1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,840 You've probably heard of Lotus. 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,160 It made championship winning racing cars. 4 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,160 ARCHIVE VOICEOVER: Jim Clark crosses the finish line to win 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 6 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,400 the 500 with a comfortable lead of more than... 7 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:14,880 It made iconic lightweight sports cars. 8 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,320 Last year the company increased its car production by 48% 9 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,320 - the Lotus has become a success story for Britain. 10 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,520 They even made cars for the stars. 11 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,840 Orders are already pouring in from America for the same colour 12 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:28,480 scheme as Bond's car. 13 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:32,120 It's still around today, 14 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:35,080 even though the one thing it's never been good at in recent years 15 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:36,640 is making money. 16 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:40,040 There's been money issues. 17 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:41,960 Lots of changes of management. 18 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,760 Things have got to change... 19 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,120 Phwoff! It's been a baptism of fire. 20 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:50,960 I've slept better in Afghanistan than I have working here. 21 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,800 Lotus has to become a proper, profitable carmaker 22 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,520 or admit defeat and shut up shop. 23 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,560 It's a commercial business and we can't just produce one, 24 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,120 we've got to produce thousands. 25 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,920 To give it one last shot, there's a new boss... 26 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:10,480 I don't want to just keep it going. 27 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:14,520 I want to lay the foundation so that Lotus is going to be secure. 28 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,560 ..and soon their first new car in over a decade. 29 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,680 This car is make or break for Lotus, basically. 30 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,240 They can't afford to get this wrong. 31 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,040 This is step one of the Lotus revival plan - 32 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:40,920 an all-new all-electric 200mph hyper car 33 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:42,720 called the Evija. 34 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,640 And its power comes from four electric motors 35 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:53,000 making a total of 2,000 horse power. 36 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,040 As a result, this is nothing less than the most powerful 37 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:00,840 production car in the world. 38 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:05,320 It costs £2 million. 39 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,400 The second step of the revival plan is another model - 40 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:16,040 the Emira. 41 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:22,640 This is the more affordable sports car on which Lotus' future rests. 42 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:31,440 Senior engineer John Sharp is part of the crack team 43 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,080 responsible for getting this vital new car into production. 44 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,920 So, here we have one of the most confidential places on site. 45 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:41,440 We're completely locked down. 46 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,760 We don't want anything to do with this getting out. 47 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,200 Until we reveal to the world exactly what we're doing, 48 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:50,640 we need to keep this under wraps. 49 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,080 These cars look like a current Lotus model but they're not. 50 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,480 Under the familiar skin, it has been remodelled to fit a brand-new 51 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:03,760 chassis and engine. 52 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:07,920 Sometimes on forums you, you might see a picture of one of these cars 53 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:11,920 and lots of speculation as to what's going on and you can 54 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,680 just chuckle away to yourself as to what everybody's speculating about. 55 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:20,160 One way to make a new sports car exciting is with the sound. 56 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:21,680 LOW HUM 57 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:24,680 It sounds really good. 58 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:27,160 It sounds a bit jet fighter, to be honest. 59 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:33,120 To power its first new car in ten years, Lotus has done a deal 60 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,800 with German engine wizards AMG 61 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,800 so that it goes as well as it sounds. 62 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,040 Old Lotuses were bought by hard-core enthusiasts. 63 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,520 This new one needs to lure people away 64 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:51,120 from other luxury car manufacturers. 65 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,160 To do that, Lotus has to get the car right, 66 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,560 but it also has to remind people of its rich history. 67 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,600 Colin Chapman, ex RAF, ex aircraft engineer 68 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,520 and racing driver turned car designer. 69 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,400 The company was founded in 1947 by Colin Chapman, 70 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,200 an engineer and innovator every bit as brilliant as Enzo Ferrari 71 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:15,600 or Ferdinand Porsche. 72 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,640 One car usually sold as a kit of parts can be noted here - the Lotus. 73 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,080 Chapman's racing cars soon started winning 74 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,680 and led the way to British dominance in F1. 75 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:39,440 Today, many of these machines live at the heritage centre 76 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,560 just across the road from the main factory... 77 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:44,040 ANSWERS PHONE: Classic Team Lotus. 78 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,040 ..cared for by Colin Chapman's son Clive. 