Lotus's new site is in the heart of Silverstone
Lotus has set up shop inside the Silverstone Circuit, with a new dealership opening to offer sales and service, as well as a full track preparation service for Lotus models and other performance cars.
The dealership not only fills a hole in the Lotus marque's UK coverage, but will offer customers the chance to soak up a bit of genuine motorsport atmosphere as the new 4000sq ft showroom and four-bay service facility have been moved into existing industrial units close to the Stowe Circuit.
Road cars and track cars are catered for
PistonHeads visited the new franchise on a trip to Silverstone last week and even as the paint was drying and the signs were waiting to be screwed to the walls, there was definitely an engaging 'motorsport' buzz about the place. Not surprising, given the location, but the place does look set to become a magnet for Lotus enthusiasts in Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire - and even farther afield - who want to indulge in trackday fun. The workshops will be run by an existing Silverstone team currently responsible for service, maintenance and track fettling of the circuit's own fleet of exotic and high-performance cars (including Lotuses) used for both individual and corporate trackday instruction and experience.
Lotus Silverstone sales manager Oliver Wiltshire, who gave PH our tour of the premises, reckons the prospect of having your Lotus maintained and prepared for the track at the circuit itself will be a major draw for customers, particularly as they'll also offer storage on site - allowing customers to just turn up and play. As a regular main dealer, road car sales and service will naturally be catered for, too.
As part of the development, a new manufacturer facility is to be opened on an extended Stowe Circuit later this year - which will include a low-friction straight and turning circle.
Lotus arrives at the site less than 12 months after Porsche opened its Experience Centre next to the famous Hangar straight. Silverstone is also home to the Audi Driving Experience for retail and corporate bookings, and last year successfully ran the GT-R Academy for European customers of the Nissan super-coupe.