The global Lotus community is saddened to learn that Hazel Chapman, the wife of Colin Chapman and co-founder of Lotus, has died aged 94.

Her contribution to motorsport and the motor industry in the latter half of the 20th century should not be under-estimated. She was a successful racing driver, a shrewd businesswoman and the rock upon which the Lotus foundations – since 1948, when the very first Lotus car was made – were built. Her involvement in the development of the Lotus business was almost without equal at the time, in a world where women so often played second fiddle to their husbands.

Matt Windle, Managing Director, Lotus Cars, commented: “This is a very sad day for everyone around the world associated with Lotus. Without Hazel Chapman there would be no Lotus. The entire Hethel team, and those working at our facilities around the world, send their sincere condolences and best wishes to the Chapman family.”

Hazel Williams was born on the 21 May 1927 in North London. She met Colin Chapman at a dance in 1944 when he was just 16 and she a few months older. As the couple’s relationship developed, Hazel’s parents allowed Colin to a build what became the first Lotus – the Mark 1 – in the lock-up garage at the back of their house in Hornsey.

Colin gained a commission into the Royal Air Force, so Hazel continued with the building of the Lotus Mark 1 and then the Mark 2. Competition success in races entered by Hazel and Colin resulted in new commissions for their automotive services. With Hazel’s commercial acumen, their first Lotus business was formed on 1 January 1952. It became a limited company later in the year, funded by payment of £25 from Hazel herself.

Hazel and Colin married in 1954 and as the business grew Hazel took a seat on the board of a number of their companies, including Lotus Cars, Team Lotus and Lotus Components.

She was not only an astute businesswoman but took on a matriarchal role within the organisation, the epitome of the phrase ‘Behind every strong man is a stronger woman’. She prided herself of working with almost every Lotus Formula 1 driver including iconic motorsport names such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna. She was also a founder of The Dog House women’s motorsport club.

Widowed in 1982, Hazel recognised that Lotus Cars needed new ownership to secure its future and played an instrumental role in its sale. She became a Director of Classic Team Lotus, the Chapman family business which preserves the cars and legacy of the brand’s global racing success.

Hazel maintained a close interest in all things Lotus, for example, she ‘signed off’ the 100,000^th Lotus road car in 2018. Tradition dictated that Hazel was always shown the latest Lotus road car prior to it being unveiled to the public. That wonderful custom continued into the modern era, and she viewed the Lotus Evija with her son Clive Chapman two weeks before its debut in July 2019.

The MotorHub Saxo Bank AutoX Championship 2021, a certified tournament series for supercar owners and motor racing enthusiasts from across the UAE, came to a thrilling conclusion with the series’ final round at Yas Marina Track in Abu Dhabi, with Ibrahim Abouelgheit, driving a Porsche 911 Turbo S, sealing first place with a 1.27.19-minute race.

The MotorHub, an organization dedicated to promoting and expanding a Car Club Culture in the UAE, honoured the winners of the high-octane championship at the official prize-giving ceremony held on December 6 at the Lotus Cars Dubai Showroom – the automotive partner of the 2021 season.

The finale, organized after the UAE leadership’s decision to relax COVID-induced restrictions, allowed the championship to stay true to its competitive nature by providing drivers a third circuit to compete on in the UAE’s two largest Emirates – Abu Dhabi and Dubai – and demonstrated that the UAE had successfully navigated the pandemic phase.

The championship’s last round had the same intensity as the previous rounds, with drivers taking to the track for one last chance to either consolidate their standing or steal a last-minute win and improve their rank on the 2021 leader board. Based on a point scoring system, similar to Formula 1, each race awarded them points ranging from 25 for first place to 18 for the second, 15 for third, and 1 point for tenth place.

After a long pandemic and the scorching summers, Dubai Drive team kick-started the Track Two drive event inviting all the automotive enthusiasts. Over 150 participants in 3 segments – Sports, EV & Classic Cars burned their tires on the track. The event was inaugurated with a special debut of Emira, leading a convoy of over 100 vehicles followed by its predecessors – Exige 20th Anniversary and Evora GT. Customers were provided with the test drives and passenger experiences in the Exige & Evora GT throughout the event.