79 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:50,320 I could look at this all day. 80 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,880 It's just the most fantastic car. 81 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,520 It's the only 72 with its original specification. 82 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:58,360 The chassis is all original. 83 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,840 Emmerson won five Grand Prix in this car. 84 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,120 The black and gold winning the British Grand Prix, 85 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,720 and my dad throwing his hat in the air whenever it won a race. 86 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:08,960 Emerson Fittipaldi wins! 87 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,560 Colin Chapman's cap is in the air. 88 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,720 The list of Lotus' F1 innovations was endless. 89 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,120 The first monocoque chassis ever... 90 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,040 Engines that were part of the chassis... 91 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:27,640 Lightweight cars that painted themselves to the road, 92 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,560 and active suspension. 93 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:32,760 And Emmerson's was no different. 94 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,920 The type 72 revolutionised F1 by putting the radiators on each side 95 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:39,840 of the driver, allowing it to be a wedge. 96 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,880 So, the 72 is a wedge shape which, it's obvious to everybody 97 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,360 is gonna reduce the drag and improve the airflow. 98 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,520 In particular, it's gonna improve the airflow to the rear wing 99 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:54,560 so you're gonna get more down force. 100 00:05:54,600 --> 00:05:57,400 Recently voted the greatest ever Formula 1 car 101 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,360 and we're not gonna argue with that! 102 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,960 Chapman's streamlined racers had a profound effect on another member 103 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:10,200 of the Lotus team, the appropriately named chief designer Russell Carr. 104 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,720 This is a really important car for me, 105 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,800 because when I was a kid 106 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,680 the type 72 was the racing car. 107 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,760 The famous black and gold colours. 108 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,000 I had no interest in things like football and other sports. 109 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:28,000 Formula 1 was my thing. 110 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,760 And this amazing looking car that was just wedge shaped 111 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,400 and looked so modern. 112 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,760 Of the 40 plus cars that Russell has worked on, 113 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,040 this one was his first big hit. 114 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:44,360 This was a very early sketch I did as part of the Elise programme. 115 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,040 These are just like little gull wing panels 116 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:48,960 so it's like getting into a light aircraft. 117 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:52,520 So, a combination between a racing car and a light aircraft. 118 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,800 Russell always knew he wanted to design cars 119 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:57,880 but getting there wasn't easy. 120 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,360 I was probably 16 years old. 121 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,360 I went to the careers officer at school and then they said, 122 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,600 "There's no such job as a car designer. 123 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:08,680 "Cars are designed by engineers 124 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,280 "and you're not clever enough to be an engineer. 125 00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:15,320 "But have you thought about working at the local water treatment plant?" 126 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:20,080 Russell bypassed a career in sewage and for the last 26 years 127 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,520 he's built an impressive career designing sports cars. 128 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:26,640 We'll probably make the lower edge of the car quite dark 129 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,480 just so that it lightens the vehicle as well. 130 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,480 This line running through the car's really important 131 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:37,280 and this line rises and it mimics the way the air flows into the car. 132 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,960 The all new Emira is Russell's latest work. 133 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:54,000 I think it makes a connection with the Evija hyper car, 134 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,080 so anybody buying this is getting a little bit of that action 135 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,040 from that car, as well. 136 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:02,400 Starting with a simple sketch in Russell's notebook, 137 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,280 the new car's design was then finessed and refined in 3D. 138 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,560 So, this is part of the design process. 139 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,280 This blue car isn't a car at all. 140 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:17,920 It's carefully painted clay. 141 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,080 Clay modellers are incredibly skilled craftsmen 142 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,760 and they have to have an artisan skill 143 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,760 to model the surfaces with extreme accuracy. 144 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:29,600 And this is what we use to get the theme approved. 145 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:33,480 They need to interpret what the designer wants and turn it into 3D. 146 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:36,520 When it's heated, it goes soft, we can spread it onto the model, 147 00:08:36,560 --> 00:08:38,960 and then when it cools we can work it. 148 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,760 And we use that because it allows us to adapt the model as things change 149 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,600 so it's a very flexible tool. 150 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:49,640 The curves and sinews of the new car's skin try to reflect 151 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,520 the DNA of Colin Chapman's racing cars. 152 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,080 There's a very well known phrase in aviation, 153 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,600 "If it looks right, it flies right," 154 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,080 and certainly we think the same with sports car design. 