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Lotus Exige Espionage Makes Fashionable Entrance At Harrods Truly British Event Review

September 2005
Filed under: LOTUS Car News | LOTUS Headlines

Lotus Cars, the sportscar manufacturer, and Gieves & Hawkes, the Savile Row tailor, have conspired to form two of the most fashionable accessories for the modern day spy.


Lotus Exige "Espionage"

The collaboration of the British brands is part of Truly British at Harrods, which runs until 15 October, showcasing the best this country has to offer, revelling in the fascinating melting pot of cultures that makes Britain Great.
Creating the ultimate vehicle for the secret agent demands a flair for creativity and a passion for engineering the latest innovations, therefore making Lotus the perfect candidate. With proven experience from the Lotus Esprit, made famous for its starring role in a couple of the James Bond films such as the “The Spy Who Loved Me”, the Lotus Design Team led by Chief Designer, Russell Carr, was able to develop the one-off Lotus Exige “Espionage.”

Lotus Exige "Espionage"

Based on the standard 189 hp Lotus Exige, the coupé sportscar combines the elegant sophistication of the Gieves & Hawkes collection with the engineering ingenuity and style of the high performance trackcar-for-the road. Complementing the Gieves & Hawkes-designed bespoke classic navy pin striped Spy Suit, the Lotus Exige features a navy exterior and a central white pinstripe flash. Inside the car, the design philosophy has been extended to the seat upholstery (squab and cushion), door inserts and dashboard, using the same Gieves & Hawkes pinstripe wool cloth used in the Spy Suit.

Silk, used in the lining of the suit has been used to clad the back of the seats. The interior also boasts tailor-made leather floormats with “eyelet” detailing, taking cues from the classic shoes worn by the ultimate English secret agent.

Commenting on the unique Lotus and Gieves & Hawkes partnership, Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, explains, “In this prestigious celebration of British lifestyle and culture, it has been an exciting opportunity to change the rules, combining the style and elegance of fashion with the interior design of a high performance sportscar. To be associated with a fashion collection such as Gieves & Hawkes, synonymous with a rich tailoring heritage, has provided a unique platform for the demonstration of the design qualities which make Lotus cars such an exciting and special driving experience.”

Lotus Exige "Espionage"
The Lotus Exige “Espionage” and Gieves & Hawkes Spy Suit will be on display in The British Tailoring Room, on Ground at Harrods, until 15 October, 2005. Following the high level of interest, the one-off Lotus Exige “Espionage” is to be retailed at the on the road price of £39,995 following the event.

About Group Lotus plc:

The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd. which has two operating divisions – Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering. Lotus Cars builds and commercialises Lotus sports cars, Elise and Exige; builds sportscars for General Motors and manufactures the advanced composite front and rear crash structures for Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development to full production prototype build.

Lotus Exige

The Lotus Exige is based purely around phenomenal performance and handling, With the advanced 1.8 litre VVTL-i engine producing a maximum power output of 192PS (189hp, 141kw) and 181 Nm (133 lb.ft, 18.5 kgm) of torque, the Exige sprints to 160 km/h (100 mph) in 13.2 seconds before reaching a top speed of 237 km/h.

Key to this phenomenal performance and handling is the total aerodynamic package (which gives 41.2 kg of downforce at 160 km/h - 19.3 kg: front and 21.9 kg: rear) and light weight, the latter made possible through innovative engineering and clever design.

Lotus Exige "Espionage"

Uniquely tailored features of the Lotus Exige “Espionage”:

· Bespoke navy paint with strategically placed pin stripes to match the fabric used on the Gieves spy suit

· Pin stripe flashes on the side and underneath the scoop

· V-section on the alloy wheels shaved back to silver

· The seat inserts are tailored from the Gieves classic navy blue pin stripe along with matching dashboard and black leather door inserts

· In keeping with the lining of the suit the rear of the seats are lined with silk

· In keeping with the classic brogue shoes fitting of an English secret agent, bespoke black leather floor mats have been developed with brogue detailing and screwed in to the floor panel with silver studs

· All air-vents also have a silver surround

About Gieves & Hawkes:

All over the world, Savile Row stands for the very best in men\'s tailoring and so it is fitting that Gieves & Hawkes should be \'No 1 Savile Row\': a remarkable address.

The company was formed from two famous businesses: Gieves, founded in 1785 and Hawkes, founded in 1771. Since then, the company have welcomed a passing parade of famous customers whose names would fill a book. The magnificent full dress occasions of British State Ceremonial have been embellished and enriched by their craftsmen\'s skills, and overseas monarchs and leaders have looked upon them to meet their own exacting requirements. Today Gieves & Hawkes, as the purveyor of quintessential English style, dress individuals who are interested in the rules and references of tradition but who desire to present these in a visually exciting and contemporary way: in their own way. Confident in what they wear, they appreciate luxury and are most interested, ultimately, in style. They have a sense of occasion and dress accordingly. Gieves & Hawkes present these men with modern classics - simultaneously modern and classic - across their wardrobe, from formal evening wear to suiting and through to casual wear.

In addition to the flagship store on Savile Row, there are a further thirteen stores and concessions in the United Kingdom. Gieves & Hawkes also have numerous fine stores and concessions in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and from September 2005, Japan.

About Truly British at Harrods:

Please visit www.harrods.com/trulybritish for further information and a calendar of events.

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