lotus

The Mince Pie Drive

On 1st December 2023, we set off on a festive adventure across the Suffolk countryside – our first-ever Mince Pie Drive. The day dawned bright

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Coming Soon…

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of another new addition to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of a Lotus Europa. It is

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Team Turbo

The Bridge Classic Cars engine team have been hard at work investigating a knocking noise coming from our 1985 Lotus Esprit Turbo. Ady, our engine

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A Day Behind The Scenes At Lotus

Yesterday, Molly and I had the pleasure of taking a small group on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Classic Team Lotus and the Lotus factory.

The day began with a cup of coffee at the main Lotus factory and a briefing from the Lotus team explaining what would happen throughout the day. We then made our way over the road to Classic Team Lotus.


Classic Team Lotus

Classic Team Lotus, founded by the legendary Colin Chapman, is where Lotus’s Formula 1 legacy is displayed. Here, the race cars that once dominated tracks worldwide are restored and maintained by a highly skilled team of technicians. Our guide, the extremely knowledgeable Nick Duckworth, led us through the impressive collection of classic Lotus F1 cars and told us the unique story of each one.


Highlights included seeing the Lotus 25, the car that Jim Clark drove to win the 1963 World Championship, and the Lotus 49, which was recently awarded ‘Race Car of the Century’. Nick shared the stories behind Colin Chapmanโ€™s innovative engineering principles and how they changed motor racing forever. The group had the rare opportunity to see these historic machines up close and it was certainly an experience we will all remember.

The Bird In Hand

At lunchtime, we headed over to The Bird in Hand pub. This turned out to be the perfect lunch stop with Lotus being well recognised throughout the pub. There were photos, room names, and lots more nods to the unique connection between the pub and the car manufacturer just 5 minutes down the road!



Lotus Factory

After lunch, we returned to the main Lotus factory. The contrast between the historic charm of Classic Team Lotus and the modern setup of the main factory was very noticeable! In the factory, we got to see what it takes to make a brand-new Lotus every 17 minutes! From automated machines to experienced hands, it was great to see humans and machines working together to produce some of the best-looking sports cars out there.

One of the highlights of the factory tour was our visit to Workshop 3, a part of the factory normally off-limits to visitors. Inside, we had the privilege of seeing the fastest road-legal car ever to complete a lap of the Nรผrburgring, the Lotus Evija, being made. There will only be about 130 of these cars made and, the ones we got to see up close were a limited run of less than 10 to be made with the recognisable JPS (John Player Special) Lotus F1 livery.

There’s a strict no photography policy throughout the factory so there aren’t any photos to show but, if you get the chance to go, you really need to see the incredible setup and how smoothly the process runs from start to finish.

The entire day was fantastic. The group of people who came with us were such great people and it was a lot of fun to spend the day with fellow car enthusiasts who all seemed to enjoy the tours as much as Molly and I did.

I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who joined us and another big thank you to Nick and Scott at Lotus for giving us all an incredible day – we will definitely be back again!

Feedback

“Dear Rob and Molly

Just a very brief but heartfelt thanks to you both for a splendid day on Thursday.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found the whole enterprise most fascinating. Thanks very much for hosting us and I am looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Many thanks for the very interesting and enjoyable visit to Lotus yesterday.ย  It was very well planned, I enjoyed it very much albeit a bit tiring.

I look forward to another.”

Future Events

We have lots more events like this coming up so if you want to join us on one of our future trips, keep an eye on our events calendar.


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Lotus And Norwich City FC Partnership To End

Norwich City Football Club recently announced that our friends at Lotus will no longer be the club’s principal partner.

The full statement says:

Norwich City can announce that the clubโ€™s principal partnership with Lotus will come to an end this summer.

From the start of the 2024/25 season, the club will work with a new principal partner, with the existing agreement with Lotus to conclude.

Norwich City commercial director Sam Jeffery said: โ€œWeโ€™ve been really proud to have Lotus adorn our shirts for the last three seasons, not just because itโ€™s such an iconic brand, but because of the shared Norfolk heritage.