155 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:07,040 Creating a brand-new car is a complicated business 156 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,240 and once the design is signed off 157 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,520 then you've got another challenge - how to make it. 158 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,760 There's no soulless mass production here. 159 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:21,160 Each Lotus is built by hand 160 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:23,040 and always has been. 161 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,080 That's it, all done. Looks good. Yeah. 162 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,760 The customer will be really, really happy. 163 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,200 Lovely, thank you. 164 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,880 Team leader Tracy Cushing makes the seats. 165 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:37,280 In a year, we do 1,200, 1,300 cars, 166 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,920 so that's twice as many seats, but, yeah, 167 00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:41,560 super proud of what we make in the trim. 168 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:42,920 This is all handmade. 169 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,760 The seat is probably the hardest thing to learn. 170 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,440 It's a fantastic product that the team make day in, day out. 171 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,640 A lot of them have been here a long, long time. 172 00:09:57,440 --> 00:09:59,320 So, I'll start off with the arms. 173 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,280 These are the bits that run down the side of the seat 174 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,160 where you actually have your seat belt fixing. 175 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,520 The Norfolk-born seamstress is entering her third decade 176 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,320 for the company. 177 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,760 When I was 16, left school, got offered a job in a factory 178 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:13,640 that made jackets and suits, 179 00:10:13,680 --> 00:10:16,920 so it was all the big heavy woollen fabrics, materials. 180 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,960 And now, sewing leather, making seats for sports cars, 181 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,080 it's the total opposite. 182 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:24,920 It's really calming, 183 00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:26,440 it's kind of like my happy place 184 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,160 where I don't have to worry about anything, I can just sit and sew, 185 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:30,480 and just enjoy. 186 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:34,160 Long serving employees like Tracy have seen a lot of ups 187 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,080 and downs for the company. 188 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:37,560 There's been money issues. 189 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:39,560 Lotus do have a bit of a reputation 190 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,000 of having lots of different management, 191 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,200 lots of changes of management and it does prove unsettling. 192 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:50,680 Lotus wants to treble the number of cars it makes which means 193 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:53,680 a major rethink for every single department, 194 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,360 but Tracy remains upbeat. 195 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,000 The company who are looking after us 196 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:02,080 have poured a lot of investment into the business. 197 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:05,560 Staff are really excited about the future and, yeah, 198 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:09,000 everybody's really, really positive again, you know. 199 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,240 Amid the fields of rural Norfolk 200 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,480 lies an enclave of engineering ingenuity 201 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:30,400 and cutting-edge technology. 202 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:35,400 Max Ryan is the prototype vehicle workshop manager 203 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:39,080 for the car company's new flagship, the Evija. 204 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:40,720 As you can see, it's quite a beast. 205 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,480 This is our halo car, in terms of the design, the technology, 206 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,400 the power outputs, everything. 207 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,800 This is Britain's first pure electric hyper car. 208 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:54,000 Its body is made entirely from carbon fibre 209 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:57,680 and it houses the most potent car battery in the world. 210 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,280 This allows us to run at a maximum capacity of 2,000 horse power. 211 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:04,800 We have a lot of the latest technology inside this battery cell. 212 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,200 I'm not gonna dive into it because we don't wanna give too much away. 213 00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:13,840 But the Evija isn't going into full production until later this year 214 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:19,240 and for new MD Matt Windle, his focus is on the all-petrol Emira. 215 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,240 So this is my uh, soon to be man shed. 216 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,800 We've recently moved in so I'm just starting to, as you can see, 217 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:44,760 get sorted out with the stuff we have here. 218 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,680 Having worked at Lotus for over 20 years, 219 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:50,600 he was appointed MD just last year. 220 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:54,680 To be MD of Lotus is, uh, incredible, really. 221 00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:00,360 I feel responsible for the people and the history that's gone before. 222 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,400 Matt's rise to the top has been far from easy. 223 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,680 I came from a single parent family. 224 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:09,600 Unusually, I grew up with my dad 225 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:13,760 so that was where my passion of cars came from because we used to spend 226 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,240 hours and hours and hours going up to my grandparents in Hartlepool 227 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:21,200 and all the way up there, I was, I was quizzing my dad about cars 228 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:25,240 and I could tell any make of car by its headlight or its tail light. 