Lotus Restarts Hethel Factory Tours After £100 Million Upgrade

Looks like Lotus is starting factory tours again beginning April 4. Here's to hoping we get more Emira content from visitors! Anyone planning to go?

More info here.

 

[roundincircles]

If you look at look at the rear panel.....its darker....that's what I remember, but in light it becomes as the rest of the image , but I'm working from memory

 

[Porter]

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Come on man, that's a digital render from the configurator and can't be trusted in the slightest. The car could be completely black from that angle in actual real light in the real world.

The pic of the car being delivered to Top Gear is promising, but there's been nothing other than that one (very over-exposed) pic with a cell phone taken in very dim light, and you can't really see how the color looks from that. It's certainly not anything like the configurator photo you put above, which is why I keep asking all these questions.

If you look at look at the rear panel.....its darker....that's what I remember, but in light it becomes as the rest of the image , but I'm working from memory

Yep that's 100% why I'm trying to get Lotus to release a pic, or get confirmation from someone on a comparison image! Memory is super fallible.

 

[roundincircles]

Come on man, that's a digital render from the configurator and can't be trusted in the slightest. The car could be completely black from that angle in actual real light in the real world.

The pic of the car being delivered to Top Gear is promising, but there's been nothing other than that one (very over-exposed) pic with a cell phone taken in very dim light, and you can't really see how the color looks from that. It's certainly not anything like the configurator photo you put above, which is why I keep asking all these questions.


Yep that's 100% why I'm trying to get Lotus to release a pic, or get confirmation from someone on a comparison image! Memory is super fallible.

Agreed. But what I'm trying to convey is that it's dark but becomes a richer green in light.......guess its, as always for me, about seeing the colours in the flesh. It's essential for me.

 

[Porter]

Agreed. But what I'm trying to convey is that it's dark but becomes a richer green in light.......guess its, as always for me, about seeing the colours in the flesh. It's essential for me.

100% my point. Though we'd be spared the trouble with a few snaps of a real car in a real place. I'd much rather know "poorly lit real world scenario" than what a car looks like under studio lighting.

I've emailed Lotus USA, Lotus UK, and Tammy McKenzie directly. I'll let y'all know if I hear anything.

 

[VL3X]

100% my point. Though we'd be spared the trouble with a few snaps of a real car in a real place. I'd much rather know "poorly lit real world scenario" than what a car looks like under studio lighting.

I've emailed Lotus USA, Lotus UK, and Tammy McKenzie directly. I'll let y'all know if I hear anything.

I've emailed them all and contacted all their social media managers over the last few months and get nothing but "use the configurator and your dealer can show you samples." I'm due to spec and order this week and was really hoping to see all colors before then.. not to mention a proper review of the production model. How did productions start early March, yet no customer cars have been built yet!?

 

[Eagle7]

"Production starting" doesn't automatically mean customer car production, it's production process as they start pre-production finals before signing off on the whole thing as ready to start processing customer cars. Training and "how do we do this" is over now.

We've all been (mostly) patient up to this point, just a bit more and we'll see what we want to see.

 

[DenzilP]

Thanks for this info Denzil! Can you please give us some more insight into what you saw about the DV that swayed you to switch to it? Was it clearly green on the panel, or did it look black? What specifically inspired you to choose that over Magma Red after just seeing (and liking) the red? Really interested to hear your thoughts.

Those of us who haven't seen a DV painted vehicle in person are really completely in the dark about what the color looks like on a car, or even on a painted panel. I also have a weird open question and comparison shot over on the DV color thread. Any help you can provide would be excellent.

The magma is a red I have never seen before, very expensive looking, I just loved it. Looking at the DV panels, the fore of the panel was dark green that blended into black the further away from your eye, bearing in mind this was inside, but I imagine the colour will be even more dramatic outside. The photo of the Elise on the other thread is very close but I would say DV is slightly darker. The new configurator is very close. Once the production cars (very soon) start being made they are bound to release proper photos, I think they don’t want any pre production car photos on the internet just in case there are bits missing of flaws that a eagle eye critic will pinpoint. I honestly think what ever colour you choose you will be over the moon with it.

 

[TomE]

I saw the yellow one outside. Gap between tyre and bodywork is large - don’t know why it needs to be so much and definitely spoils the stance of the car.

That's "a" Hethel Yellow car rather than "the" Hethel Yellow car from the Eletre launch. The one from the launch had black pack, diamond cut wheels and the production ride height. This one is non-BP and has transit wheels.

I wonder if they're running cheap transit tyres too, which is why these pictures we see of transit-shod cars appear to have a bigger arch gap?

 

[TomE]

How did productions start early March, yet no customer cars have been built yet!?

