Car Of The Day: January 30, 2012

Today's car of the day comes from Firehawk73's collection and is Hot Wheels' 2000 Lotus Project M250 concept car.

Following a planned review of Project M250, a number of changes to the car are being evaluated. This work includes a feasibility study to review design changes required for the vehicle to enter additional markets.

With the success of Lotus over the last four years and with Lotus becoming a more global brand, it has been decided to take into account the demand for the Project M250 sportscar from other markets, outside Europe. This has given Lotus an opportunity to investigate the potential of introducing more new technologies and innovations which, although the research will take longer, will make the final product even better.

The information and technical specification following are for the concept car and is not necessarily representative of any future Lotus product.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Lotus M250

Concept M250 wouldn't be a proper Lotus unless lightweight was an important part of its genetic make-up; it's an integral part of Lotus Car's whole philosophy. The concept's chassis improves and develops upon the bonded extruded aluminium technology used to such great effect in the Elise.

This two-seater, mid-engined, high performance supercar possesses world leading aerodynamic downforce combined with unrivalled chassis stiffness to give a unique driving experience. By being exceptionally lightweight, project M250 achieves sensational performance: a true Lotus.

Powered by a mid-mounted Lotus-tuned 3.0 litre V6 engine that drives the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox, project M250 slots into the Lotus line-up between the Elise and the Esprit.

A major achievement in the M250's design is that it has excellent aerodynamic properties 'straight out of the box'. Lotus engineers and designers have used the knowledge learned from designing competition cars to create a shape with an extremely well balanced aerodynamic package. Downforce and high speed stability were given priority over a very low drag coefficient in the design of the M250, and to manage the airflow underneath the car to conjure up even greater downforce resulting in a Cz of — 0.15.

Rather than enter the horsepower race, Lotus has opted to follow the more rewarding ''power-to-weight'' path. Target unladen weight for the M250 is less than 1000kg, and the expected power output from the Lotus-developed 3.0-litre V6 is 186kW (250bhp).

Electronically limited to 250 km/h (155mph), the M250 flexes its muscles at the lower, and more often used, end of the performance spectrum — standstill to 100km/h (0-62mph) will be achieved in less than 5.0 seconds, while its sub-11.0 seconds 0-160 km/h (0-100 mph) time takes it firmly into supercar territory.
''The concept behind M250 is to produce another superlative driver's car, in the same mould as the Elise, but with technical refinements and enhancements made possible through what we've learned from over 50 years of sportscar development.''

However, concept M250 will be more of an everyday car than the Elise. It will have 'creature comforts' such as air-conditioning, central locking and electric windows. But there won't be any unnecessary electronically controlled stability aids or traction control devices — Lotus prefers to produce a responsive and well-behaved chassis in the first place.