229 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,960 And that was just from the amount of time we spent on the A1 230 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,800 driving up and down in the dark. 231 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:35,000 I didn't do very well at school and, yeah, I've just worked hard. 232 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:37,720 My dad instilled that into me. 233 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:41,320 Like many at Lotus, Matt has worked his way up. 234 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,800 He began his career as an apprentice coach builder. 235 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:48,040 This is where it all started for me. 236 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,680 So these were public service vehicles. 237 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,360 So, as you can see, 238 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:57,880 they're drawn 10th scale. 239 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,520 Drawn by myself in, 240 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:03,360 in July 1993, so I was 22! 241 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,520 It's been a really difficult time for Lotus. 242 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:12,280 Digby, get off my draw... 243 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:13,960 Ah, no! 244 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,000 I've carried that round for 30 years, 245 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,000 it's now got dog prints on it. 246 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,600 Over the last couple of decades, it's been a really difficult time. 247 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,000 Some of the staff have been there a long time 248 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:29,680 and have shown real loyalty to the company and we need to repay that 249 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,600 now by looking after them and developing the facilities. 250 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,600 The company's first new car in 12 years will more than treble 251 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:47,240 production from 1,500 to over 5,000 cars a year. 252 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,040 This production hall is brand-new. 253 00:14:50,080 --> 00:14:52,720 This is where we can build the new Emira. 254 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:02,800 The all new assembly hall is the size of 1.5 football pitches. 255 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:06,040 But for Matt, it's the little things that count. 256 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,960 I don't have OCD. 257 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,080 But uh, I've asked the production director how, 258 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,040 how they're gonna align the cars down here 259 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:15,280 and he's promised they'll be within three millimetres 260 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:18,040 so when we look down you'll see a nice clean line of cars 261 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:19,360 going down there. 262 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,120 Hi, Phil, how's it going? 263 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:26,920 Yeah, not too bad. Yeah, come and show us where we're at. 264 00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:29,320 Although mass production hasn't begun, 265 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,280 several prototypes are being worked on 266 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,880 to finesse the production process. 267 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,400 So, this might look like a strange car 268 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,400 but these here are literally the first parts that we've received 269 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:45,160 for Emira, so we're getting them all checked through this queue. 270 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,840 What that allows us to do is cycle panels through very quickly. 271 00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:52,080 If we've got a quality issue, we can see where the problem is, 272 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,800 we'll know if they're good enough to go to the production line. 273 00:15:55,840 --> 00:16:00,080 So you can see here, the left-hand fender. 274 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:04,880 As first-off parts, these look very good, very, very good. 275 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,160 We talk about the step up in quality that we want to make. 276 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,120 This is the investment we're making 277 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,800 to get that quality we want on vehicles going forward 278 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,720 so that we get a precision car that goes together right every time. 279 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:19,080 But quality isn't the only thing on Matt's mind. 280 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:22,680 In four weeks' time, the Emira will be announced to the world at 281 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:27,280 legendary motor sport event the Goodwood Festival Of Speed. 282 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:31,680 To ensure survival, Lotus is sticking to Chapman's mantra - 283 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,560 add only lightness and simplicity. 284 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,400 Nothing seems to damage this amazing material. 285 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,160 You can hammer it, you can let the kids jump on it, 286 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:41,800 and it still keeps its shape. 287 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:45,080 In pursuit of this, Chapman pioneered the use of the composite 288 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:47,840 materials that have now become the norm. 289 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:50,680 We think that it's only a matter of time before the vast 290 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,720 majority of cars are built out of plastic rather than steel, 291 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,480 and therefore this is vital to our business. 292 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:06,160 The type 12 chassis frame weighs just 17kg. 293 00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:08,200 You can pick it up with one hand. 294 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,440 Um, this is the original car, the prototype, 295 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,280 the very first one, and we couldn't believe it 296 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,040 when we stripped it down and, and found it was that light. 297 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:21,120 A real mantra of this Lotus and Lotuses after then. 298 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,320 "Never mind the hat," says Graham Hill, 299 00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:25,040 "I can only just wear the car!" 300 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:28,600 I think the 12 really captures the ethos of Lotus today 301 00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:31,600 because it's brave and it's bold. 302 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:36,160 Exactly what you want as the foundations of a race car or 303 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:39,800 a brand-new road car. 304 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,680 Five miles from the main Hethel plant, 305 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,880 they're building another factory. 