This past summer, we broke the news of a new motorcycle being penned by designer Daniel Simon. But while some were reporting Lotus’ first foray into the motorcycle world, we rightly called it a marketing exercise. And now it’s landed.
Called the C-01, the superbike is the fruit of a collaboration between motorsport veterans Kodewa and Germany’s Holzer Group. Featuring a host of technology derived from racing, the C-01 will be offered as an exclusive production run of just 100 units.
It is also the result of a two-year design process that Simon calls “a labor of love”.
Sitting a scant 90mm off the ground, the C-01 is low, long, and sleek. It has a fresh, contemporary aesthetic yet simultaneously recalls some better vintage bikes and custom cruisers.
“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 partline solutions and clean graphics,” says Simon.
Though Simon concedes that “there were many challenges,” he’s successfully managed to blend classic cues and modern execution to create a safe and ergonomically sound vehicle. “[That] was critical to me,” he says.
A V-style two-cylinder four-stroke engine mounted at a 75° angle within the superbike’s frame — built from carbon, titanium and aerospace quality steel — is claimed to produce 200hp, which powers the 6-inch wide rear tire through a six-speed jaw-type shift transmission.
The superbike will be available in a range of liveries, some of which pay homage to Lotus’ sporting pedigree. A customization service is also available, limited only by the imagination of the client.
Kodewa — the company who built the new Lotus T128 LMP (Le Mans Prototype) and ran the Lotus LMP2 program in the FIA World Endurance Championship — will produce the titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace steel components.