They are "in production", building production spec cars. They build final approval cars first, then press cars then dealer demos. Then the customer cars. Soon

 

[Johnson]

This is encouraging. Last week I sent a Messenger message to Lotus UK, asking why we couldn’t get factory photos of the cars versus relying on leaked pics. This was the response:

”Hi John, let me try to get some photos for you in the factory next week of the red”

So, either their social media person is jumping the gun, or official photos are incoming. I’ll ask permission before posting anything they send, but it sounds promising!

 

[Pugwash]

I did the factory and heritage tour yesterday afternoon. The weather was good so I took my Elise. As I drove down Potash Lane to the factory I was followed by an Emira in the camo colours. As I pulled over into the visitors area, I gave him a thumbs up and he gave me one back! The tour was limited to eight people but I was the only person on it. The guide was Guy Munday who will be well known to some of you in the UK. I also met Scott Walker briefly.
There was lots of activity in the factory with people gathered around cars in various stages of assembly but not cars moved along while I was there. Looked like cross skilling was going on and I think a team meeting for the technicians was also happening. This is my third factory visit, the first being over 20 years ago. It is clear where investment has gone in to speed up production and support the technicians on the line. Twice during production the whole car is scanned by computer checking over 100 reference points to ensure consistency. When flat out the cars will move from one station to the next every 17 minutes.
I saw cars in all colours apart from DV where I only saw panels. All look great. I am really happy with my Magma choice. Nimbus was the only one that surprised me. Looked much better than I was expecting. Previous descriptions of colours by Tom et al are on the money, I don’t have much to add.
I also saw Vivid red, a kind of putty grey on a car driving around and a white car with red leather interior (very esprit turbo / bond).
Outside I saw their shake rattle and roll track and watched an Emira drive into the new wet testing booth. I also saw a camo Emira being given the beans around the track with much tyre squeal. The seat frames are coming from Lear (as in Lear jet).
The Heritage / Classic Lotus tour was also fascinating and Guy has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the racing history. Interestingly towards the end of my time over in Classic Team Lotus, Gavan and Dan from the Lotus vehicle dynamics team appeared at the other end of the car garage, had a good look at something and then disappeared. I was too far away to see what. Bringing elements of heritage into the current range?
It was clear that there is a massive focus on quality and consistency, and investments in new paint shop and automation supporting the technicians will deliver “Handmade in Hethel” in a way we have never seen before.
And the Elise enjoyed its 280 mile run!

 

[NicolasB]

Lear seats! Haha, this thing is gonna be great!

 

[Porter]

Lear seats! Haha, this thing is gonna be great!

They make a ton of seats for Volvo and have since the 1980s. Likely a cross-brand supplier standardization.

 

[TomE]

Guy has the registration number MR10 TUS - Mr Lotus - and he really is! Good to hear he is involved with the tours. I’ve known him for over 20 years and he helped me find the S1 Exige I bought last year.

Great to read your perspectives from the tour. It’s amazing what they’re doing now.

 

[Gibbo205]

I saw the yellow one outside. Gap between tyre and bodywork is large - don’t know why it needs to be so much and definitely spoils the stance of the car.

That is not a VP car built to final production specification, there has only been one so far which is the yellow upper black pack car with the diamond cut forged wheels which was previewed at the BBC, photos of this car should become more widespread in coming days as it is currently with Lotus photography and press.

 

[Leonard]

Guy has the registration number MR10 TUS - Mr Lotus - and he really is! Good to hear he is involved with the tours. I’ve known him for over 20 years and he helped me find the S1 Exige I bought last year.

Great to read your perspectives from the tour. It’s amazing what they’re doing now.

I'd love to meet him, need to sort a tour

 

[Yachtie]

Guy has the registration number MR10 TUS - Mr Lotus - and he really is! Good to hear he is involved with the tours. I’ve known him for over 20 years and he helped me find the S1 Exige I bought last year.

Great to read your perspectives from the tour. It’s amazing what they’re doing now.

Brought my 2001 S2 Elise from him at Stratton’s, now that was a different experience, a brand new model and constant good information!. Nice Guy, ooh there is a pun there!

 

[JimH]

Brought my 2001 S2 Elise from him at Stratton’s, now that was a different experience, a brand new model and constant good information!. Nice Guy, ooh there is a pun there!

Same here - but a new 1998 Elise S1 followed up by a nice used 1994 Esprit S4.

Guy even arranged for us to visit the factory when our Elise was on the production line and part built - I doubt tours will be able to be timed to that level of accuracy now!....

 

[TomE]

Same here - but a new 1998 Elise S1 followed up by a nice used 1994 Esprit S4.

Guy even arranged for us to visit the factory when our Elise was on the production line and part built - I doubt tours will be able to be timed to that level of accuracy now!....

With a 17 minute cycle time you need to be there for the right few hours not just the right day!