In March 2011, Stéphane Chosse, founder of ADESS, announced plans to build a Le Mans Prototype car. A year later, Kodewa ordered two chassis for the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship. The T128 was designed to meet the 2014 Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) regulations, which significantly improved driver safety and visibility. The project was overseen by Kodewa co-founder Romulus Kolles, Lotus F1 Team manager Patrick Louis, Gravity Charouz Racing manager Antonin Charouz, and Petr Ptacek, owner of Czech car manufacturer Praga. Former Sauber technical director James Key assisted them. With Lotus as title sponsor, the Kodewa team adopted the Lotus name.
The T128’s aerodynamic study was carried out using a computer-aided software mesh tool from Altair Engineering. Aerodynamics were the main priority in its design, with Chosse taking a similar approach to his years in Formula One. The rollover protection structure is integrated into the carbon fibre reinforced polymer chassis. Automotive futurist Daniel Simon designed the car's black and gold livery. The suspension setup at the front and rear of the vehicle was a double wishbone pushrod actuated torsion bar with dampers housed inside the car's monocoque.
The T128 was powered by a naturally aspirated V8 engine from the BMW S65, used in the company's M3 model, and rebadged by Praga. The engine produces 450 hp (340 kW) and, at 7,000 rpm, 405 NM of torque.
During the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend, Lotus publicly announced its T128 programme. The first picture of the car was made public on 1 August. Lotus planned to test the T128 in the first week of December 2012, but due to late part fitting, those plans were postponed to the third week of January 2013. Thomas Holzer and Kevin Weeda returned to the team for the 2013 season. James Rossiter and Vitantonio Liuzzi were re-signed to drive one of the two T128s alongside Weeda.
Lotus entered two T128s in the season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone. Weeda, Bouchut, and Liuzzi drove the No. 31 T128, while Holzer, Kraihamer, and Charouz raced the No. 32. Both cars failed to finish, with the No. 31 retiring due to electrical issues and the No. 32 failing to be classified due to electrical problems.
During qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Bouchut set the fastest time for the No. 31 car in the first qualifying session, placing him 15th in class, while Holzer secured 16th for the No. 32 car in the third qualifying session. The No. 32 car was relegated to the back of the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) grid for failing to have all three of their drivers set qualifying lap times within 110 per cent of the class leader's pole time. The No. 31 car spun and was retired after 17 laps due to electrical problems. The No. 32 car was hampered by a loose door and engine overheating issues, ultimately retiring due to a bell housing failure. A legal dispute arose during the race over unpaid invoices, leading to the cars being temporarily seized by bailiffs before being returned to Lotus after a court ruling.
At the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, the No. 32 car driven by Kraihamer, Charouz, and Holzer finished third, earning the team their only podium result of the season.
Lotus filed a lawsuit against Chosse, ADESS, and SCE Solutions on June 17 after learning that the team's owners, Romulus and Colin Kolles, were in debt. Chosse responded, and at 17:00 local time, a bailiff seized the two Lotus T128s. Lotus presented fictitious invoices from ADESS, and on the afternoon of June 19, the Le Mans court decided in favour of Lotus. The court mandated that Lotus receive both vehicles back.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus: a Wikipedia article titled "Lotus T128 (Le Mans Prototype)". No primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, or specialist publications were consulted.