306 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,080 My name's Claire Moxon, I'm the manufacturing supervisor 307 00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:54,360 here at Lotus Advanced Structures, and I have a team of 34 general 308 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:58,680 operatives where we are training them to build the new Emira model. 309 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,240 So, this is our chassis assembly area. 310 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:07,040 As Lotus embarks on a plan to build more cars, it's had to 311 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:08,880 bring in more people. 312 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,640 I've been steadily recruiting personnel and training them up 313 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,280 to build cars. A lot of them have never built a chassis before. 314 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,720 Even supervisor Claire is new. 315 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,720 I am very new to the automotive industry. 316 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,120 Um, I was in the RAF as an aircraft technician prior to that 317 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:30,800 for 22 years. I left the RAF last July and came to Lotus. 318 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:32,400 It's been a baptism of fire. 319 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:36,800 I've slept better in Afghanistan than I have working for Lotus! 320 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,080 Robots are used to bond the outer subframe together. 321 00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:50,400 But the more intricate parts of the chassis are built by hand. 322 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,160 How's it going, guys? Temperature all right for the glue? 323 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:54,600 Yeah. Yeah. 324 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,680 So a lot of people don't realise that we actually glue these 325 00:18:57,720 --> 00:19:00,760 cars - it's lighter than welding, 326 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:06,000 and actually the adhesive is even stronger than a welded join. 327 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:11,080 This strength is achieved by baking the glue at a high temperature. 328 00:19:11,120 --> 00:19:12,960 OK, guys, let's get the car in the oven. 329 00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:18,440 When the factory is complete, the process of putting the chassis 330 00:19:18,480 --> 00:19:23,160 in the oven will be automated, but for now it will be done manually. 331 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:29,120 Claire's 20 years of military experience is clearly paying off. 332 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:34,000 Does that one need to come in a little bit there? 333 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:36,280 It looks as if it's going off to the right there. 334 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:38,520 What my training from the military gives me 335 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,040 is a hard stance on certain things. 336 00:19:42,360 --> 00:19:43,320 Whoa. 337 00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:46,640 But also that we have to nurture people and we have be supportive. 338 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:49,120 Like the Incredible Hulk going in there. 339 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,160 I don't think people realise how difficult it is to assemble 340 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:01,520 a car, and the length of time it takes to train the people to 341 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:03,160 be able to build that car. 342 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:09,560 Now the Emira is in the oven cycle, 343 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:13,480 so we're going to put that on to 180 degrees 344 00:20:13,520 --> 00:20:16,200 for an hour and a half, much like a chicken. 345 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,520 With everyone focused on ironing out any problems to get the new 346 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:23,600 model onto the production line... 347 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:26,720 As you can see, there's a bit of work to be done on this. 348 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:31,040 ..MD Matt Windle has come to inspect another one of three prototypes. 349 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,160 This is just the body shell. 350 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,800 We use the time now to prepare us when we're at volume. 351 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,240 Because if you hit an issue when you're trying to build 352 00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,520 at volume, you've got major issues on your hands. 353 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:44,920 But even before production flaws are ironed out, Lotus is 354 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,080 planning on announcing the car to the world. 355 00:20:48,120 --> 00:20:50,800 In just three weeks' time, this Emira will 356 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,520 make its debut at Britain's most famous celebration of motor sport. 357 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:57,840 It's really important for us that we're at Goodwood 358 00:20:57,880 --> 00:21:00,320 and we will hit those dates. 359 00:21:00,360 --> 00:21:04,080 The problem we've got here at the moment is we're still 360 00:21:04,120 --> 00:21:07,120 building our current range, so it's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle to try 361 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:09,720 and build a new factory around our current production. 362 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:12,400 If you think about everything that we got to achieve, it'd send 363 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:13,880 you slightly mad. 364 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:17,720 When it comes to selling high-end sports cars, it's not just 365 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,160 looks that will persuade customers to part with their cash. 366 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,640 They also have to be sold on the sound. 367 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,440 Noise and vibration engineer Kirsty Aaron is using an older 368 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,880 model as a benchmark for the new car. 369 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,560 So this room is a vehicle semi-anechoic chamber 370 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:39,480 for noise measurement. 371 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:43,280 Basically the cones on the walls stop the noises that we're measuring 372 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:46,400 being reflected back, which makes for a more accurate measurement. 373 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,080 People judge the car on what it looks like to begin with, and 374 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:56,640 then obviously what it sounds like - and it's the same 375 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,720 with people, right? You judge someone and as soon as you see them. 376 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:02,960 If they're wearing something like bright or colourful, you're like, 377 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,000 "Oh, they look a bit funky!" and the same with your sound as well. 378 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,960 But today it's not the engine noise that Kirsty's measuring - 379 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:12,800 it's the indicators. 