Earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show, Lotus unveiled their Mansory built “Individualisation Concept Car”, which yet again gave us real concern over the future direction of Lotus’ design and development priorities. Apparently the individualisation programme has been largely based upon customer feedback, but we cannot imagine aficionados of the brand being seduced by the show car’s appeal.

The Evora Enduro GT however has ‘seduction’ written all over it – from its Lotus Renault GP paint scheme, through to its pared-to-the-bone functionality – we love it. It’s an evolution of the podium placing Evora GT4 Endurance car, developed by Lotus Motorsport under the watchful eye of Lead Designer Nicola Scimeca.

Lotus Motorsport intend to contend the following endurance events this year, with the 24 hour races in Dubai and Daytona joining the schedule for 2012:

• 23 – 26 June 2011 Nürburgring ADAC 24 Hour Race (GER)
• 28 – 31 July 2011 Spa 24 Hour Race (BEL)
• 8 & 9 October 2011 Silverstone 24 Hour Race (GB)

The Evora Enduro can be bought by private individuals and then adapted for racing, so perhaps there is a way to achieve an individualised Evora without going down the Mansory customisation route. We certainly hope so.

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It’s something of a herculean task these days to run a profitable car company serving a ‘niche’ audience, whilst also remaining mainstream, and upsetting a few traditionalists is a great way to get your brand talked about, but like most enthusiasts I can’t help pondering the question, “what would Colin do?” whenever I see the latest product of Lotus’ New Era thinking.

The ‘Colin’ I refer to is the late Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus and proponent of the ‘less is more’ philosophy when it came to optimising the road and race cars which carried his name. Chapman believed that if something didn’t add to the performance or driving experience of his cars then it didn’t belong on them, so Lotus new ‘product customisation’ programme would surely baffle him.

Lotus entitled their press release, 'Is it always wise to customise?' Further adding the reasoning, Why: Because we can. And because we know you’re curious……

Last week several publications were wrong-footed by leaked images of the Evora, leading them to believe Lotus were readying a facelift, but instead Lotus have said this a taste of their future product customisation plans, merely the first toe in the water and a showcase of the potential future of its cars. Gulp.

The model on show at Geneva next month will include this customised Evora produced together with Mansory and will be on display from 2.15pm on Tuesday 1st March 2011, at the Lotus stand (Hall 1, Stand 1031).

If recent history is anything to go by, we’d expect a few more examples of Lotus’ customisation plans to turn up, so make sure you check out the stand if you’re planning on attending.

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Whilst the Fiat Group is keen to present Abarth in its own brand ala Renault with Gordini, one can see they are for all intents and purposes beefed up Fiat’s with the Turin marque’s official seal of approval.  Not that this is to take anything away from these striking looking vehicles aimed at those who want more poke and aesthetic presence in their B-road brawlers.

The Abarth Punto EVO out in its B-road element

The Punto EVO features the 1.4 litre MultiAir Turbo engine which puts out 165bhp, resulting in a 0-62mph dash of 7.9s before maxing out at 133mph.  The Abarth version of the Punto has power boosted by 10% and torque 15% over the engine in its original configuration, though conforms to Euro 5 emissions regulations and emits a very un-performance car-like 142g/km of CO2.

Safety equipment includes Abarth’s clever Torque Transfer Control (TTC) system. This replicates the behaviour of a limited slip differential to improve the Abarth Punto EVO’s dynamic responses while ensuring the Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) remains on stand-by should it be required.  ABS, Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and Hydraulic Brake Assistance (HBA) are all standard, as are seven airbags including a drivers’ knee bag.

Abarth has done more than just chop the roof off a 500

The 500C is Abarth’s convertible take on the 500, with the idea being to attract a whole new audience to the 500 by broadening its appeal through a number of aesthetic and performance modifications.  By the numbers, the 500C boats 140bhp (5bhp more than the 500 hatchback thanks to an ECU remap) with a top speed of 128mph should you be so inclined to push the 500C that hard.  62mph appears from standstill in 8.1s which is reasonably nippy for a car of this size.