โ€œOn behalf of the club, Iโ€™d like to thank Lotus for their support during this partnership and look forward to welcoming them to Carrow Road for the season ahead.โ€

Matt Windle, managing director at Lotus Cars, added: โ€œWeโ€™ve loved being principal partner and seeing our logo on Norwich Cityโ€™s shirts for the last three years. Weโ€™re looking forward to continuing our support of the club and foundation over the coming years.โ€

A club announcement on a new principal partner and front-of-shirt sponsor will follow in the coming weeks.

Classic Team Lotus & Factory Tour

Since 1966, Hethel (a quiet part of Norfolk) has been home to the development of some of the most exciting and innovative cars of our time.

The Bridge Classic Cars team have organised a very special trip to Hethel to experience, first-hand, what goes on at the Lotus factory. You will get to see the entire production process up close as well as pay a visit to the test track where the Lotus cars are signed off as ready to go.


We will tour the factory, led by a knowledgeable Lotus product specialist to see the end-to-end build process, from bare chassis to completed sports car. We will then head to the local pub, The Bird in Hand for lunch and drinks (not included in price).

Classic Team Lotus

After lunch, we move on to a tour of Classic Team Lotus – a bespoke operation just across the road from the main Lotus HQ, itโ€™s a separate business thatโ€™s dedicated to preserving and promoting the Lotus racing legend.

This is a fantastic opportunity to see a unique collection that includes some of the most historically significant race cars ever.

“Experience, first-hand, the production process. Witness the track, where the class-leading sports cars are put through their paces. Walk in the footsteps of the F1 greats, who so admirably filled the Lotus trophy cabinet.”

ยฃ140 per person – members will receive a 20% discount*

Not yet a member, why not join the community now?


Please Note

Factory and Heritage Tours involve walking for up to 2 and 3 hours respectively but we can accommodate wheelchair users also.  Please let us know in advance if you require any assistance.

Visitors must be 10 years or older. Under 18โ€™s must be accompanied by an adult at a ratio of 1 adult for every 2 children.

2 responses to “Classic Team Lotus & Factory Tour”

  1. James Bartrup avatar
    James Bartrup

    Good morning,

    Are there still any spaces for the Lotus visit on Thursday?
    Looking for 1 ticket but possibly two.,.especially if there is any last minute cheeky discount ?

    Thank you. for your time.

    1. Rob Harvey avatar

      Hi James,

      There certainly are tickets left. Unfortunately, no last-minute discounts are planned but it would be great to see you there. It’s going to be a fantastic day!

      Thanks,
      Rob

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The Mince Pie Drive


On 1st December 2023, we set off on a festive adventure across the Suffolk countryside – our first-ever Mince Pie Drive. The day dawned bright but extremely cold and icy. We decided to still venture out, albeit with a smaller convoy than first planned. The Bridge Classic Cars team wrapped up warm and headed out (special mention goes to our friends Garry Catchpole and Derek Rush for joining us).

The idea behind our Mince Pie Drive was to take classic cars to several local residential care homes to bring nostalgia and festive cheer to the residents and staff. There were mince pies, kindly provided by The Bakehouse Bakery Woodbridge, and carol singing from Molly and me (sorry about that folks!)

We went first to Highlands in Woodbridge before making our way to Bucklesham Grange Care Home, where we were greeted by the lovely Amanda-Jane Frank, who introduced us to the residents. Several came out to have a look at our cars, with Derek’s BMW proving to be a favourite here. Luke Deal from BBC Suffolk came along to chat with us and see what we were up to. You can listen to that interview here.


Next, we headed to Glebe House in Hollesley. The residents were just having their lunch, and talk about a meal with a view! The mince pies were a very welcome dessert! Lastly, whilst chasing the last hour of daylight, we popped to our neighbours at Lehmann House in Wickham Market.

We are so humbled by all the lovely residents and incredible care workers we met on our Mince Pie Drive. It was so wholesome to be able to remind them of yesteryear by bringing along a spectrum of cars. There really was something for everyone.

We can’t wait to do more events like this in future.

Lotus Europa Check Over

On, what we thought would be, our final drive of the Lotus Europa prior to it leaving us for its new home, John heard a slight knocking noise coming from the front so he now needs to do some further investigations to diagnose and repair what is creating this noise.

Almost Ready For Competition

Classic car technician Jonn has continued his work on our 1970 Lotus Europa in preparation for it to be won through Bridge Classic Cars Competitions very soon.

