A Meeting of British Motoring Icons – Lotus Drivers’ Club Visit the Museum (16th May 2025)
Over the weekend we had the pleasure of welcoming members of the Lotus Drivers’ Club (Cumbria & Lancashire) to the Museum for a meet.
Following their inaugural Lancashire meet here at The British Commercial Vehicle Museum in May 2024, we have had the privilege of welcoming the club to the Museum on four occasions, with several more meets scheduled for the Summer months.
Gallery
Check out some of the stunning Lotuses which attended last weekend’s meet below:
The origin of Lotus Cars Limited can be traced back to 1948, it was founded by Colin and Hazel Chapman in London. That year Mr Chapman built his first trial car, the Lotus Mk 1, the starting point of which was a chassis taken from a 1928 Austin Seven saloon. – During the racing season of 1948 the Mark 1, with Chapman behind the wheel went on to win 2 class honours.
Development soon began on the Mark 2, the first Lotus car to be road worthy. Work commenced on the vehicle during Chapman’s leave from the Royal Air Force.
In 1951 the Mark 3, and the first car to bear the name Lotus was produced. The origins of this name are heavily disputed with theories including that the company name derives from the Lotus flower. Alternatively, some believe that the name is a tribute to Chapman’s wife Hazel and is reference to a nickname he had for her. The Mark 3 was capable of 0 – 50 in 6.6 seconds and had a top speed of 90mph.
1952 saw Chapman founder the Lotus Engineering Company with a loan of £25.00.
Just two years later in 1954, Team Lotus was established. Team Lotus went on to race vehicles in many motorsport categories, including:
- Formula One
- Formula Two
- Formula Ford
- Formula Junior
- Indycar
With the Mark 8 becoming an instant success.
In total over their racing career, Team Lotus won 79 Formula 1 races and achieved 107 pole positions.
The tradition of naming their car models with an ‘E’ began in 1956 with the production of the Lotus Eleven, which won the 750cc Class of the Index of Performance at Le Mans the following year.
Famous ‘E’ models include:
- Elise
- Exige
- Emira
- Eletre
During the 1960s Team Lotus accomplished many triumphs and attained numerous titles including winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix, Monaco in 1960, the Lotus 21 was driven to victory at the World Championship Grand Prix, Ireland in 1961 and in 1963 they won their first Formula One Constructors’ World Championship.
Their winning streak continued well into the 1970s with Emerson Fittipaldi winning the F1 Driver’s World Championship in 1972, with the iconic black and gold Lotus Type 72 and a victory at the F1 Constructors’ World Championship the following year.
1977 saw a Monaco White Lotus Esprit become a star of the screen when it appeared in the James Bond film ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’, famously the car plunged off the end of a pier into the Sardinian Sea and became a submarine. For the high-speed chase scenes and stunts the vehicle was driven by Lotus test driver Roger Becker with Roger Moore (playing Bond) behind the wheel for the close-up shots.
This would not be the last time that Lotus cars appeared in a Bond Film, in 1981 two Turbo Esprits starred in ‘For Your Eyes Only’. The first was famed for its explosive burglar alarm and the second was modified with ski racks and used to film scenes in the ski resort of Cortina in Italy.
The year prior to the release of ‘For Your Eyes Only’ the Type 82 Turbo Esprit was launched to great acclaim at the Royal Albert Hall, London. With a top speed of 150mph and a performance of 0 – 60 in 5.5 seconds, the Esprit quickly achieved supercar status.
Mr Chapman passed away suddenly in 1982 from a heart attacked aged 54 years old. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to witness the production of the 30,000th Lotus off the production line at their Norfolk site in 1984. The company had been based there for 18 years.
Lotus cars are still in production today. Notable models which are being manufactured include the Lotus Emira (the last petrol-powered sports car produced by Lotus), the Eletre (an all-electric, hyper-SUV), and the Type 135 (an upcoming electric sports car)
Members of the Lotus Drivers’ Club – Cumbria & Lancashire will be returning to the Museum on the following dates:
- Sunday 13th July 2025
- Sunday 14th September 2025
