WEBVTT FILE

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You've probably heard of Lotus.

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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It made championship
winning racing cars.

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ARCHIVE VOICEOVER: Jim Clark
crosses the finish line to win

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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the 500 with a comfortable
lead of more than...

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It made iconic lightweight
sports cars.

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Last year the company increased
its car production by 48%

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- the Lotus has become a
success story for Britain.

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They even made cars for the stars.

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Orders are already pouring in
from America for the same colour

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scheme as Bond's car.

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It's still around today,

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even though the one thing it's never
been good at in recent years

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is making money.

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There's been money issues.

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Lots of changes of management.

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Things have got to change...

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Phwoff! It's been a baptism of fire.

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I've slept better in Afghanistan
than I have working here.

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Lotus has to become a proper,
profitable carmaker

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or admit defeat and shut up shop.

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It's a commercial business
and we can't just produce one,

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we've got to produce thousands.

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To give it one last shot,
there's a new boss...

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I don't want to just keep it going.

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I want to lay the foundation so that
Lotus is going to be secure.

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..and soon their first new
car in over a decade.

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This car is make or break
for Lotus, basically.

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They can't afford to get this wrong.

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This is step one of the Lotus
revival plan -

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an all-new all-electric
200mph hyper car

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called the Evija.

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And its power comes
from four electric motors

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making a total of 2,000 horse power.

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As a result, this is nothing less
than the most powerful

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production car in the world.

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It costs £2 million.

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The second step of the revival plan
is another model -

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the Emira.

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This is the more affordable sports
car on which Lotus' future rests.

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Senior engineer John Sharp
is part of the crack team

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responsible for getting this vital
new car into production.

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So, here we have one of the most
confidential places on site.

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We're completely locked down.

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We don't want anything to do
with this getting out.

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Until we reveal to the world
exactly what we're doing,

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we need to keep this under wraps.

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These cars look like a current Lotus
model but they're not.

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Under the familiar skin, it has been
remodelled to fit a brand-new

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chassis and engine.

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Sometimes on forums you, you might
see a picture of one of these cars

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and lots of speculation as to
what's going on and you can

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just chuckle away to yourself as to
what everybody's speculating about.

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One way to make a new sports car
exciting is with the sound.

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LOW HUM

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It sounds really good.

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It sounds a bit jet fighter,
to be honest.

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To power its first new car in ten
years, Lotus has done a deal

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with German engine wizards AMG

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so that it goes as well
as it sounds.

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Old Lotuses were
bought by hard-core enthusiasts.

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This new one needs to lure people
away

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from other luxury car manufacturers.

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To do that,
Lotus has to get the car right,

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but it also has to remind
people of its rich history.

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Colin Chapman, ex RAF,
ex aircraft engineer

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and racing driver
turned car designer.

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The company was founded in 1947
by Colin Chapman,

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an engineer and innovator every bit
as brilliant as Enzo Ferrari

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or Ferdinand Porsche.

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One car usually sold as a kit of
parts can be noted here - the Lotus.

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Chapman's racing cars
soon started winning

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and led the way to British
dominance in F1.

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Today, many of these machines
live at the heritage centre

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just across the road
from the main factory...

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ANSWERS PHONE: Classic Team Lotus.

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..cared for by Colin Chapman's
son Clive.

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I could look at this all day.

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It's just the most fantastic car.

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It's the only 72 with its original
specification.

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The chassis is all original.

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Emmerson won five Grand
Prix in this car.

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The black and gold winning
the British Grand Prix,

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and my dad throwing his hat
in the air whenever it won a race.

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Emerson Fittipaldi wins!

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Colin Chapman's cap is in the air.

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The list of Lotus' F1 innovations
was endless.

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The first monocoque chassis ever...

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Engines that were part
of the chassis...

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Lightweight cars that painted
themselves to the road,

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and active suspension.

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And Emmerson's was no different.

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The type 72 revolutionised F1 by
putting the radiators on each side

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of the driver,
allowing it to be a wedge.

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So, the 72 is a wedge shape which,
it's obvious to everybody

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is gonna reduce the drag
and improve the airflow.

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In particular, it's gonna improve
the airflow to the rear wing

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so you're gonna get more
down force.

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Recently voted the greatest ever
Formula 1 car

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and we're not gonna argue with
that!

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Chapman's streamlined racers had
a profound effect on another member

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of the Lotus team, the appropriately
named chief designer Russell Carr.

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This is a really
important car for me,

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because when I was a kid

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the type 72 was the racing car.

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The famous black and gold colours.

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I had no interest in things
like football and other sports.

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Formula 1 was my thing.

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And this amazing looking car
that was just wedge shaped

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and looked so modern.

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Of the 40 plus cars that Russell
has worked on,

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this one was his first big hit.

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This was a very early sketch I did
as part of the Elise programme.

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These are just
like little gull wing panels

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so it's like getting into
a light aircraft.

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So, a combination between a racing
car and a light aircraft.

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Russell always knew
he wanted to design cars

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but getting there wasn't easy.

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I was probably 16 years old.

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I went to the careers officer
at school and then they said,

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"There's no such job
as a car designer.

