This year marks the sixtieth birthday of Norfolk's überspiffy Lotus Sports Cars.
And so naturally we head back over to Phil's Magical Kingdom for a birthday party cum open day.
Old Dive shoehorned neighbours Jerry and John into my little black car and off we tootled to the land of Lotus.
These - as some of you may remember - usually sit in Phil's office. Along with the chocolate biscuits!Anyone new to all this would be well advised to whiz down to the bottom of this post and click on the "Phil's Magical Kingdom" link. Then follow the "older posts" button back to the start and take a good look around. Then come back here and we'll carry on.
Sensible cars deserve sensible colours. Mad fucking nutjob race cars deserve a more skewed approach to sanity.Before we get on to the stunning new Evora and Dive's personal favourite, the biodegradable car made from marijuana, let's have a little recap of what actually goes on here.
This is not the kind of chassis you'll find under your own car (unless of course you drive a Lotus).These guys make the best driver's cars in the world and all the top manufacturers queue up to have Lotus fettle their suspensions.
Nothing comes close to one of these, though, if you want to go round corners at speeds well in excess of sanity.
You've seen flies flying in squares; these make flies look like clumsy, lumbering sloths when it comes to cornering.
No robots here. All hand built by people who really know what they're doing.
As the production line snakes through the factory, the cars gradually start looking more … er … "vehicular".
Until they end up ready to tear out onto the test track.
More yummy Two-Elevens. It was one of these that Phil raced up the track at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this summer.As the one in the foreground shows, you can actually order them in normal colours.
Or not …Much more to come.
Those who don't like car porn might as well go home.
15 comments:
Just gorgeous, glad you had a good time... bet Phil is tired today, sort of a come down after all that work of late.....Have a nice day as they say!!!!
We all had a great time.
Phil called last night when he got home (late) and sounded pooped beyond the call of duty.
Phil equals blog porn for katie, lush cars are just a bonus.
You should see what he's posted on his blog!
I would have loved to have tagged along :D But was that for boys only? Really pwetty pwetty cars.
Splendid machinery and no, you can't build this kind of quality on a conveyor belt or by robots. That's for the rest of us volks :) and our wagons.
Joy, it was open to all, as it is every year, but tickets are really hard to come by.
Hi, Isadora. I have a particularly splendid one lined up for Wednesday's post that was hand built by Andy, who is decidedly not a robot.
i'll have to come by again later *swooning*
xoxox
Hee hee, Savannah.
xoxox
When I was in college, one of our professors had a lotus and instead of teaching, he and several male students would sit around and talk about his lotus.
I had no idea what he was talking about...thought it was some sort of flower for the longest time...
These cars are very "horny"....sorry!!!
PS re yesterday's post. I don't sound like kath or kim (or look look them) maybe Cate Blanchette....no, too English sounding....I know Mel Gibson on a good day when he's not abusing anyone......... although......
Maria: They do indeed make Lotus cars for the American market. In the last series of Phil's Magical Kingdom we showed the "Elise California", aka "the fat-bastard Elise". Slower and clunkier than the European model, but still yummy; the Yanks don't seem to like buying stripped-down track racing cars, they insist on having things like door linings and a radio so the US models are lumbering heavyweights in comparison.
Jules: Hee hee hee!
I have yet to meet an Aussie who'll admit to sounding like Kath and Kim, even though a lot of 'em do (Andy in the office, for example).
Somehow I can't picture you with Mel Gibson's voice. Ew!
Great shots of these awesome cars, Dive. You are so lucky to be able to have access to this stuff.
It's great, Rich! I get to see it all but I don't have to do any of the work. Hee hee.
Post a Comment