Hi guys! My name is Jan and I come from Poland, currently live in Germany. I’m quite the petrolhead and my favourite cars are mostly Italian or Japanese. As you might assume from my pfp, my favourite car is the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Since last season I’m also into Formula 1 and support Alfa Romeo and Scuderia. Since Drivetribe won’t be a thing soon, I’ve decided to try out Oppo. My content on Drivetribe were mostly news articles, quizzes and polls. Since I’m new here, I wanted to know what kind of content do you guys post here? I’ve got some ideas what to upload, but I’m not sure what would be fitting.
Anyway, I hope that we will have a cool time together

This is some seriously cool stuff here!
A Fiat Panda M R-Line with a big exhaust

Simplify, then add lightness - This famous quote was said by Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus. Ever since the foundation of the brand, Lotus was known for specialising in making lightweight cars for better cornering instead of muscle cars for straight line speed. The entry level version of the Lotus Elise S1 for example had just 120hp, however with excellent handling and an acceleration of 5.8 seconds from 0-60 it certainly was the perfect driver‘s car. However after the end of production of the Elise, Exige and Evora, Lotus does not intend making the same kind of cars that made them so special.

LOTUS‘ CURRENT STATE
The recently shown replacement for the three cars, the Emira, weighs 1,405kg. For comparison, the Elise S1 weighs just 700, so just the half. Instead of a 1.8 litre Inline-4 it has a powerful supercharged 3.5 litre V6. It should not wonder anyone that the feedback was rather sceptic from many people. But not just the Emira was controversial, the Evija even much more. Electric cars a getting more and more popular, however they do not match the philosophy of Lotus. The British car maker used to make lightweight cars and due to the batteries of an EV, that is not achievable. As a result it weighs 1,680kg. That is 140% heavier than the Elise S1! And not just that was unusual for a Lotus, but when we look at the amount of horsepower, we immediately see that this car‘s purpose is to be ridiculously fast on a straight line (2000hp).

THE FUTURE OF LOTUS
If you hoped now for an update that Lotus has just announced a new lightweight sports car, then you will be disappointed. What Lotus is actually planning is the Lotus Type 132 SUV, Type 133 Gran Coupe and Type 134 Crossover-SUV. That sounds more like a plan from Mercedes rather than from Lotus. The reason for this radical change of products is Lotus‘ current owner Geely. The Chinese manufacturer wants to convert Lotus from a sports car brand into a performance brand. Which means that you can expect Lotus to become like Porsche. However there might be some interesting news, because the currently planned Lotus Type 135 might be the successor to the Elise. This car should be released by 2026 and is already in development. However it will be different, since it definitely will be electric. There are rumours that Lotus works together with Toyota on that project. Not too long ago Toyota and Lexus have shown 15 new electric car concepts which all are going to make it into production. One of these cars looks very similar to the old Toyota MR2‘s. The rumour says that the new Lotus Elise and Toyota MR2 will be rebadged versions of one another, or at least, have many things in common.

A familiar look with a modern twist - Is this the new Toyota MR2 and Lotus Elise?

SUMMARY
Lotus is not anymore what it once was. The company wants to focus now on more high-tech sports cars and family cars, rather than on simple and lightweight sports cars. With SUV‘s in their future lineup, Lotus shows that they want to grow, however is that the right way? I think that Lotus is losing its own face. It is not anymore the same brand that Colin Chapman founded, and it most definitely does not intend to change back to its former ideals in the future. Well, I guess we have to just wait for now.

What do you think about Lotus‘ future? Let me know in the comments!

Would you prefer a new EV Lotus or this Lotus Exige S1? Let me know in the comments!

Lamborghini Diablo 30th Anniversary Special Edition waiting for restoration

Maserati Bora

BMW i8

Triumph

Electric cars are getting more and more popular. It is arguable if this makes sense or not, however statistics do not lie, EV’s are selling better than ever, and it does not seem that this trend ends anytime soon. After Bugatti’s partnership with Rimac it was only a matter of time till were about to witness Bugatti’s first EV. Today is the big day, however it is not what you have probably expected. It has nothing to do with the Rimac deal, can only go 18mph (30kph), and is not even a car at all. It is an E-scooter.

The Bugatti E-scooter is being built by Bytech International, which also build the Fiat E-scooter. The scooter is built from aluminium and magnesium. It is finished in Bugatti’s iconic blue paint and has a very nice detail - at the back it projects the Bugatti logo. I find that very cool! The steering wheel is fitted with a screen that shows the range and current speed. Also rather intriguing, it has three driving modes! There is an Eco mode, City mode and even a Sports mode. Depending in which mode the scooter is currently in, it can achieve different top speeds. In Sport mode it can achieve 18mph (30kph). It might not hit the next speed record, but for a scooter that is not half bad. On a single charge it is capable of doing 22 miles (35km). It also is fitted dual breaks with ABS.

“PARTNERING WITH A COMPANY SUCH AS BYTECH GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND OUR REACH IN THE ELECTRIC MOBILITY SPACE WITH AN EXPERIENCED PARTNER AND A PRODUCT THAT CAN BE ENJOYED BY CONSUMERS AROUND THE WORLD.” - Wiebke Stahl, Bugatti Managing Director

Prices and release date have not been shown yet. Bytech’s Fiat scooter costs £500, however we can expect the Bugatti to be way more expensive, since of course is rather a toy for the rich than an actual option for the average man.

What do you think about this scooter? Is it hot or not? Let me know in the comments!

@davesaddiction

Hi guys Jan here! Thanks for the invite!

It’s dying, dying slowly. I can still see some of my posts, but not my chats or anything else really. Goodbye Drivetribe, you were a class of its own.