After working out where he was going to route the choke cable and how it would operate, Jonn drilled the dash route cable and secured it in the dash. He then connected it at the carburettor end and tested it.

The electric window switches were fitted to the centre console and wired in as Jonn refitted it. He then cable-tied the DLC cable up under the dash, refitted all trims and cleaned everything up.

The wiring to the offside door in the kick panel area was fitted along with grommets to the jacking holes in each sill. Jonn finally tightened the water hoses at the rear of the engine.

Jenson Button Debuts His Lotus Evija Hypercar

The 2023 Monterey Car Week is one of the biggest talking points right now and, today, what is said to be the crown jewel of the week, โ€˜The Quail, A Motorsports Gatheringโ€™ is taking place. One of the highlights of the day will be when former Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button debuts his bespoke Lotus Evija – a pure electric hypercar.

Like every Evija, Button’s car is completely bespoke and based on the specifications that he chose during the consultation process with the Lotus Design team. The unique colour scheme of Arctic White, with Verve Yellow and Carbon Black as accents pays tribute to his 2009 F1 Championship-winning Brawn GP race car. As well as the colour scheme, the number 22 is displayed on the deployable door mirror housing which was the number Jenson had on his car during his championship season.


Lotus Evija Bespoke Details

The level of detail that Lotus can offer Evija customers is highlighted on the aluminium strip that runs vertically through the seat centre and has been laser-etched with the date and location of Jenson’s 15 Formula 1 race wins.

Jenson Button, who will be on the Lotus stand at The Quail, said “The car looks sensational and in a colour scheme which means so much to me. The Lotus team has done an amazing job to deliver the design proposal we dreamed up together โ€“ theyโ€™ve created a real head-turner.โ€

Simon Lane, Director, Lotus Advanced Performance, added: โ€œIโ€™m delighted to be with Jenson in California as he reveals his Lotus Evija to the world for the first time. Itโ€™s a fantastic moment for the whole team, which has worked so hard to bring Jensonโ€™s vision to life.โ€

Inside the car, Jenson has chosen white and black perforated leather seats, with an ebony Alcantara headliner and steering wheel. He also opted for Lime Yellow contrast stitching which adds even more detail. This has been taken further with Lime Yellow being used to enhance the look of the pedals, centre console rotary, start/stop button, steering wheel-mounted mode switch and air vent surrounds.

As this is a fully bespoke build, the brake callipers are Verve Yellow and are housed in gloss black alloy wheels with magnesium matt black highlights. In another motorsport-inspired feature, the centre-locking wheel nut has been finished in anodised silver.

Image Credit: Lotus
Image Credit: Lotus

Lotus Evija

Although personalisation is a huge part of the Lotus Evija experience, every example is identical when it comes to powertrain and performance.

Battery capacity93 kWh
Max power1500 kW / 2,039 PS
Max torque 1,704 Nm with torque vectoring
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph)Under three seconds
0-300 km/h (0-186 mph) acceleration9.1 seconds
Max speedElectronically limited to 350 km/h (217 mph)
Range (WLTP Combined)346 km (215 miles)
Charging time (350 kW charger)18 mins
Weight1,887 kg
Overall dimensions (L/W/H)4,459 / 2,000 / 1,122 mm

Coming Soon…

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of another new addition to the Bridge Classic Cars workshop in the form of a Lotus Europa. It is currently making its way to us from South Africa.

We are very excited for it to come through the doors and we are sure it will be a very popular addition to the collection.

From Your Desk To Rome And Back Again

Colin Chapman, the late founder of Lotus, once came up with a great idea to put any lotus to the ultimate test. The idea was simple yet provided a challenge to both the car and the driver. You leave your desk when you finish work on a Friday afternoon and drive to Rome and back again, in time for work on Monday morning.

To make things more interesting, if anyone did the route and was able to provide a photograph of the car outside the colosseum, Colin would pay the expenses of the trip.

This trip was recently recreated in a Lotus Exige 410 Sport, albeit over a slightly longer period of time. The idea of doing the journey between leaving your desk on a Friday afternoon and being back in time for work on Monday morning is just the type of micro-adventure that can bring excitement to many car lovers’ weekends.

Of course, doing it in a car like a lotus makes it even more appealing. We wouldn’t mind giving it a go in any one of the classic lotuses that we have restored here at Bridge Classic Cars.

One Very Lucky Winner – Handing Over the 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition at Hethel

Hidden in the back roads of Norfolk lies one of the greatest automotive manufacturers and most successful racing teams of all time. Lotus Cars.

Recently, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions joined forces with both Norwich City Football Club and Lotus Cars to help raise money and awareness for the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation. Thanks to a massive group of very generous people, the total raised for the Foundation was ยฃ100,000! and each of the entrants wanted a very special car.

Lotus had given Bridge Classic Cars Competitions and Norwich City the first VIN of the 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition. The first car from the last production run of the iconic, enthusiast led sportscar as it comes to an end after 26 years. Alex got hold of the car by being issued ticket number 4970 after buying an entry that went straight to benefiting young people in Norfolk that have different abilities or backgrounds to get into sport.

On Tuesday, November 15th, the teams from Norwich City, The Community Sports Foundation and Bridge Classic Cars convened in the recently finished and redesigned Customer Experience Centre at Lotus Cars for Alex to meet his new sportscar for the first time.

However, Lotus had a very special day planned for Alex and his son Louis.

Lotus put together a full experience day for our very lucky competition winner. A guided tour around not only the factory and experience centre at Hethel but a tour of the collection at the fabled Classic Team Lotus stable located just down the road.

Gratefully, Lotus also included us here at Bridge along with representatives from Norwich City Football Club and the Community Sports Foundation to come along on the whole day. First up, the original Lotus building.

Lotus had begun work on the first building shortly after their move to Hethel in the mid-1960s. This now housed the engine preparation rooms, subframe assembly area and the body shop. Lotus takes great pride in their cars being for true enthusiasts, they create harmonious packages that work with the dynamics and personality of each of the cars that form their sportscar lineup.

Lotus were proud to show the winner Alex around the facility to demonstrate the level of engineering and care that goes into each individual car, including his very own 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition.

The tour took Alex and Louis through the entire build process much like their Elise would have gone through earlier this year. Showing Alex every step of the process from the crate engines arriving all the way to the finished cars taking their all important laps on the track for sign off. Then it was over to the fabled Classic Team Lotus. Where a collection of some of the most important Lotus racing cars is stored and lovingly cared for by some of their original mechanics.

After that, Lotus and Norwich City had organised a very special afternoon for Alex. A lunch with Delia Smith. A key owner of Norwich City Football Club, of which Alex is lifelong fan. Then, it was downstairs to begin the handover process. Norwich had also brought in the chairman of Norwich City Community Sports Foundation Jake Humphrey to present Alex and Louis with a signed shirt and to say his appreciation for being involved in this amazing charity.

Then, to give Alex his certificate of authenticity to prove the provenance of the 2021 Final Edition Elise he had one was Lotus Cars MD, Matt Windle. Followed by Delia Smith handing over the keys to Alexโ€™s new Hethel yellow sportscar. During all of this, two surprise guests appeared in the atrium. Formula One legend Jenson Button followed by mechanic and engineer extraordinaire Ant Anstead. They stopped to chat with Alex about the car and congratulate him on his win.

The day wasnโ€™t over yet. To coach Alex on how to get the most out of his new Lotus was former Lotus Formula One Driver and long time Lotus driving coach Martin Donnelly, who took Alex out onto the Hethel test track in an identical Elise to put him through his paces.

We wish Alex all the best in the future with his very special Elise and a huge thank you to everyone who entered and helped raise a staggering amount of donations and awareness of the great work of the Community Sports Foundation.

Opened Up – Our NCCSF 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition at the Lotus Training Centre

The Norwich City Community Support Foundation charity Lotus Elise was at the Lotus Training Centre today for the opening. It joined its other siblings, including the all-electric Evija hypercar, to be part of the day’s events.

The Elise is being drawn on October 31st live with all proceeds going to help the Norwich City Community Support Foundation with all of the amazing work they do with young people of different backgrounds and abilities get involved in sport.

You can still get tickets to help support this amazing cause by clicking the link below.

Enter now for the 2021 NCCSF Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

Home From Its Travels – The 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition Back at Bentwaters

The charity Lotus Elise has been out doing its promotional tour recently. This time it had been at the Royal Norwich Golf Course to raise awareness for the Norwich City Community Support Foundation and the incredibly important work they do out in the community.

This stunning example of the final run of the fabled sports car is still up for grabs on our competition site! All of the proceeds will be going straight to NCCSF to help them support young people in the community get into sport.

Just click here and buy your ticket!

Supporting the Community – Bridge Classic Cars at Norwich City VS Watford.

As part of the collaboration between Bridge Classic Cars Competitions, Norwich City Football Club and Norwich City Community Sports Foundation, Bridge Classic Cars transported our stunning 2021 Final Edition Lotus Elise Sport 240 for the important match against Watford.

Beginning early, our transportation team loaded this stunning canary yellow sportscar into our secure, enclosed trailer for the quick trip across the border into the heartland of Norfolk. The car is of course a Lotus. Norfolk’s most well-known export and a perfect prize that will benefit an important local charity.

All the proceeds from the upcoming prize draw going to directly support this worthy cause. The Norwich City Community Sports Foundation helps young people within all communities, regardless of background or different abilities, to become more involved in the world of sports.

You still have the chance to win this car and also help out a really great cause. Just click the link below and you could be driving away with a very special car!

Click here to enter the draw for the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

On To A Winner – Update on the Norwich City/Bridge Classic Cars Competitions Final Edition Lotus Elise

For those new to the project, Bridge Classic Cars Competitions have teamed up with Norwich City Football Club and their charity, NCFC Community Sports Foundation.

Giving one lucky winner the chance to own this amazing sportscar. It’s the 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition. Finished appropriately in bright yellow.

Norwich City has an amazing charity called the Community Sports Foundation which massively helps young disadvantaged, disabled and talented people throughout the county of Norfolk.

Look out for the Community Sports Foundation messages around the stadium on Saturday 18th of September before, during and after the game against Watford for more information about the Foundation. But you can also click the link below for your chance to win this 2021 Lotus Elise Final Edition and support an incredible cause.

Enter for the Bridge Classic Cars Competitions – 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition.

Lotus Elan all checked over!

The 1971 Lotus Elan is now ready to leave our workshop! After a general check over was done on the suspension bushes underneath the car by John, no problems were found. You can read about the engine work that Ady did on this car by clicking here and here.

Engine work continues on the Lotus…

Ady has been continuing his investigation into the engine of the 1971 Lotus Elan. He’s replaced the points condenser and coil and put fresh oil in the car. The underside of the car needs looking at next, where the suspension bushes are.

New in, 1971 Lotus Elan!

We’re welcoming this 1971 Lotus Elan into the workshop! It’s in here because it doesn’t run, so the engine needs checking over to see where the issue(s) lies. Stay tuned for progress on the matter.

Lotus Elan’s black points.

Ady has started investigating this Lotus Elan’s engine after the owner bought it into us because of it not running quite right. He’s found that the tips of the points are black, which is not what they should be, and explains why there’s no spark in the engine. Stay tuned for more progress on this…

Behind The Scenes At Hethel: Lotus HQ

We’ve been keeping something very exciting under wraps and we’re now delighted to be able to tell the world that we’ve partnered with Lotus and Norwich City Community Sports Foundation to run a charity competition with the to win a very special Lotus Elise.

Our 2021 Lotus Elise Sport 240 Final Edition is set to be one of the most iconic cars in Lotus history and you could win it! In the final year of the Lotus Elise production, this very car is the very first final edition car. To put it simply, it’s the very first of the very last ltd edition Lotus Elise.

All of the proceeds will be given to Norwich City Community Sports Foundation to help thousands of people every year achieve their goals through sport, supporting some of the most disadvantaged, disabled and talented people across the region. Their vision is to support, inspire, and improve the community.

The Bridge Classic Cars team got exclusive access to the world famous Lotus’s HQ at Hethel to shoot with Jake Humphrey and a team from Norwich City Football Club and Norwich City Community Sports Foundation.

With Ellie on the Behind the scenes and supplementary visuals and Freddie directing the crew, we managed to shoot some amazing visuals for the campaign. You can take a peak behind the scenes here: