Think of a lotus, and your mind often wonders to imagining flower petals floating calmly in a pond, gently being blown by the wind as adorable little ducklings play nearby. Its a serene landscape, filled with water lilies, algae, and whatever else flora that grows in there. I know nothing about plants, but I do know that this particular Lotus isn't as tranquil as drifting along on a bed of water. This here, is a really, very angry Lotus.
It gulps large swigs of petrol, shreds tyres for a living, and throws fireballs at your face as it's busy shaking your eardrums apart. On my last post, we talked a lot about Jaguar, and the storied legacy that they left behind in the world of motorsports. Lotus' participation might not have been so varied in such a diverse realm, but where they entered, they have a habit of dominating. This is perhaps unsurprising for a company that's renowned for being an early pioneer of F1.
A Champion, Among Champions.
Credits to: JUBU Performance - JP ZERO
They developed numerous innovations during those early days in the 1950s; from the very technical creation of the first monocoque chassis, and advancements in aerodynamics using wings and skirts; all the way to commercialisation, by asking companies to sponsor their team through decals on their car. Even after the death of company's stalwart and pioneering founder, Colin Chapman, Lotus continued to amass a total of 74 race victories.
Alongside them, they counted legendary racing drivers such as Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, and dozens more among their ranks. In recent times however, Lotus is a shell of its formerly glorious self, peeping around a corner, and constantly looking for a way back into the winner's circle. That crucial first small step might be afoot, by the undertakings of one company that I've never heard of before.
JUBU Performance is based in Austria, and over the years, they've prepped Lotus' and Catherhams for racing. Their recent project might just be their most ambitious one yet, as they aim to bring that Lotus legend back onto the podium, using what is essentially a 20-year old Exige as its underpinnings. It's nonetheless a fantastic base to work from, as Lotus is long known for its lightweight construction, masterful chassis and suspension tuning, subsequently resulting in excellent handling.
Credits to: NetCarShow, Lotus Exige Cup 430 - Type 49, and Type 79
As race-cars go, much of the ingredients are there. Taking this recipe to the max, their latest car is called the JP ZERO, and it will race in the GT2-class of the FIA-sanctioned GT Championships. For a bit of background, GT is a racing classification for road-going production cars, and not for specialised or purpose-built racers. Each class allows varying degrees of modifications on their cars, from GT4 at the very bottom for those new teams just starting out, to GT1 at the very top that could only be run by carmakers or operations with deep pockets.
At the peak, racing teams are able to utilise everything in their arsenal, using experimental technologies and exotic materials to outpace everyone else on the grid. GT2 is a bit calmer, where privateers such as gentlemen, or lady racers go head-to-head. The ZERO won't just cater to that crowd however, as it's been offered in 3 distinct flavours, each stretching from one end of the insane, to the next. Although different, their bloodline runs deep within one another.
There are some similarities between all 3 of them. For a start, they're all based on the aforementioned Exige, specifically a later Series 3. In this case, the base of the car is a supremely lightweight and simple aluminium space-frame chassis. The engine will be the same, which is the included Toyota-derived Lotus 3.5-litre V6, although some modifications will be made depending on which variant you choose. Also, there's only going to be a small batch of 20 for each specification, so there's not many of them around.
Simplify, Then Add Lightness.
Credits to: JUBU Performance - JP ZERO
First, we start with the ZEROrace, which is the career athlete of the trio, made along the lines of FIA GT regulations. This means that horsepower from that engine, now fitted with twin-turbochargers, is now capped at 610hp. Nevertheless, depending on the conditions of the track, or how you might want to drive them, you can use a switch to vary the horsepower output to as little as 410hp. This might be useful in say, heavily rainy weather, where a greasy track might prove difficult to navigate.
Torque is rated at 635Nm, and power it sent through a bespoke 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, or you can opt for a more conventional 6-speed sequential instead. It would prove prudent to control the horsepower output, given that the ZEROrace weighs a scant 960kg dry, helped further by clothing it under a full carbon-fibre bodywork. The panels are connected to a quick release system, so they can be quickly and easily swapped should you've had a crash.
