Team Lotus Enterprise announced on Wednesday morning that it has purchased British sportscar maker Caterham Cars.
The acquisition by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin, the men behind the Team Lotus Formula 1 squad, from the shareholder consortium led by Corven Ventures, "will see the legendary lightweight sportscar manufacturer expand its brand profile and product family" says the press release.
"The acquisition of Caterham Cars by Team Lotus Enterprise will not only signal the continued development of the legendary Seven, but will provide Caterham with the platform to apply its philosophy of 'adding lightness' to exciting new models for the 21st Century.
This exciting new era for Caterham will be led by the company's existing management team, headed up by Caterham Cars Managing Director Ansar Ali.
Ansar's direction has been responsible for energising Caterham's export prowess during the last five years, creating the iconic Superlight R500 - Top Gear's Car of the Year for 2008 - and Caterham's first brand new model in 15 years, the stunning SP/300.R sports prototype racer.
As custodians of Colin Chapman's two-seater Seven since 1973, Caterham has been responsible for the evolution of a car originally conceived as a 'fit for purpose' race-car for the road in 1957," the press release indicates.
The acquisition by Tony Fernandes, Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin, the men behind the Team Lotus Formula 1 squad, from the shareholder consortium led by Corven Ventures, "will see the legendary lightweight sportscar manufacturer expand its brand profile and product family" says the press release.
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| Photo: Team Lotus |
"The acquisition of Caterham Cars by Team Lotus Enterprise will not only signal the continued development of the legendary Seven, but will provide Caterham with the platform to apply its philosophy of 'adding lightness' to exciting new models for the 21st Century.
This exciting new era for Caterham will be led by the company's existing management team, headed up by Caterham Cars Managing Director Ansar Ali.
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| Photo: Caterham Cars |
Ansar's direction has been responsible for energising Caterham's export prowess during the last five years, creating the iconic Superlight R500 - Top Gear's Car of the Year for 2008 - and Caterham's first brand new model in 15 years, the stunning SP/300.R sports prototype racer.
As custodians of Colin Chapman's two-seater Seven since 1973, Caterham has been responsible for the evolution of a car originally conceived as a 'fit for purpose' race-car for the road in 1957," the press release indicates.