UPDATE............
So I'm 650 miles ish into the car now. So some thoughts on that tomorrow!!!
Hethel collection feedback first:
Arriving at Hethel
4am start to fly down from Edinburgh to Stansted, hire car (Hertz, avoid, terrible), 1.5 hr drive to Hethel (cheers Kev). We pull up the security / reception at the gate and go in. The security guard knew my name already, and congratulated me and shook my hand for coming to collect an Emira and how happy they all were. It felt good to be honest! Better than being told to get lost
Pulled the hire car into the compound and round the back of a large building / old hanger. There were Emiras everywhere in various states of testing, one flying round the test track, two trucks full of them off to BCA for PDI. It was pretty amazing when you consider I'd never seen one by this point, the demo car only just having arrived at my local dealership days prior, so the only one I'd seen was the Seneca Blue prototype with the golf kart engine in the back that did the rounds in Oct/Nov 2021.
Scott Walker jumped in the back of the dodgy hire car (hi Scott if your reading this!) and instantly hit us with his energy and passion for the brand, giving us some great history of the place as we drove to the next building and ditched the hire car. Into the factory building, through the canteen and brand new lotus merchandise shop, into the new handover area. Several classic lotus's are lined up here, looking amazing, and sat there a shadow grey production spec Emira. Then two cars with Lotus car covers on them, the one nearest the door is mine, but I can't get my hands on it yet (the other is nimbus grey with silver wheels.... Harry's perhaps?
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A good chat, and told that I'm actually the first customer to get a Hethel collection and it's all quite a big deal for everyone, which was cool / excited to hear I'll be honest, and then onto the factory tour, which is absolutely amazing. I can't explain how good it was, informative, and just so good to see the process and detail that goes into the build. Seeing everything in action, the parts etc there just made me appreciate the car even more. Basically - do a factory tour if you get a chance! And hopefully it's Scott that you get as he is like the oracle of knowledge on lotus.
The car reveal.
With the PR team, Scott and Matt Windle now there, it was time to reveal the car. So then pics and videos of my taking the cover off, being stunned by how awesome the car looked, and then having a good look around it, followed by pics of myself with Scott and Matt with the car and about an hour of chatting about the process, feedback, the car and the journey. Scott then talked through the car and went through a comprehensive handover process, then handed over a special gift which I don't want to ruin for anyone else picking up a car from Hethel, so I'll keep that a secret I think. But it's cool. I had a gift card given to me also to buy some goodies from the shop
Finally we got the car outside for a bunch more pics and videos, and met a couple of staff members as they were finishing their shifts that asked to get some pics too, everyone was so friendly and genuinely happy to see a customer with a car they had built. It felt great!
Shattered and over excited, I got in the car to drive it and stalled it immediately in front of everyone like a complete noob.
And moving on. A few more pics in different areas and away back to Stansted to return the hire car (thanks again Kev, that must have sucked staring at the Emira while driving the shed of death) and a 450 mile drive home from there! The attention the car got even at the local Tesco to buy some red bull was just amazing, people stopping to ask about, going out of their way to come over, asking to take pictures etc.
Next post.... all about the car, the driving experience, the tech, the inside and as it approaches it's run-in miles, how I feel about it! bed time now though
If you read all this thanks!