Aerodynamics are helped by a very large manually-adjustable rear-wing, along with ducts on the front-end. There's other bits of competition-spec parts aiding the car from underneath, such as a set of manually-adjustable KW dampers to fine-tune the suspension perfectly, going from one racetrack to the next. There are 18-inch forged wheels all-around, then smeared with Pirelli PZero slick tyres, which could be stopped fairly easily with AP Racing steel brake discs.
Credits to: JUBU Performance - JP ZERO
The interior is understandably Spartan, with its few creature comforts complemented by an FIA-spec roll-cage to keep your skull from caving in, carbon-fibre racing bucket seats to hug you tight, and a fire-extinguishing system for when things go very wrong. It seems as though JUBU is taking Colin Chapman's famous quote, "simplify, then add lightness" quite seriously, and even taking that a step further.
The ZEROtrack carries over many of those GT2-inspired paraphernalia, but are instead shoehorned into a more casual, non-competition package. This variant is more of a casual track-day toy for those who can afford it. It still uses that same Lotus V6 mill, but without the turbos, and now detuned to a much friendlier 550hp. This is a bit of a downgrade, but when you consider that it has a higher power-to-weight ratio than a quad-turbo W16, 250+mph Bugatti Veyron, then you're not being left out.
If you're too concerned about going fast, then you can once again vary the horsepower output. It's useful for those of us whose name isn't Lewis, or Hamilton. It also carries the same 7-speed DCT transmission, which could also be switched to fully automatic mode. I suppose that's showing of the two-faced nature of the ZERO, by being able to let you take it by the scruff of its neck and race its heart out, but also at home by calming down, and letting the gears change for you.
Credits to: JUBU Performance - JP ZERO
This fully custom-made gearbox is one of JUBU's proudest achievements in engineering the ZERO, not using any one off-the-shelf transmission. It'll shift gears quickly and smoothly when you need it, while also being robust enough to withstand the continuous rigours of hard driving for 100 hours, with little to no need for maintenance. Whether you're taking it racing, or doing a track-day meet with your supercar-totting friends, its good to know that it'll keep working reliably.
The final version is the ZEROstreet, and as its name suggests, this one is road-legal, and more plush than the two racers. Once more, all the learnings and adaptation of GT2 technology will trickle down to something you might drive to the grocery store with, and it will assuredly make your mundane chores that much more thrilling to complete. In this form, the ZERO has been tuned to be more compliant for driving away from the smoothly surfaced bitumen of racing circuits.
Although the same engine, it has been tuned even higher to outputting 740hp, which would require some serious courage to drive spiritedly. Not that you want to crash it, or let someone next to you slam the door, as its bare carbon-fibre body will likely cost a fortune to fix. That said, it does look pretty neat to see the exposed weaves glisten in the sunlight. The interior won't be as Spartan, and it will have more luxuries like soft leather and Alcantara, or maybe even a cupholder or two.
A Return To Glory?
Credits to: JUBU Performance - JP ZERO
Across 3 different variants, JUBU has so far been rather hush-hush on displaying any performance figures, except quoting a 331km/h top-speed for the ZEROrace. Combining big horsepower and petite physiques can only mean that its very unlikely to be slow, so you can expect to embarrass anyone in their McLarens, Ferraris, and Porsches. By being quite a rarity, it will cost a pretty penny to get one. The ZEROrace is a reasonable 289,000-euros, though this doesn't include running your own race team.
The ZEROtrack is the cheapest of the bunch, at 249,000-euros, whereas the ZEROstreet costs a whopping 650,000-euros. I guess some bits leather really do go a long way in inflating your cheque book. Overall, I'm quite intrigued to see this Lotus thrash its tyres for a trophy. Alone, it might not bring that Lotus magic back to life so easily, but surely, and hopefully one day, it will inspire a new generation of race-cars bearing the name of a champion, standing tall among champions; Lotus.