380 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,920 This is one of the things that we want to focus on to show that 381 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,080 we're improving on quality. 382 00:22:18,120 --> 00:22:20,880 I'm going to take a few different measurements 383 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,480 so that we can take an average, and then we use the objective 384 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,400 and subjective data to decide where we want 385 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,640 to place our product in terms of perceived quality. 386 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:35,480 So Kirsty picks the best sounds and gets the engineers to copy them. 387 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:39,480 We basically have a rating scale of like how we subjectively 388 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:41,480 assess vehicles, 389 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,840 and it goes from sort of being like - no-one's going to pick it up 390 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:46,200 to, like, SOME people might, 391 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,720 REALLY fussy people will, EVERYONE will, kind of thing. 392 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:54,080 This one, I'd say is quite a pleasant noise for an indicator. 393 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:58,040 But equally, you've got to make it loud enough that people know 394 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,240 that it's there, just in case they have to click it off again. 395 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:05,840 However you don't want it to be too loud so that it's offensive. 396 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,560 We've got to up our game from a quality standard. 397 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:11,120 If we want to sell cars, we've got to 398 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,160 be, like, going for the big guns. 399 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:17,640 To do that, Lotus needs to broaden it's appeal. 400 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,040 We've been making road cars in the last 25 years. 401 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,160 But most people associate them with being very enthusiast-driven, 402 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:27,520 very track-focused. 403 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,120 Lotus has never been known for luxurious interiors, 404 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,680 but it's hoping the new car will change all that. 405 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,720 So this is really a car that, you know, you can use every day. 406 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:41,120 We have some really strong competitors in this market 407 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,840 and so this car is a car without apologies, without compromise. 408 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:46,920 It's the most complete Lotus ever made, I think. 409 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,920 The huge new investment in Lotus' bid to improve output 410 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,720 from 1,500 to over 5,000 cars a year 411 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,640 is not without consequence. 412 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:12,440 As the firm aims to treble the number of cars it builds, 413 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:16,280 some of the in-house ways of making things can't keep pace. 414 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,960 So the work will be outsourced and those departments shut down. 415 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,520 Hello. Hi, Trace, how are you? I'm good, thank you. 416 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:24,760 So we'll go up and have a look in the engine build first. 417 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,240 OK lovely, thank you. 418 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:28,400 One of those departments is the trim shop, 419 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:31,080 which means workers like Tracy Cushing will need to find 420 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:33,200 new roles within the company. 421 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,840 For me personally it is an end of an era, quite sad. 422 00:24:35,880 --> 00:24:38,960 But for engine supervisor Mike Antoniades... 423 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,080 OK, if you can run those volts in please, Tracy. 424 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,720 ..this could be the perfect opportunity to recruit from within. 425 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:47,480 Is there a set order to do these or, is it? 426 00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,920 No, you can do them in any order because we're not tightening 427 00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:51,720 them up at the moment. 428 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:54,480 Mike's got lots of new roles to fill 429 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:58,320 and staff from other departments bring transferrable skills. 430 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:00,680 It's a ratchet spanner, which I know you're familiar with 431 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,040 from working in trim. 432 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,400 And just do them up hand tight please. What, like a torque? 433 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:06,280 Yeah, that's what you're doing, exactly. 434 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:08,280 Are you sure? Yeah. 435 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,960 Really? Yeah. 436 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,440 Yep, that's it, cool. 437 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,200 Tracy has spent 20 years in the trim shop 438 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,440 but, like many, she will have to adapt 439 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,680 if the company is to move forward. 440 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:24,240 Yep, that's good. 441 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:26,960 I bet it could be more fun than the sewing machine. 442 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:28,480 It could be my new love, eh?! 443 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:32,120 That's it, well done. 444 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:33,640 What do you think of all that, then? 445 00:25:33,680 --> 00:25:36,000 Well, I'll be looking for a job in here, it's good fun. 446 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,480 It's really good fun. Good. 447 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,120 So, it's important to do this to show others in the teams 448 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,360 the challenges that we've all got in front of us 449 00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:45,480 and the opportunities we can all take. 450 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,600 And it's not such a scary world out there 451 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:49,560 after we finish in the interiors. 