It has been two years now that German company Kodewa GmbH has been developing the first Lotus Motorcycle. Last week the prototype of the world’s first motorcycle to bear the legendary Lotus marque is now road registered and ready to begin trials.
Kodewa was granted a license to produce the motorcycle by Lotus. The two companies have been collaborating for a while now, developing together impressive racing cars, such as the impressive Lotus LMP2 Le Mans. Kodewa’s Dr Colin Kolles envisioned the name Lotus on a superbike for a while now. The innovative styling is the work of Daniel Simon, known for his work for Bugatti and Volkswagen, as well as his stunning futuristic creations for films as such Tron Legacy, Captain America and Oblivion. Even though the Lotus C-01 superbike is not an embodiment of the Lotus “feather light “ ethos, as expressed by Collin Chapman’s doctrine it still looks pretty darn awesome, and with 200hp and less than 180kg weight we expect it to deliver extreme performance, and make some heads turn with its stunning looks.
With an exclusive production run of just 100 units, and its stunning goods looks, the Lotus C-01 will probably be in many superbike collectors wish list.
The C-01 combines ample power via a V-twin engine with a distinctive body designed by Daniel Simon integrating carbon fiber, titanium and aerospace quality steel. Its power plant is a modified version of KTM’s 1,195-cc V-twin engine, producing 200hp for the occasion. The Lotus Motorcycle has a very long wheelbase, at about 65 inches, is a full 10 inches longer than that of the average street-legal superbike, in addition its front end is raked way out in front with a 19-inch wheel. With that kind of geometry, one would expect that it is not going to be a very maneuverable bike, yet with a claimed dry weight of under 180kg it is going to be damn fast and stable in a straight line.
The Lotus motorcycle was not designed, engineered or produced by Group Lotus plc but is the result of a collaboration between motorsport veterans under the management of Kodewa, directed by Dr Colin Kolles. The development on the C-01 was carried out with the support of Holzer Group and design guru Daniel Simon. Drawing on their wealth of motorsport experience, the team of engineers has designed a unique high performance superbike.
According to Kodewa’s Dr Colin Kolles the inspiration of the project was “To create a bike that isn’t just great to ride but also represents a piece of art in motion. Over the years I have seen my fair share of style over substance, what this bike brings to the market is a unique combination of both: state of the art technology with a truly jaw-dropping aesthetic.”
For the bold, distinctive, retro-futuristic aesthetics, the credit goes to visionary Designer Daniel Simon. In fact we are thrilled to observe that the styling of the Lotus Motorcycle borrows elements from the futuristic motorcycle concepts we saw back in 2010 in Simon’ Cosmic Motors illustrated book.
According to Daniel Simon: “The design process of the C-01 was a labor of love, there were many challenges, ensuring that the bike not only touches your visual senses with its timeless blend of classic appeal and modern execution, but that is safe and ergonomically sound was critical to me. We have worked hard to create a motorcycle with very distinctive features such as a clean main body, an extremely low side profile, a bold stance, a unique air intake, logical part line solutions and clean graphics.”
