RE: Lotus 70th anniversary livestream
Saturday 29th September 2018
For those who own a Lotus, once had a Lotus or simply covet a Lotus, Hethel is the place to be today. A culmination of its 70th anniversary celebrations at the iconic Hethel HQ, Lotus has invited fans from the world over to enjoy a day dedicated to its sports cars new and old.
Lotus 70th anniversary livestream
Not at Hethel today? Catch all the action here!
It promises to be a fantastic day, featuring everything from Lotus Eclat to Evora and much more besides. There are owners' club displays, Q&A sessions and hot laps from Lotus's test drivers. Best of all, everything is being screened live on YouTube for fans to see.
So if you aren't able to make it along, sit back and watch Lotus's 70th birthday bash below. Full report and gallery to follow soon!
Discussion
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Well arnt you a bag of joy.However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Fantastic day, super friendly, well organized, top fun.
bosshog said:
Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Well arnt you a bag of joy.However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Fantastic day, super friendly, well organized, top fun.
And sorry if Venisonpie wasn't able to drive around my 7, briefly parked behind the no-entry signage and cones, whilst I dropped some passes off at the checkpoint; I'm sure it must have ruined your day - yours, "an idiot"
Edited by Helluvaname on Saturday 29th September 22:33
I don’t own a Lotus (although I have previously owned a VX220 Turbo 
), but I spent the day at Hethel with my friend who has an Elise. We both thought it was a pretty good day, especially because it didn’t cost anything!
I was surprised at how much the factory floor was opened up for all to see and the range of cars on show was excellent. I admit to being very surprised that the CEO of Lotus can’t speak English (WTF?!
) and the two ‘special’ Evoras that were unveiled were anything but.
The huge parade of Lotus cars around the track was fun, if a bit confused. We didn’t really know what was going on, but just blindly followed those in front. Will be interested to hear how many cars there actually were taking part!
The words from the CEO must have been a little concerning to hardcore Lotus types - I imagine adding luxury and technology is not what you are after.
I was also rather put off by the price of the cars they had lined up. I imagine many changes are shortly on the way - I can’t think Geely are going to want to be sticking Toyota engines in all of the cars for much longer. Here’s to hoping that they’re still great.
), but I spent the day at Hethel with my friend who has an Elise. We both thought it was a pretty good day, especially because it didn’t cost anything!I was surprised at how much the factory floor was opened up for all to see and the range of cars on show was excellent. I admit to being very surprised that the CEO of Lotus can’t speak English (WTF?!
) and the two ‘special’ Evoras that were unveiled were anything but.The huge parade of Lotus cars around the track was fun, if a bit confused. We didn’t really know what was going on, but just blindly followed those in front. Will be interested to hear how many cars there actually were taking part!
The words from the CEO must have been a little concerning to hardcore Lotus types - I imagine adding luxury and technology is not what you are after.
I was also rather put off by the price of the cars they had lined up. I imagine many changes are shortly on the way - I can’t think Geely are going to want to be sticking Toyota engines in all of the cars for much longer. Here’s to hoping that they’re still great.Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
not my experience today at all...However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
we can thank our lucky stars there wasnt a place for you to order a car.. as youd probably moan about that & throw more toys out your pram.. stick a dummy in it.. .. it was bloody free you ungratefull person.. it was a brilliant day.. i suggest another brand of car may suit you better..
Edited by andyj007 on Saturday 29th September 23:08
Edited by andyj007 on Saturday 29th September 23:09
Edited by andyj007 on Saturday 29th September 23:12
Edited by andyj007 on Saturday 29th September 23:13
Venisonpie said:
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless
Guy, his name is Guy. Guy Munday has been a lifelong Lotus enthusiast and has been employed by both the factory and dealerships alike over the past few decades - and then some. You'd have trouble finding someone else with such a broad knowledge base of Lotus as him. Unless you visit PistonHeads, of course.
Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
I echo the others, I thought it was a great day and very well organised. You seem to have gone to another event.However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
And from your little rant you conclude that Lotus is not fit for purpose? If if what you say is true which is very doubtful, it is a bit of a jump to that conclusion is it not?
Was a great experience to have a look around the factory and take in all that was going on. Possibly one or two things could have been done a bit better on the organisation side but overall I don't think it distracted too much and I was impressed with the turnout. Not sure if there are any plans to make the open day an annual event but sure it would prove popular if it was.
Loved the drive up the M11/ A11 with every Lotus encountered along the way getting a cheery wave or thumbs up.
Loved the drive up the M11/ A11 with every Lotus encountered along the way getting a cheery wave or thumbs up.
Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
The Sunbeams were the highlight of the track action to me - I know the F1 cars were probably more popular but the guys pedaling the Sunbeams did their absolute best to entertain and it was a great spectacle Venisonpie said:
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
I didn't see anything that resembled a farce - like most events that aren't done on a regular basis there are mistakes made that when reviewed can make subsequent events better - this should be part of the process of post event reviewVenisonpie said:
Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
All the event staff (plus marshalls) I spoke to were brilliant and enthusiastic about the event and brand - you must have been in the perfect place at the perfect time or have some insider knowledgeVenisonpie said:
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants.
This definitely could be better - From my perspective it needed to be split into 4 groups with designated pace cars for each group - it was definitely possible to break the record - just needed a bit more organizationVenisonpie said:
Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
It was full when I tried to get in mid morning - I could see it was full so I left and made a mental note to be early for the next running of the F1 cars - it was fine in the afternoon. Speaking to someone else that attended who was standing in the walkways they were asked to leave if there wasn't a seat freeFor me the positives were the in background areas (this is frequently where the wheels fall off show wise)
- I'm not aware of the food stands running out of food or drink - always a risk with a variable attendance
- The food and drink prices were reasonable
- It never felt overcrowded - no idea what the attendance was but I'd guess somewhere around the 4000 - 5000 mark
- There was plenty to see although I didn't do the manufacturing tour because I've done it several times before. I enjoyed the walk thro the cars on track as it was a nice start to the show for me
Venisonpie said:
I spent the day at Hethel today and there were some positives, the 2nd classic display was ace and the open factory interesting.
However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
Sorry but I have to comment on this post.However parts were badly executed and in some cases farcical.
The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road and an idiot parking his 7 right on the junction.
The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed.
The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured. Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee.
First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants. Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard.
Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it. Oh and the hot lap competition that stopped early as they ran out of entry forms.
Love the cars but Geely have a lot of work to do to make Lotus fit for purpose. I sincerely hope they do.
"The entrance organisation was chaotic with taxis dropping off at the head of Potash Lane, access only from one direction of the feeder road"
I didn't see a single taxi and they were quite right to prevent right-turners into Potash Lane, otherwise they'd have been gridlock in both directions.
"The interview with the new CEO required an interpreter but they decided to use someone who happens to be bi lingual rather than a professional. As such the message was confused and disjointed."
It all made perfect sense to me, although I personally have little interest in enhanced "connectivity" in my Lotus!
"The MC, some dude named Ray, was just hopeless and created anxiety all day by not keeping the audience reassured."
What does that even mean? The commentator Guy Munday has extensive knowledge of pretty much everything to do with Lotus and its history. What was making you so anxious, that you felt like you needed reassurance? Was it the noisy brum-brums?
"Many of the Lotus staff are clearly not trained in customer interaction and were a bit sharp- there was even a stand up row between one and a disgruntled ex employee."
I found them all efficient and friendly, even if the Lotus Shop did remind me of Primark on the opening day of their January Sale!
"First prize for total shambles goes to the world record attempt for a parade which put too many cars on a small track with zero instruction to the participants."
Yeah, that wasn't great, but I don't get much satisfaction at crawling around for ages in 1st/2nd gear, even if it is a for a largely irrelevant record attempt.
"Second prize the unmarshalled grandstand that quickly became over populated and was an H&S hazard."
This must have been down to some stupid visitors. I was sat near the front of the grandstand with my son for much of the day and there were plenty of vacant seats around us. People were just too lazy to look for them, so hung around by the staircases. The large temporary grandstand contained nearly 2000 seats after all, so there were plenty to go round.
"Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it."
I guess you're expected to order from your preferred dealer, rather than the factory directly. The dealers might get rather upset if Lotus cut them out of the loop.
LotusOmega375D said:
"Finally, if you wanted to place an order for a car there was nowhere and no one to do this - a nice selection of cars which you could sit in but that was it."
I guess you're expected to order from your preferred dealer, rather than the factory directly. The dealers might get rather upset if Lotus cut them out of the loop.
Just going to pick up on that last point. The day was a non-commercial day and was a celebration day instead. This was a deliberate choice intended to make the day free from such things so as to focus on enjoying 70 years of history and to look forward to the future.I guess you're expected to order from your preferred dealer, rather than the factory directly. The dealers might get rather upset if Lotus cut them out of the loop.
I guess if Venisonpie is so concerned about how awful the day was he/she can have the cost of their ticket refunded - or perhaps discounted from the price of the new car they will order. Possibly by the dealer they collected the tickets from in the first place.
Just found this by accident
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10903&...
Can anyone count the number of times the commentator says 'um' or 'uh'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10903&...
Can anyone count the number of times the commentator says 'um' or 'uh'
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff