Some of you might have noticed that there has been a lot of Lotus-related news on my website recently, and there is actually a very good reason for that.

Lotus Malaysia AND Lotus UK are collaborating with me on a car project – the type of which has never been done by either of them before, so … *cue drumroll and fanfare* … we are in the process of making history!

I’m not sure if any of you picked up something was going on when I wrote about my visits to Lotus here and here, but head of Lotus Malaysia, Oh Kah Beng and I have been working on this for a good few months now, and finally everything has come together.

The project’s aim is to bring more awareness to the Lotus brand amongst car enthusiasts and bring attention to the fabulous small-car chassis that they are so well-known for.

With Lotus’ recent change in top level management and the introduction of their new range of upcoming models at the Paris Motor Show you know that Lotus CEO Dany Bahar and his team are out to shake things up a bit in the automotive world and do things a bit differently.

And one of the words that has been used to describe me in the past is – different.

Hahaha … anyways

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my absolute pleasure and honor to introduce you to the Lotus X BadBoyBen Exige S:

Lotus has custom built this brand new car for me and I will be using it to compete in selected time attack and gymkhana events in 2011, but it’s first outing will be next weekend (12 Dec 2010) at Zerotohundred’s Time To Attack Final so make sure you are there when I take the car out for it’s first shakedown!

Remember in my Time To Attack Report, where I mentioned that my goal for 2011 was to build a sub-2-minute-28-second time attack car for Sepang?

This is that car.

However, I will not only be racing with the car but driving it daily and sharing with you guys what it is to live with a niche car like a Lotus.

Over time, I will also give you some background information on how we put this car together and tell you about some of the people who made it happen. Without everyone’s generosity and support, none of this would have been possible.

A Lotus is such a rare sight on Malaysian roads that it is almost a myth. In fact, in Penang you’re more likely to see a Bentley, Ferrari or Lamborghini than a Lotus.

I’m going to change all that. You are going to see this car EVERYWHERE around town!

The Lotus Exige has always been one of my dream cars, ever since the MK1 was first launched in 2000, and to have the opportunity to drive/race one now with the full support of Lotus is much much more than a dream come true for me.

I would like to thank first and foremost Oh Kah Beng for believing in me and Laura Coase (Lotus UK) for her invaluable support.

I’d also like to thank all our sponsors and people who worked tirelessly for the past couple of months to build this car for me!

P.S. If you like what you see and are interested in test driving one of the most amazing cars on the planet contact Lotus Malaysia on +6012-2771770

P.P.S. There’s actually a second, MUCH BIGGER part to this project, but we won’t be able to tell you about this till the middle of next year … but keep your eyes peeled for hints that I will drop periodically on my blog.

Posted on December 3rd, 2010 by BadBoyBen
Filed under: Bad News, Cars, Sneakers, Streetwear, What's Good?