Lotus will evoke memories of their John Player Special era by running their 2011 car in a black and gold livery.

Lotus Racing chief executive Riad Asmat said:

When we first unveiled our 2010 car there was unanimous praise for our decision to bring the historic green and yellow livery back to the modern F1 grid. I know the return to the track of the legendary black and gold will be met with even more universal support as it strikes such an emotional chord with fans around the world. Giving those fans the chance to help us bring it back to the contemporary grid is true to our core belief of putting our supporters right at the heart of Lotus Racing ?����ǣ we can?������t wait to show the world what we come up with.

Riad Asmat

Head of marketing Silvi Schaumloeffel said the team want fans to contribute their designs for the 2011 car livery:

We have worked all year to make sure our fans are given unprecedented access to our team. We are all very excited about the move to a black and gold paint scheme for next season, and we want our fans to help us design the livery that will be racing around the world next year. We will shortly be announcing exactly how the fans can take part in our design process, so keep an eye on our website for more details. The person who designs the livery we finally choose will be joining us at our first test next year to see the car out on track for the very first time, so for Lotus and F1 fans it is the chance of a lifetime to help us take the next step forward in our amazing story in 2011.

Silvi Schaumloeffel

The John Player Special livery first appeared on the Lotus 72 in 1972 and the cars later changed their names to ‘John Player Specials’ for several years.

Aside from a brief interruption from 1979 to 1981, when Martini and Essex took over, Lotuses remained in John Player colours until 1986. The 98T was last black-and-gold Lotus, and it was also their last Renault-powered car.

Lotus’s 2011 car will be powered by a Renault engine and use a gearbox and hydraulic system supplied by Red Bull.

The team have also announced they will revive the “Team Lotus” name in 2011, but are presently in dispute with Lotus cars manufacturer Group Lotus over their right to do so.

Lotus naming rights row

