Lotus Cars: Embracing their pioneering heritage
In true Norwich fashion, Lotus as a company always had a penchant for thinking differently to their competitors. In motorsport, Colin Chapman led the design of the revered Lotus 79 Formula One car, the first of its type to master the use of ground effect for aerodynamic performance. This innovation was so powerful that it had to be banned for reasons of fairness, only returning again in the hyper-modern 2022 editions of the cars. In their road cars, Lotus embodied the ethos of less is more in terms of producing some of the world’s finest ultra-lightweight sports cars which demonstrated that raw horsepower need not be the only source of pure performance.
As we look at the present and onwards to the future Lotus have once again reinvented themselves in order to remain at the forefront of pioneering in the automotive world. Since late 2020, the Hethel based company has shifted to an all-electric footing. This has coincided with the launching of the Evija all-electric hyper car in 2021, and the Eletre all-electric hyper-SUV in 2022. These launches are not merely examples of testing the water, they are emblematic of a clear and bold new direction in one of Norwich’s proudest brands.
The Evija will not just be another contender in a saturated field of supercars on the market, it is a crown jewel of innovation, design, and engineering. With almost 2000 brake horsepower (1190 bhp/ton), a max speed in excess of 200 mph, and a range of over 215 miles, the Evija is the crème-de-la-crème of electric car performance. The Eletre too, is a gamechanger. Lotus’ first SUV to launch is once again, fully electric, boasting 600 brake horsepower, and an innovative aerodynamic shape giving it that traditional Lotus flair.
For a company which when pitted against the powerhouse car manufacturers of Germany, Japan, and the USA, may seem small, Lotus – in true Norwich style – are aiming big and are not settling for anything other than being at the forefront of pioneering automotive engineering. With humble origins in Colin Chapman’s own garage in 1948, for Lotus to be where they are today is a wonderful representation of their late founder’s ambition and worldview. They are also a perfect metaphor for the Norwich way of looking at the world that Brandland is so proud and keen to showcase.