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"Cars are designed by engineers

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"and you're not clever enough
to be an engineer.

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"But have you thought about working
at the local water treatment plant?"

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Russell bypassed a career in sewage
and for the last 26 years

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he's built an impressive career
designing sports cars.

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We'll probably make the lower
edge of the car quite dark

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just so that it lightens
the vehicle as well.

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This line running through
the car's really important

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and this line rises and it mimics
the way the air flows into the car.

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The all new Emira
is Russell's latest work.

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I think it makes a connection
with the Evija hyper car,

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so anybody buying this is getting
a little bit of that action

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from that car, as well.

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Starting with a simple sketch
in Russell's notebook,

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the new car's design was then
finessed and refined in 3D.

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So, this is part
of the design process.

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This blue car isn't a car at all.

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It's carefully painted clay.

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Clay modellers are incredibly
skilled craftsmen

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and they have to have
an artisan skill

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to model the surfaces
with extreme accuracy.

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And this is what we use
to get the theme approved.

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They need to interpret what the
designer wants and turn it into 3D.

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When it's heated, it goes soft,
we can spread it onto the model,

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and then when it cools
we can work it.

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And we use that because it allows us
to adapt the model as things change

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so it's a very flexible tool.

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The curves and sinews of the new
car's skin try to reflect

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the DNA of Colin Chapman's
racing cars.

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There's a very well known phrase
in aviation,

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"If it looks right, it flies right,"

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and certainly we think the same
with sports car design.

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Creating a brand-new car
is a complicated business

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and once the design is signed off

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then you've got another challenge -
how to make it.

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There's no soulless
mass production here.

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Each Lotus is built by hand

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and always has been.

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That's it, all done.
Looks good. Yeah.

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The customer will be really,
really happy.

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Lovely, thank you.

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Team leader Tracy Cushing
makes the seats.

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In a year, we do 1,200, 1,300 cars,

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so that's twice as many seats,
but, yeah,

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super proud of what
we make in the trim.

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This is all handmade.

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The seat is probably
the hardest thing to learn.

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It's a fantastic product that the
team make day in, day out.

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A lot of them have been here
a long, long time.

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So, I'll start off with the arms.

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These are the bits that run
down the side of the seat

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where you actually
have your seat belt fixing.

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The Norfolk-born seamstress
is entering her third decade

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for the company.

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When I was 16, left school,
got offered a job in a factory

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that made jackets and suits,

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so it was all the big heavy woollen
fabrics, materials.

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And now, sewing leather,
making seats for sports cars,

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it's the total opposite.

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It's really calming,

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it's kind of like my happy place

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where I don't have to worry about
anything, I can just sit and sew,

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and just enjoy.

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Long serving employees like Tracy
have seen a lot of ups

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and downs for the company.

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There's been money issues.

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Lotus do have a bit of a reputation

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of having lots
of different management,

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lots of changes of management
and it does prove unsettling.

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Lotus wants to treble the number
of cars it makes which means

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a major rethink for every
single department,

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but Tracy remains upbeat.

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The company who are looking after us

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have poured a lot of investment
into the business.

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Staff are really excited
about the future and, yeah,

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everybody's really,
really positive again, you know.

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Amid the fields of rural Norfolk

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lies an enclave of
engineering ingenuity

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and cutting-edge technology.

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Max Ryan is the prototype
vehicle workshop manager

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for the car company's
new flagship, the Evija.

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As you can see, it's quite a beast.

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This is our halo car, in terms
of the design, the technology,

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the power outputs, everything.

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This is Britain's first
pure electric hyper car.

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Its body is made entirely
from carbon fibre

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and it houses the most potent
car battery in the world.

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This allows us to run at a maximum
capacity of 2,000 horse power.

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We have a lot of the latest
technology inside this battery cell.

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I'm not gonna dive into it because
we don't wanna give too much away.

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But the Evija isn't going into full
production until later this year

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and for new MD Matt Windle, his
focus is on the all-petrol Emira.

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So this is my uh,
soon to be man shed.

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We've recently moved in so I'm just
starting to, as you can see,

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get sorted out with the stuff
we have here.

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Having worked at Lotus
for over 20 years,

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he was appointed MD just last year.

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To be MD of Lotus is,
uh, incredible, really.

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I feel responsible for the people
and the history that's gone before.

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Matt's rise to the top
has been far from easy.

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I came from a single parent family.

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Unusually, I grew up with my dad

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so that was where my passion of cars
came from because we used to spend

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hours and hours and hours going up
to my grandparents in Hartlepool

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and all the way up there, I was,
I was quizzing my dad about cars

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and I could tell any make of car
by its headlight or its tail light.

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And that was just from the amount
of time we spent on the A1

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driving up and down in the dark.

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I didn't do very well at school and,
yeah, I've just worked hard.

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My dad instilled that into me.

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Like many at Lotus,
Matt has worked his way up.

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He began his career as an apprentice
coach builder.

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This is where it all started for me.

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So these were
public service vehicles.

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So, as you can see,

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they're drawn 10th scale.

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Drawn by myself in,

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in July 1993, so I was 22!

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It's been a really difficult
time for Lotus.

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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
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