Whatever Happened To Lotus Motorcycles?

Lotus Motorcycles made a big splash back in 2013 when a press release dropped saying the company was "established to design and build the first motorcycle of the iconic car manufacturer." Lotus Cars was founded by Colin Chapman in 1952 to more or less feed his racing obsession. Lotus was such a good race car it became Ferrari's main competition for a while, and also has some of the world's most beautiful and fastest road cars.

Lotus Motorcycles, however, is a company that is still unknown, for the most part. It was a joint project between a few groups. First, there was Kodewa, responsible for building the Lotus T128 LMP (Le Mans Prototype), which ran in the LMP2 class during the 2013 World Endurance Championship opening round.

The shape and look of the Lotus C-01 were created by acclaimed designer Daniel Simon, who not only worked for VW Group but also once drew up Bugatti automobiles (the Veyron in particular). He was the man behind the black and gold paint scheme on the Lotus T128, the "Lightcycle" in Disney's 2010 film "Tron: Legacy," and Tom Cruise's "Bubbleship" in "Oblivion." The Holzer Group — with its experience as a manufacturer in the automotive and aerospace industry — brought the development, production, and assembly of the bike all together under an official license from Lotus. So, other than the "Lotus" name and the license, the automobile company had almost nothing to do with the motorcycle company or the bike it built.

The Lotus C-01 was a fusion of "lifestyle" and design mixed with state-of-the-art racing technology. Only 100 were built in 2014 and all were sold. According to a Mecum auction listing in 2019, only two are known to reside in North America.

Its frame was built with aero-tech steel, titanium, and carbon fiber, which can be found in Formula 1 cars. It produces approximately 200 HP with 90 ft. lbs. of torque mated to a 6-speed transmission and red lines at 6,000 rpm. It provides an incredible power-to-weight ratio of approximately five pounds per horsepower. With a 65-inch wheelbase, the C-01 has no electronic rider aids like ABS, traction, or stability control.

The bike had an original MSRP of $137,000. In January 2017, one with British Racing green-and-gold paint was put up for sale at a Mecum's auction in Las Vegas. The bid only reached $110,000 and failed to meet the reserve. In 2019, one with a Martini Racing paint scheme (white with red and blue stripes) sold at the Mecum auction in Monterey, California, for $121,000.

The company vanished as quickly as it appeared and never made another motorcycle. A website for Lotus Motorcycles is still live but has no recent activity. Its Facebook page and X (formally known as Twitter) account haven't been updated in years. You'd have better luck tracking down a Lotus Excel, which is one of its classic sports cars you can actually afford.