Talking Classics With Nigel Bromley

Nigel Bromley is the Head of Brand Marketing for Lotus and a very good friend of Bridge Classic Cars. We recently had the chance to pick Nigel’s brain about all things Lotus and classic cars.

Nigel has been in the automotive industry for a long time so it was great to also hear his thoughts on the future of the industry and where classic cars might fit in.

You’re currently Head of Brand Marketing for Lotus, what does a typical day at Lotus look like for you?

I am really lucky to have a fascinating role at Lotus, I work with amazing people and I enjoy virtually everyday. I start about 8am, I’m not a good morning person and need several cups of tea to get going. I tend to finish about 6pm and go for a walk with my wife and our dog. And then I might return to a few emails after supper. But everyday is different – a combination of our day to day activity, progressing projects, and liaising with colleagues in other departments and our global colleagues. What is great is to feel the passion for Lotus from colleagues as far afield as Dubai, to Michigan to Shanghai. When you work with our design teams, or our engineering and manufacturing teams, you want to do their efforts and ideas justice.

What was it that led to your passion for cars?

A spring day in 1976, when my Father returned home from a new job in his new company car, an Alfa Romeo Alfasud. In the beige wasteland of the mid,  when everyone had Allegros and Avengers, it was the most beautiful and exotic thing I had ever seen. It was a massive improvement on the outgoing car, which was a Morris Marina estate, which even as a young child I knew was pretty terrible.

The Lotus Emira recently won Sports Car of the Year – what is it that makes that car stand out from the rest?

This was an award that we were delighted to receive and it was a genuine honour to collect the award on behalf of Lotus.

Perhaps the best way to sum up would be the citation from the judges, who included a number of highly respected motoring writers and commentators, who praised the Lotus Emira as “not just brilliant to drive but also marks a new chapter in the manufacturer’s history as its final petrol car. And while Lotus has a fine history of making true drivers’ cars, the Emira marks a quantum leap for the brand in terms of technology, comfort and refinement.” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

What does the future hold for Lotus?

We are evolving from a UK-based sports car company into a global performance brand. So, it’s a thrilling time to be at Lotus.

Some at Hethel have referred to Lotus as being a 74 year old start-up, by which we mean the mentality of the people here being extraordinarily creative, flexible, and quick at doing things. We will be able to look back on this period with pride that we were all part of the revolution at Lotus and will help rethink the motor industry, just as we have done over the years. What does the future hold? Well we are half way through our strategic plan, Vision80, which will see us deliver in total six all new models by 2026. We are on track as we have launched or unveiled three of them already and so there are another three to come in the next 36 months. That focuses the mind…!

What classic cars catch your eye?

I have been lucky enough to own a few classics such as TVRs and Classic Range Rovers – so I must like V8 engines that never (ahem) breakdown! When I’m not talking about cars at work, I often go to classic car meetings and enjoy the fantasy of dreaming about other cars I’d like to own, often with some of my friends who are lucky enough to own classics of their own – Tony Bourne its all your fault! I’m not answering the question am I? I’d like an AlfaSud for nostalgia reasons, a P38a Range Rover Holland and Holland because it’s so bad it’s brilliant, a Series III Land Rover because it’s heroic, a Ford Fiesta XR2 (Mk2) because I had one as a young man, a Lotus Elan Plus 2 because it’s underrated, a Mini Cooper because its cool, Aston Martin DB7 Vantage because of Andrew Noakes’s book. I’d also like an Esprit and an Elise Mk1. Only things stopping me are lack of money and lack of space. And I’ve singularly failed to win a car with Bridge Classic Cars…come on Molly I thought that Scirocco was mine!

The future of the motor industry seems to be moving quickly towards electric, how is Lotus responding to this?

As I touched upon earlier, we have a global strategy that we are following, called Vision80, which outlines an ambitious growth trajectory, with significant achievements to date.

Do you think there is still a place for classic cars in an electric future?

Of course. I firmly believe that there is a place for classic cars. It is our industrial heritage, and where the car has come from and where it is going is what makes this industry so interesting and exciting. Personally I can see both co-existing happily. People still ride horses don’t they.

Bridge Classic Cars and Lotus partnered last year to give away a very special Lotus Elise, for those who don’t know, what made that car so special?

We are closely aligned with Norwich City Football Club. We donated one of the last Lotus Elise to the Canaries’ charity – the Community Sports Foundation and it was a competition prize that was run by Bridge Classic Cars who managed the competition and conducted with us a very efficient and effective campaign for which we are very appreciative. £100,000 was raised to enable even more people in the region and from around the county to benefit from the wonderful work of the Community Sports Foundation which provides inclusive environments for people with disabilities. The car is unique with elements of the NCFC club crest on the bodywork and the club crest on the footwell mats on both the driver and passenger sides. It was won by a Lotus and Norwich fan which was perfect and a lovely send off for the iconic Elise which was in production for 25 years.

What car are you most looking forward to seeing launch in the near future?

Our next few cars are stunning. Lotus has such an exciting future, just keep watching over the next few years. I will give you a clue – we have already launched the world’s most powerful and quickest hypercar, the Evija which is an EV, followed by the Emira, our last petrol car. We have unveiled the new hyper SUV, an EV called the Eletre. The next car, Type 133 is something very beautiful indeed.  

The Lotus Elan just turned 60, how did you celebrate?

We celebrated this wonderful and iconic sports car’s Diamond Anniversary with a very down-to-earth gathering of Elans at Hethel a few weeks ago, which was close to being 60 years on from the car’s unveiling. More than 60 examples gathered for a ‘Picnic at Hethel’. Cars from the early Series 1 through to the last of the Elans, the +2S 130, joined from all over the UK. It was great fun, a fitting tribute and one of the largest gatherings ever seen of solely Lotus Elans. It was a friendly and informal way to celebrate the legendary sports car that not only transformed Lotus, but changed the world’s sports car market forever.

Where can people find out more about everything Lotus related?

Our website www.lotuscars.com and whichever social channel you enjoy we have an account from Instagram to LinkedIn – we are even the fastest-growing car brand on Tik Tok!

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