Unveiling the Elegance and Engineering Mastery of Lotus Cars
Heavenly, Hirotoshi Itoh states in his Lotus engineering blog: ‘Corten steel doesn’t rust or crack, so it ages without corrosion and remains beautiful while revealing its usage over time.’ Writers sometimes go to great lengths for their craft, and this book sets itself apart with the exceptional fine bindings and exquisite book design by Johnson, who has been praised for his skills by The Washington Post. Above all, it turns out that Johnson relished these challenges because the book provided a canvas for brilliant design and an opportunity to collaborate with the reliable team he assembled, including expert binder Bob Stern of The Bindery Place in Gloucestershire. Johnson describes the book as ‘a labour of love and luck’, and the phrases ‘art, craft, engineering’ recur throughout his book. In 2014, Johnson won the prestigious Designer Bookbinders Award (for which this book was submitted) and the London Original Print Fair Award, another well-liked honour that reflects his diverse design skills.
A Glimpse into Lotus’ Illustrious Heritage:
‘Simplify, then add lightness’: Lotus Cars was the brainchild of the British engineering pioneer Colin Chapman, an original thinker whose pursuit of speed birthed a new mania in automotive design. Chapman’s credo dictated that all Lotus cars would be light, beautiful and faster than anything else, a commitment to the pursuit of absolute performance that propelled the marque to icon status.
Pioneering Technological Advancements:
Lotus is a technological trailblazer, making significant advancements in automotive engineering in the areas of both aerodynamics and chassis technologies. Through cutting-edge research and development, Lotus has also been at the forefront of lightweight materials and hybrid powertrains, in addition to pioneering advanced driver assistance systems.
The Lotus Driving Experience:
But from the very first, this wasn’t only a racing car company. From the instant you lower yourself into the seat, it was an experience – a driving experience – that was more than a form of transport. Colin Chapman said that all proper manufacturing was done by machines, not men, using presses, not muscles. And yet a Lotus could work muscles, turbo-charged muscles, sending shivers down the spine and flushing out endorphins with the space-age roar of a twin cam engine as it accelerated and seemed to pull the car around a bend with the others (orange, vermillion, scarlet, crimson, golden), until up front it was a rush of air, wind and dreams. A thrilling sensation to the muscles, but a feeling that reached deeper than that, into your senses. At once a visceral and then an elevated form of pleasure. And whether it was a winding mountain road in the Alps or the apex of a corner on a racetrack, that space-age particle accelerator pressed against the back of your right leg, channelling the heady power and responsiveness of the steering wheel, was an unbeatable sensation, and arguably the most indelible kind of pleasure.
Iconic Models That Define an Era:
Lotus has created a lineage of iconic models that have shaped automobility, including the Lotus Seven, a stripped-back, bare-essentials roadster envisioned by Colin Chapman as the essence of driving purity, the mid-engine, unibody Lotus Elise that reinvented the sports car, and the Lotus Esprit, known to James Bond devotees by its screen persona in the film The Spy Who Loved Me.
Embracing the Future with Electric Mobility:
In the electric age of mobility, Lotus has a vision for the future of electrification. The new Lotus Evija, the world’s first all-electric hypercar, is built on this vision, offering stirring, benchmark performance grounded in Lotus’ lightweight ethos. As leaders in lightweighting, Lotus aims to capitalise on the benefits of electric powertrains to deliver ultimate performance with minimal environmental impact, to help ensure a sustainable future.
The Global Legacy of Lotus:
Lotus Cars does not speak only to the people who work in its head quarters in Hethel in England; it speaks to people all around the world. The wide open spaces, the dry heat of North American cars and the racing line found in circuits all over the world hold a very strong sense of Lotus Cars and the enthusiast who connects with them. Through dealerships and enthusiast clubs, the Lotus brand speaks to enthusiast communities all around the world.
In a world where automotive ‘fashions’ come and go, Lotus Cars sees itself as a standard to aspire to, or at least that’s what one would hope, for Lotus is one of those brands where the origin of the car is in innovation, performance and sheer driving enjoyment. I spent a day with the new Lotus, modern but with unadulterated, old-school tendencies. Its car is still made, designed, and built when great things were just that. We are in an era where car ‘fashions’ and trends come and go, just as Model T Fords eventually found themselves in grave yards and eventuallyll scrap heaps. Lotus Cars keeps reminding us that true ‘motoring’ is not in a phone, or made to be self-driving. Innovation, aesthetics, performance and pure driving enjoyment are not dead, thank you, Lotus.
Questions and Answers:
- What is the philosophy behind Lotus Cars’ engineering approach?
Lotus Cars’ engineering philosophy centers around the mantra ‘Simplify, then add lightness’ (after the company’s founder Colin Chapman). This mantra was effective because it emphasized the importance of lightweight construction and minimalist design in achieving both speed and handling.
- Can you describe some of the iconic models that have defined Lotus Cars’ legacy?
The Lotus Cars company has made a number of cars whose names are now practically synonymous with classic sports cars. There is the Lotus Seven, a minimalist roadster; the mid-engine Lotus Elise, adored for its handling; and the Lotus Esprit, whose big-budget ad campaigns encouraged people to ‘get a taste for the future’ in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to its starring role in a number of James Bond films.
- How has Lotus Cars embraced technological advancements in the automotive industry?
For 69 years, Lotus Cars has led through technological innovation. Aerodynamics, chassis technologies, lightweight materials, and hybrid powertrains distinguish our cars and inspire our engineers in an ever-demanding quest for uncompromising performance. Our relentless pursuit of excellence through research and development rewrites the rules.
- What sets the Lotus driving experience apart from other automotive brands?
Lotus suggests its driving experience is simply unlike any other in its democratic range, its responsiveness, and sheer visceral pleasure. ‘The engine pulls, the chassis turns, the engine howls. You feel everything through your fingertips.’
- How is Lotus Cars adapting to the shift towards electric mobility?
With demand for electric vehicles on the rise, Lotus Cars has announced the Lotus Evija – the world’s first all-electric hypercar. The car will be built with the attitude for ultimate lightweight performance that the British marque has become famous for. Lotus aims to develop electric powertrains for the super-performance and sustainable automotive mobility of the future.
