Home - Car Reviews - Lotus To Dominate Soapbox Racing


Lotus To Dominate Soapbox Racing

AUTO FINANCE
Get a FREE, No-obligation
internet price quote!
At Automobile.com we strive to
provide hassle-free auto finance quotes.
  Auto News Tools
Photos of Lotus 
Print this Auto News
Email this Auto News
User reviews
Write your review
Read reviews  (0)


Lotus Opts for Gravity Power for Their Latest Racer

Yes, you read that right. The same company that builds the oft-touted Elise and Exige road- and track-going four-wheeled weapons is going after an entirely new kind of challenge; soapbox racing. Generally considered a field dominated by children in homemade gravity-fueled contraptions, Lotus streamlined 119c soapbox car is unlike any other weve seen.

Constructed from carbon fiber and designed in a wind tunnel, the 119c is vastly more advanced than the car you and your dad built out of spare lumber. Already a record holder, the diminutive monocoque takes Lotus longtime motto of "performance through light weight" to a completely
Not exactly the car you built with your dad when you still thought girls had cooties. (Photo: Lotus Cars North America)
new level. Successor to the original "Roadster" Lotus soapbox car, the enclosed 119c uses such technology as movable tungsten ballast and small 20-inch wheels mounted on ultra-low friction bearings to gain a competitive edge over its competitors from the likes of Lola, Ford, and various academic institutions.

Having already proved itself at the 2004 Goodwood Festival of Speeds soapbox derby, the 119c has established itself as the "car" to beat. At that race, 24-year old Paul Adams absolutely
Made from carbon fiber and designed in a wind tunnel, the 119c is about as space-age as an unpowered vehicle gets. (Photo: Lotus Cars North America)
demolished the competition, besting the previous track record (set by none other than fellow supercar builder McLaren) by over a second and besting all comers in that particular event by nearly eight full seconds.


 
AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE
•  Acura
•  Alfa Romeo
•  Ariel
•  Aston Martin
•  Audi
•  Bentley
•  BMW
•  Buick
•  Cadillac
•  Campagna
•  Caparo
•  Chery
 •  Chevrolet
•  Chrysler
•  Dodge
•  Ferrari
•  Ford
•  GMC
•  Honda
•  Hummer
•  Hyundai
•  Infiniti
•  International
•  Jaguar
 •  Jeep
•  Kia
•  Koenigsegg
•  Lamborghini
•  Land Rover
•  Lexus
•  Lincoln
•  Lotus
•  Maserati
•  Maybach
•  Mazda
•  Mercedes
 •  Mercury
•  Mini
•  Mitsubishi
•  Morgan
•  Nissan
•  Pininfarina
•  Pontiac
•  Porsche
•  Rolls Royce
•  Saab
•  Saleen
•  Saturn
 •  Scion
•  smart
•  Subaru
•  Suzuki
•  Toyota
•  Vanderbrink
•  Volkswagen
•  Volvo
•  Yugo
Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo