Customers who buy any Hawker jet get a Lotus Evora, while Beechcraft King Air buyers will get a Lotus Elise. Sounds enticing enough, though the cost of either Lotus’ is likely considered chump change to anyone purchasing a multi-million dollar personal jet. Customers (from Europe, the Middle East and Africa only) must purchase their jets during the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), which runs from May 17-19 and June 30.
“This sales promotion gives us the opportunity to create some excitement around our new alliance with Lotus,” said HBC executive vice president Shawn Vick. “We look forward to having customers experience the revolutionary craftsmanship through the ownership of both products.” “Lotus is a perfect partner for Hawker Beechcraft as we both share a long-standing tradition of providing products with ground-breaking design, technical innovation and exceptional quality and performance.”
Aside from their British roots, both performance-oriented companies are strong believers in composite technology and were the first in their respective fields to embrace the lightweight materials. As part of the partnership, both companies plan to share ideas and technology for composite and aerodynamic development. Lotus makes heavy use of composites for its Lotus Renault GP R31 Formula 1 race car, which sports a carbon fiber chassis and composite suspension components. The F1-inspired Lotus T125 race car also features carbon composite materials.
HBC’s most impressive use of composite is showcased in its Hawker 4000, which is the first business jet whose fuselage is made entirely out of composite material. HBC states that the composite fuselage is lighter, more resistant to fatigue and corrosion, and offers more interior space.
Additionally, both companies plan to make appearances at future events including this season’s F1 Grand Prix races.
Source: Hawker Beechcraft, Lotus
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