I think there aren’t many cooler things than driving on a german mountain road. So here’s a cool mountain for y’all. It’s called Wank. Wait what

The first thing I should make clear is that these are my father’s spots, I sadly wasn’t with him
Anyway, in the first picture we can see the marvellous and legendary Ferrari F40 and, at least that’s what I think it is, a Morgan. The second one shows a Ferrari F8 Tributo. Well of course the car next to it is the big highlight, the fastest car out of the holy trinity, the perfection of hypercars, a Porsche 918

In 2018 Toyota has shown the Yaris GRMN and as the name already suggests, it was a hot hatchback developed on the Nürburgring. GRMN, or Gazoo Racing Masters of the Nürburgring, the name sounded strong, though its appearance did not suggest its capabilities. It had a 1.8 litre supercharged Straight-4 engine with 205hp and it really was a little rocket. With a staring price of around £26,000 it also was not too expensive. Two years later Toyota has shown yet another hot Yaris, the GR Yaris, that has become very popular thanks to being an actual driver’s car. It’s turbocharged 1.6 litre Straight-3 engine produces 261hp and 360 Nm of torque thanks to which it can do a 0-60mph run in just 5.5 seconds. The homologation special is also equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox which very much adds to the fun. For all hot hatch fans today is a big day, because Toyota has shown an even more hardcore version of the GR Yaris, behold the new Yaris GRMN!

So how is it different to the ”standard” GR Yaris? Well, while the GR is a car you can use as a daily, the GRMN is a track-car with no compromises. It has no rear seats anymore and instead a cross brace for saving 20kg of weight, a stiffer body, is 10mm wider and has an also 10mm lower driving position and thus, lower centre of gravity. It also is fitted with a mechanical limited-slip differential and a new gearbox to make more efficient use of the engine’s power band. The bonnet is made out of carbon fibre and the bucket seats are made by Recaro. The buyers can choose between the circuit package and the rally package. The circuit package offers 18in BBS wheels, adjustable Bilstein shocks, a carbonfibre rear spoiler and a subtle body kit, while the Rally package gets a GR suspension upgrade, a protective undertray and a roll bar. The engine though remains unchanged and has 272hp, since Japanese versions had always slightly more power. Toyota stated that the Yaris "has evolved into a car that can be driven faster and with more peace of mind, with improved braking force, grip, cornering and following performance based on feedback from professional drivers".

The GRMN hatchback beast is limited to just 500 units, so you better be quick when you want one. It will not be cheap either, with a starting price of £46,850. Alongside the car, Toyota also starts a new personalisation program, which allows to optimise the Yaris for the individual driver. It contains driving data which can be used by engineers to change the car’s settings, like a race car. Cool thing!

So to summarise it, the GRMN Yaris is a GR Yaris tuned specially for racing. While not cheap it gives you the very most a hatchback can deliver and it reminds me of the older hardcore hatchbacks like the Renault 5 Turbo, Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione or the Renault Clio V6. Personally I already love this car. It is speed with no compromises while still a driver’s car, and that is not something common anymore. This thing is a gift from enthusiasts for enthusiasts and that is why I am super happy that a car like this still exists in the modern world.

What do you think about the GRMN Yaris? Would you choose the circuit or the rally package? Let me know it the comments!

@Non_Chungus

It was indeed revealed on April 1st, but only a very blurry image with the info. On April 4th they’ve shown the high resolution image and revealed the showcase date that is set to August 18th.

@eel

Apparently a man called Joost de Vries is DMC’s current CEO, I doubt that the DeLorean family will be involved

@DuckDuckGreyDuck

Something tells me it won’t be, but who knows

@MybirdIStheword

I agree, but it’s what’s popular nowadays. Some old gone products are being “revived” and people buy it because of the nostalgia. With the Fiat 500 for example it worked very well, with the McLaren Speedtail on the other hand… not that great. Since the new DeLorean is going to be electric I expect it to just look like one, but the rear already look quite different.

@415s30

Well if not it would certainly have something in common with the original
But I hope that it’s gonna be good, first time I’m excited about an incoming EV. Hope they don’t mess up

@C4P-5L0W

Yep

DeLorean DMC-12 - an objectively terrible car that we still all adore. Doesn’t matter if it’s the movie, the gullwing doors or the back then futuristic styling, who doesn’t like the DeLorean? Yes, the build quality was worse than from a Tesla, it was slower than a Golf GTI from the same year and it had just a 5-Speed Manual or 3-Speed Automatic gearbox, but the DeLorean is just something special. However being an icon, a success… it was not. DeLorean Motor Company, or simply DMC, never made another car and production was only between 1981 and 1983. But, if you are a DeLorean fan, there might be good news for you, because the Irish manufacturer is going to make a comeback! On April 1st they already posted a blurry image of their new car, and today they uploaded a full resolution one. For me it looks a bit like the Maserati MC20 and Nissan 400Z had a child together, but design-wise that definitely isn’t bad. For petrolheads like me, there is also a bit of a… well, bad news. As I’m sure you guessed already, yep, it’s going to be electric. Maybe this time it will be the car that makes us like EV’s? Who knows, but I’m interested in it, and that’s something I’ve never said about an incoming EV before, so here’s a good start. It will be showcased on August 21st on the Concept Lawn at Pebble Beach this year and already shown 3 days earlier.

So, here’s the official teaser image of the new DeLorwan:

And here’s the link to DeLorean’s tweet:

So how do you feel about it? Is this going to be a powerful revival or a failure just like the first attempt? I’d like to here your opinion in the comments!

@pes-carolo-1

Certainly, I like french hot-hatch’s!

@pes-carolo-1

PAGANI ZONDA R

@notsomethingstructural

Indeed, the customers decide which product they want to buy, so that product is being made. Since we aren’t the customers, than our criticism is not of Ferrari’s concern.