The Abarth cornerstone is performance and the Abarth 500C embodies that with innovations that transform it into the fastest and most focused soft top of its size. The most radical of these is the Abarth Competizione gearbox. Developed specifically by Abarth engineers, the Manual Transmission Automated (MTA) allows drivers to change gear using paddles mounted behind the steering wheel for a sportier feel.

Both the Punto EVO and 500C are available now, priced from £16,500 and £17,500 OTR respectively.

Having worked closely with Ford on the Focus RS500, Mountune’s announcement that an upgrade package is available to current Focus RS owners will please those looking for the performance of the RS500 without having to shell out for a totally new car.  For £2,195 Mountune will fit its new kit to your current Focus RS, comprising a larger alloy intercooler, new high-flow airbox, high-flow exhaust downpipe, improved fuel delivery module and a revised engine calibration of the current 2.5L Duratec RS unit.

The new Mountune parts

As well as bragging rights that your new MP350 matches the RS500, the fact that this aftermarket tuning package will not invalidate the warranty of your car is likely to also be a huge draw to potential customers.  Throw in that this package has been worked on at Ford’s test laboratories in conjunction with their boffins and wealth of equipment and the MP350 looks like one of the safest tuning investments one can make in today’s market.

Performance wise, the new upgrade will allow the MP350 to hit 60mph from standstill in 5.4s, 100 in 12.2s before racing on to 150mph in 35.0s.  V-Max is 165mph and a quarter mile is dispensed with in a brisk 13.9s, enough to win most traffic light Grands Prix.

John Mitchell, MD of Revolve Technologies (parent company to Mountune) is obviously pleased with what his company has come up, revealing that:

We’ve aimed to deliver the upgrade that all Focus RS enthusiasts have been waiting for, whilst retaining the manufacturers’ warranty, and benefiting from the numerous other perks that come with Mountune Performance conversion ownership.  The team has done a fantastic job in creating a conversion that lifts the already impressive base car into new realms of performance and excitement.

Owners can pre-order the kit here with initial fittings taking place through selected Ford dealers on a first come first served basis in May.  Do you think this package represents good value for money?

BMW provided a BMW 123d Coupe for the association’s 2010 initiative, and AC Schnitzer were presented with the task of carrying out the modifications. The 123d’s engine has been upgraded to 241 bhp (177 kW) and 480 Nm. Thus equipped the Munich’s Polizei can now accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 6.7 seconds when fitted with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The ride height of the ‘ACS1 2.3d Coupe’ has been lowered by 30 mm and a body kit is fitted which consists of a two-piece front spoiler, rear skirt insert, rear wing and rear roof spoiler, it’s equipped with the latest AC Schnitzer wheels Type IV BiColor, fitted with tires from TUNE IT! SAFE! main sponsor Hankook. A set of day-time running lights are fitted together with the usual sprinking of ACS logo and trim pieces which somehow seem to take a perfectly good BMW interior and….. well let’s just say that usually less is more, but that’s just not the ACS way.

The AC Schnitzer ‘ACS1 2.3d Coupe’ will be on display for the first time at the Essen Motor Show on VDAT Stand No. 406 in Hall 10 from 28 November to 6 December 2009.

I have never had a car chipped before, but Jethro has just legged it off to Mercedes’ UK headquarters to drop the E320 CDi off for some ECU-steroids and grab a C63 in the interim -have to admit I’m a touch nervous about the whole thing.

The problem is, I just like the way the car is at the moment, and I’m a great believer in overall success coming from a balanced package. Will fitting this Brabus chip upset that balance?

From the sound of things, it should make one big difference, straight-line performance. Given this is a fully approved MBUK product, I was expecting some modest power claims and nearly choked on a custard cream when Jo from the press office casually told me the car would have an extra 48bhp and 37lb ft of torque. That’ll give the old bus 272bhp and 435lb ft of torque.

Should be interesting, and potentially enough poke to keep the red X6 currently glaring at me from the car park nicely at bay.