-s/

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