Car designer extraordinaire Daniel Simon has a new project to add to his astounding CV. No, it’s not a new car or a screen vehicle for a new Sci-Fi blockbuster. This time Simon is working on a street bike for Lotus Motorcycles. That’s right, a road-going two-wheeler named the Lotus C-01.

“Lotus is a glamorous name with a rich history, and the C-01 celebrates it proudly: the shapes of the marvelous Lotus 49 were a main inspiration, and all color schemes pay homage to iconic Lotus racing liveries, such as the dashing black and gold,” says Simon.

So Lotus is building bikes now? Well, not exactly.

While Daniel Simon was brought in to design the first motorcycle bearing the iconic car manufacturer’s badge, Lotus Motorcycles is actually a joint project of auto racing team Kodewa and Germany’s Holzer Group. It’s important to note that there is no formal link to the British automaker. Lotus has merely licensed out its name and logo to grace the fuel tank of the new bike — the first of what is expected to become a line of models from the new manufacturer — with Simon responsible for penning their unique shapes.

There is no formal link to the British automaker. Lotus has merely licensed out its name and logo to grace the fuel tank of the new bike.

But that doesn’t mean the C-01 won’t embody the spirit and engineering know-how of the iconic car company steeped in racing heritage. The hyper bike will feature a host of technology derived from racing and be built from materials like carbon, titanium and aerospace quality steel, all of which are used in Formula 1.

Clearly the company’s backers know a thing or two about these materials, with Kodewa having recently built the new Lotus T128 LMP (Le Mans Prototype) and running the Lotus LMP2 program in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Within the Holzer Group, Performance GmbH is also involved in the development process of the new bike, and RPC GmbH, which is part of Holzer Group and Kodewa, will produce the titanium, carbon fiber and aerospace steel components.

“With the Lotus C-01, we have only one ambition: to create a unique state-of-the-art machine that carries its brutal forces with elegance and style, a high-tech monster in a tailored suit,” Simon divulges.

This description speaks to much of Simon’s past and recent work. Besides his tenure at the Volkswagen Group – which included work on the Bugatti brand — Simon also designed the ‘Lightcycle’ for the 2010 Disney motion picture ‘Tron: Legacy’ and the ‘Bubbleship’ used by Tom Cruise in the recent Universal Sci-Fi hit ‘Oblivion’. Simon was also responsible for the famous black and gold livery of the Lotus LMP2 sports cars and the incredible Cosmic Motors series of books — a must have for any aspiring or current designer.

“The intersection of past and future never fails to fascinate, and so does the unique idea of the C-01,” says Simon.

We can’t wait to see it.