452 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,160 We can all do new things, we can all learn new things. 453 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,120 Carefully prepared engines in lightweight chassis 454 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,360 have always allowed Lotus cars to punch above their weight. 455 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:06,120 And that was especially true on the track. 456 00:26:12,120 --> 00:26:16,680 By 1967, Lotus had two F1 world titles to its name 457 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,720 and was poised to make another leap into the future... 458 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:23,240 COMMENTATOR: A shout of victory from Colin Chapman. 459 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:27,080 ..as the car company's founder unleashed the Lotus 49. 460 00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:31,640 My father knew how to identify the people who could build good engines 461 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:36,400 and he was always on the lookout for the best source of power. 462 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,880 The Lotus 49 realised the biggest ever step in performance 463 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,680 year on year in Formula One and it's never been beaten. 464 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:50,360 The 49 was designed in conjunction with the Ford Cosworth DFV 465 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,400 engine, which would go on to dominate F1 466 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,560 for the next 15 years. 467 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:01,720 Today, the long term plan for Lotus is to become an all-electric 468 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:05,760 carmaker, which means the new Emira will be the last 469 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:09,200 internal combustion engine car they ever make. 470 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,080 In the new factory, another milestone is approaching. 471 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:15,600 There you go mate hold on. Ten? 472 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:17,960 No, it's a nine, we haven't got a ten at the moment. 473 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:22,360 30 year Lotus veteran Simon King will be mating the 400 horsepower 474 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:27,000 Emira engine to its chassis on the shop floor for the first time. 475 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:29,360 Exciting but nervous, you never know, 476 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:33,000 but, yeah, fingers crossed it's going to go in. 477 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:37,200 Helping Simon will be Andy, arguably the best man for the job. 478 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:39,840 Yeah, yeah best friends, yeah. 479 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:41,760 Best...best man at his wed...at my wedding. 480 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:44,480 Take your T-bar off Andy. Yeah. 481 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:46,960 Yeah, we've been working together 20 years so, yeah, 482 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,160 good fun, good fun. 483 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,480 It demands a pair of highly experienced technicians 484 00:27:55,520 --> 00:27:59,000 to go through this delicate fitting of engine to chassis. 485 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:01,600 So, down, Si. Down a little bit? Yep. 486 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,040 Little bit more. So, what, go down a little bit more, Andy? 487 00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:05,560 Hang on, one sec. 488 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:07,440 Need to go towards you a bit. 489 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,800 OK, hold on, mate. How we looking? 490 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:14,200 Eventually, this fiddly task will take under 20 minutes. 491 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:15,720 There you go, Andy, I'm loose now. 492 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:17,080 Are you in, Andy? 493 00:28:17,120 --> 00:28:18,840 It went in but it ain't coming out! 494 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,920 But for the moment, it's a steep learning curve. 495 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:24,960 It's quite a fiddly job and cos it's so much weight, 496 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,040 it's a lot to jiggle about and, uh, 497 00:28:27,080 --> 00:28:29,560 just to get the bolts in straight away. 498 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:31,920 But we'll get there. We'll get there. 499 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,520 How we doing under there? 500 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:36,280 Ah, this is a bugger. 501 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:38,360 There's just no clearance at all. 502 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:40,920 This trial run will help iron out the kinks... 503 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:42,280 Here we go. 504 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,520 ..before the factory is at full chat, making 5,000 cars every year. 505 00:28:46,560 --> 00:28:48,760 Green is good. 506 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:50,520 Where's me hat? 507 00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:52,200 Today, it took two and a half hours. 508 00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:54,480 Good, gents? Yeah, all good thank you. 509 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,320 Lovely, thank you very much. 510 00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:01,680 So, yeah, first one, very happy with and let's move onto the second. 511 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:03,480 Do you want me to take this wheel off. Simon? 512 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,520 Yeah, do you want to jack, just jack her up? Yeah. 513 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:10,600 But for many at Lotus, like Kevin and Simon, 514 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,800 the last combustion engine car is met with mixed feelings. 515 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,520 Don't know where the string lines are, do you know where they are? 516 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:19,560 Um, on the top of my tool box. Ah, that's all right. 517 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,880 This is, unfortunately, the last combustion engine car 518 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:23,840 that we're going to develop here at Lotus 519 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,160 and it's a shame, really, cos we're all, uh, 520 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,520 petrol heads through and through here. 521 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,760 Go right, I've got that zero point there Simon. 522 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,840 Bang on 600. 523 00:29:32,880 --> 00:29:35,040 It's the same as the other car, so... Excellent. 