Two renowned British brands – Lotus and Condor, have announced a unique collaboration to redefine what is known to be speed on two wheels.

Lotus and Condor, both rich with heritage and racing historyy, were both born in 1948 in Britain. Close to their hearts is the shared ethos of ‘lightness’, a term so synonymous with both brands.

Lotus is no stranger to cycling having conjured an epic gold-medal winning performance at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with the Lotus-engineered Type 108 bike. A ruling later banned its ahead-of-its-time radical design from further competitions (sore losers!).

On the eve of the 65th anniversary of both companies, Lotus and Condor have come together to celebrate their shared heritage. As a result of the collaboration, two unique bicycles have been created, utilising expertise from both companies. The redefining of speed on two wheels is at hand.

The first is the Type 1 LC Racing Bike. The cutting-edge, carbon-frame racing bike takes limited edition livery cues from the Lotus F1 Team.

The Type 1 LC Racing has perfect balance of lightweight, power flu pedalling stiffness an comfort ride. It features a Campagnolo Centaur carbon drivetrain and Mavic Cosmic carbon wheels. A dream ride.

Some specs at a glance:
Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic Carbone SLR, 1595g
Finish: Gloss carbon with gold and raw carbon
Sizes: 52cm, 55cm, 58cm, 61cm
Weight: 16.00lbs | 7.25kg *based on 56cm frame size
Price: RRP £5,200 including VAT

The Type 1 LC 1948 takes the design cues from the golden era of motor racing. This elegant retro piece comes in racing green and constructed from steel with manganese, molybdenum and niobium, a super light but incredibly strong chemical composition. The bike is finished with a leather saddle and handlebar tape – made in England, of course.

Some specs at a glance:
Wheelset: handbuilt Condor alloy lightweight rims with polish Condor uno hubs.
Finish: Racing green with cream detailing and golden Lotus heritage logo
Sizes: 49, 52cm, 55cm, 58cm, 61c
Weight: 9kgs, 19lbs *based on 55cm frame
Price: RRp £2,000 including VaT

It’s not uncommon for car manufacturers to develop a race-bred version of its commercial products, and national car maker PROTON is no exception. The R3 (‘Race Rally Research’) versions of PROTON cars are much-loved and highly regarded thanks to its rich racing heritage and competition wins. The PROTON Preve is the latest model to be given the R3-treatment.

PROTON took the opportunity to test the PROTON Preve R3 race car at Sepang International Circuit recently, the same venue where the Proton Green Mobility Challenge (PGMC) was held.

The sedan racer is powered by a specially race-tuned 1.6-litre IAFM Campro, although no numbers were published, we expect this to be in the vicinity of 170-180bhp, naturally-aspirated. True to the R3 DNA, outright engine power output isn’t always the most important element in a car. As we’ve also known in Lotus‘ philosophy in building cars (and race cars), there’s “power in lightness.”

The car has been stripped down to optimum weight and is said to weigh slightly more than a Satria Neo. With modern day manufacturing standards, a triple-ply chassis is a norm. I remember distinctively that the Satria Neo R3 race car had to be stripped off one layer of metal to bring its overall weight down.

Why no 1.6-litre CFE turbo lump you ask? Apparently this has been put off due to homologation issues and cost concerns. Don’t strike it off your list yet though.

The PROTON Preve R3 race car is expected to be competing in the Sepang 1000km endurance race in December. Watch this space for updates.

But regardless, PROTON R3 sure knows how to make good-looking race cars don’t they?

Source: Zerotohundred.com Image credit: CBT.com.my

We will be monitoring from now on. For now, we’re all good!

Kiki Sak Nana, Daigo Saito, Manabu Orido and Robbie Nishida

Defending champion Daigo Saito of Sparks Achilles Drift Team clinched the Achilles Formula Drift 2011 Malaysia and the overall Drivers’ Champion titles at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur earlier today. Saito drove consistently and flawlessly throughout the competition, humbling the rest of the world-class field. The much-anticipated Final 2 battle against compatriot Manabu Orido, a familiar figure here in Malaysia from his exploits at the Super GT, proved interesting but ultimately one-sided. Drift legend Orido made a rare error as he spun out going into the first clipping point, giving Saito an advantage going into the second run. Saito did not disappoint, although Orido did not make it easy the second time round. Driving aggressively yet with pinpoint accuracy, Saito showed why he also convincingly swept through the Singapore and Indonesian legs earlier this year.

Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia Final: Daigo Saito vs Manabu Orido

Kiki Sak Nana clinched the final podium place with some impressive displays throughout the day. Malaysia’s best finisher was Mervyn Nakamura, who made it into the Top 16.

Saranon Pornpatanarak vs Mervyn Nakamura

The Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 was organized by ESPN STAR Sports and title sponsored by Achilles Radial. The event had full support of Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and the following proud Sponsors & Partners – Mansion 88 (Official Sponsor), Tune Talk (Official Telco), Chevrolet (Official Car), Hypertune & SHIFT (Official Partners), Tyrepac (Official Online Portal), DRIVE (Official Energy Drink), Tayaria (Official Tyre Changer), Spritzer (Official Water) and Doubletree Hilton (Official Hotel). ESPN STAR Sports is the official broadcaster for the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011, and provided coverage across its networks, covering 24 countries to a cumulative reach of more than 300 million viewers in Asia.

Japan's Manabu Orido in his first appearance in Malaysia

There were thrills and spills on the opening day of the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 at Dataran Merdeka today, as world-class drifters battled for places in the qualifiers affected intermittently by rain.

Malaysia’s Ser Ming Hui leads Malaysia’s charge at tomorrow’s knockout Round of 32 tomorrow, currently ranked a commendable 8th with 78 points.

Last year's Malaysian leg champion Daigo Saito breezes through the qualifying rounds

Defending champion Daigo Saito from Japan continued his impressive form, topping the field with a total score of 94.5 points, in the quarterfinals.

Veteran racer and a familiar face to Malaysians at SuperGT, Manabu Orido is set for a head-to-head battle with fellow countryman Daigo Saito after impressive runs in his RSR Toyota Supra. It is Orido’s drifting debut in Malaysia.

Ser Ming Hui from Malaysia throttles his way to the finish

The Round of 32 will kick off tomorrow at 12.30pm, and will see exciting head-to-head tandem driving between the world-class drift riders at the high speed, tight Dataran Merdeka circuit.

The live broadcast of the Achilles Formula Drift Malaysia 2011 will be on ESPN STAR Sports, at 4-6pm tomorrow (Sunday, 18 December).

Original Source: The Car Guys Malaysia (TCG)

Will be in touch! Cheers and thanks for your patience and support!

Team R3gister

Is this a Proton Saga R3 prototype? From first impressions it’s got a very familiar front bumper (like the Satria Neo R3 2010) and the R3 Advanti rims from the new Satria Neo R3 2011. Looking pretty fierce don’t you think?

Submitted by Kamarul Zainuddin. Got tips? Send them to us at info[at]r3gister.org.

Date: August 12, 2011
Time: 10.00pm onwards
Venue: Chida’s, TTDI (opposite Maxis TTDI)
For more info and directions, call 0176560696 – Skellig/Sailesh
Come one, come all!

See ya guys there!