Lotus enters motorcycle business with stunning "hyper bike"

Ever since firing its CEO Dany Bahar in June 2012 and reporting a near $200 million loss, Lotus has sought to find solid footing. One way the British marque planned to achieve this was by entering the motorcycle business, promising to deliver a Lotus "hyper bike," built by German race team Kodewa and the Holzer Group, by the turn of the year.

And here it is, the Lotus C-01. A true stunner that isn't really a Lotus at all.

The storied sports car maker has become more of a branding company than the automotive innovator it once was, enlisting others to do the heavy lifting while licensing the Lotus name for the sheet metal. This was evident in the 2010 IndyCar season, slapping Lotus logos on the carbon body that covered the Honda powerplant (they did enter an engine in 2012, although I'm not sure Lotus wants to be reminded of that). In Formula One, the Lotus F1 team is powered by Renault, and according to Lotus' most recent press release, the C-01 bike "is not designed, engineered or produced by Group Lotus" at all.