524 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,840 So, we're spot on with that. 525 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:40,480 It is the future and you have to go with it. 526 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:42,840 It's going to be pretty sad when the last petrol engine car 527 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:44,200 comes off the line. 528 00:29:44,240 --> 00:29:47,560 I'll probably be here for the last of the petrol cars and then 529 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:51,680 I can slide into retirement and play with my own petrol cars. 530 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:56,200 The Emira will be shown off to the world in just two weeks' time 531 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,480 and everyone at Lotus is beginning to feel the pressure. 532 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:02,920 Commercially, for the company this is such an important product. 533 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,240 So there is a certain trepidation that you just don't 534 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,680 know how the car's going to be judged. 535 00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:11,000 For Russell Carr, who led the Emira's design, 536 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,880 revealing the car at Goodwood has an added personal resonance. 537 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:19,760 So, this is the picture at Goodwood in 1960. 538 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,080 In the picture here you got Jack Brabham, 539 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,480 who was then the reigning Formula One world champion. 540 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:25,840 Donald Campbell. 541 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,440 Uh, Donald Campbell's wife Tonya in the background 542 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,360 and there's...there's my father. 543 00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:33,800 So, he worked with Donald Campbell, who's a very successful 544 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:35,720 water speed record holder. 545 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,360 And then in 1960, he decided he was going to go for 546 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:42,160 the land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats. 547 00:30:42,200 --> 00:30:46,000 Russell's father was the project manager for Campbell's Bluebird - 548 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:49,520 a land speed record breaking car that was first shown off 549 00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,400 in 1960 at Goodwood. 550 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,280 In front of the car, you can see Campbell and my father again, 551 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,800 with the famous stand behind there. 552 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:00,960 I guess a little bit like we're going to be doing 553 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,440 with Emira fairly shortly. 554 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,080 Vehicles, for both of us, were important 555 00:31:06,120 --> 00:31:08,960 and I was surrounded by that sort of passion for vehicles 556 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:11,640 and thought they were important. 557 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:15,640 Yeah, it was quite sort of touching, my dad was quite proud, I think so. 558 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,480 With the assembly line kinks ironed out, 559 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:31,080 this new facility will now produce more cars than ever - 560 00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:34,200 creating hundreds of new jobs. 561 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,120 It's a bit mad, really. 562 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:38,800 Ten years, this structure's stood here waiting for this 563 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:40,640 production facility to be built. 564 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:42,400 This is our future here. 565 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:46,080 But for the moment, all hands are on prototype number one, 566 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:50,440 as Lotus prepare to reveal their new car to the world's press. 567 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:55,040 ENGINE REVS 568 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,480 CHEERS AND APPLAUSE 569 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,360 But it won't be the journalists who will determine 570 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:06,800 if this car is a success or not... 571 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:08,480 And it's absolutely beautiful. 572 00:32:08,520 --> 00:32:10,240 ..it'll be their fans... 573 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:11,920 I really like it, actually. 574 00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:14,040 It's something a little bit different from Lotus. 575 00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:16,600 ..at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 576 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:21,800 The legendary motor sport event has arrived. 577 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:24,800 First stand you see coming to Goodwood is Lotus. 578 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:28,040 Big presence and we got a big crowd here as well. 579 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:32,040 For Russell, it's almost 61 years to the day 580 00:32:32,080 --> 00:32:35,360 that his father revealed Bluebird for the first time. 581 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:40,640 I think he would be proud that I'm doing something that I'm passionate 582 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:42,960 about and he was a Lotus fan as well, 583 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,000 so I'm sure he'd be really excited. 584 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,240 For years, Lotus have struggled to make money 585 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,120 but they hope this car marks a change. 586 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,120 I've had Lotuses for years and it just looks like 587 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,920 the next generation should do. 588 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:01,480 And it's not just the die-hard fans who are impressed. 589 00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:03,960 Ooh, oh, oh! 590 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:06,840 It just holds the road so well. 591 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:11,040 We're taking orders as we speak. 592 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:13,200 It's a fantastic piece of kit. 593 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:14,840 For Matt Windle and the team, 594 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,160 Goodwood could not have gone any better. 595 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:19,920 Brimming order books and renewed confidence. 596 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,120 It's where we are as a business, it shows our progress. 597 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,160 It's the last combustion engine car we're doing, 598 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:25,760 so we wanted to make it best in breed. 599 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,000 It's the most accomplished Lotus that's ever come out 600 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:29,280 the gates of the factory. 601 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,400 Buy whether this new car marks the bright new beginning 602 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:41,080 everyone craves, only time will tell. 603 00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,040 Subtitles by Red Bee Media