The Lotus Emira has arrived in Dubai as part of its global tour, where it will be showcased at the Lotus showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road until 14 October 2021 before moving to Abu Dhabi.

The Lotus Emira is an all-new sports car, with supercar aesthetics and everyday useability. It is the most accomplished road car ever to come out of the factory gates at Hethel, UK. With a striking design, breath-taking performance and class-leading ride and handling, the Emira is a true Lotus – light, nimble, mid-engined, exotic looking and competitively priced. It is also a paradigm shift in practicality, comfort, functionality and technology, all of which is especially visible in the stunning interior.

Customers who want to order a Lotus Emira V6 First Edition can spec their car using the configurator that’s now live at www.lotuscars.com. Power comes from the much-loved and Lotus-honed 3.5-litre supercharged V6 engine, mid-mounted behind the two seats. Developing 400hp, it’s mated to a six-speed manual gearbox (auto ‘box available) with a visible gearchange mechanism and hydraulic power-assisted steering. An automatic gearbox is also available.

The car rides on 20-inch ultra-lightweight V-spoke forged alloy wheels. They’re diamond cut to create a premium two-tone finish, though silver or gloss black versions are available as a no-cost option on the First Edition. Two-piece brake discs with branded calipers are also part of the First Edition spec, plus a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

The V6 First Edition comes in one of six vibrant paint colours: Seneca Blue – which was seen at the car’s launch in July – plus Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Grey and Nimbus Grey. More colours will be available during 2022.

V6 First Edition exterior details include LED lights all round, a titanium exhaust finisher, heated power-fold door mirrors and rear parking sensors. The Lower Black Pack is fitted as standard, which means the front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser are all in finished in gloss black.

Dan Balmer, Regional Director, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Lotus, commented: “It is a pleasure to be showcasing the Emira in Dubai for the first time with our partners Adamas Motors. The Emira has been met with universal acclaim since it made its public debut in July and anticipation for its arrival in the Middle East has been high. We look forward to hearing what our customers have to say; I have no doubt there will be great appreciation for the new model in the region, as there has been on a global level so far.”

Karl Hamer, CEO, Adamas Motors, added: “We are proud to launch the Lotus Emira today in Dubai, the first of an exciting range of new products from Lotus. Adamas Motors continues to invest in the UAE and Asia Pacific, as we grow our business and continue our aim of class-leading customer satisfaction.”

Retail partner Adamas Motors opened the Lotus showroom in Dubai in May this year. The building, located on Sheikh Zayed Road, covers an impressive 30,000 sq ft, and as well as housing the full Lotus range of cars, is home to the group head office, a car configurator area, a café, boutique, numerous lounges and an interactive customer social area. The showroom is one of three Lotus retail spaces run by Adamas Motors in the Middle East; the others are located in Abu Dhabi, UAE and Manama, Bahrain.

The first customer cars in UAE will be the Emira V6 First Edition, a high-spec flagship version of the car that will arrive in the regions showrooms next summer. Fully loaded with a host of desirable equipment plus unique badging, it will cost from under 400,000 AED including VAT.

LOTUS EMIRA V6 FIRST EDITION TECH HEADLINE SPECIFICATION:

Engine configuration	3,456cc / V6
Engine model	Toyota 2GR-FE
Supercharger	Edelbrock 1740
Power	400hp / 298kW
Torque	420Nm (manual) / 430Nm (auto)
Max engine speed	6,800rpm
Gearbox	Six-speed manual / six-speed auto
CO2 emissions (WLTP combined)	243g/km*
0-60mph	4.3 seconds*
0-100km/h	4.3 seconds (manual) / 4.2 seconds (auto)*
Top speed	180mph / 290km/h*
Drag coefficient (Cd)	0.349*

*subject to homologation

Lotus Cars UAE partnered with Abu Dhabi City Golf Club for a splendid golf tournament on 1st October, 2021.
The “Lotus Captains Drive-in” event was the first tournament of the season 2021-2022.
Over 50 members participated, and Adamas Motors provided the winner with a Lotus for an entire week!
The prizes were announced by the Kenny Macaulary & Jacqueline Morrison, Men’s & Women’s Captain.

• New series sports car production confirmed for Hethel, UK
• £100m+ investment into all-new manufacturing facilities
• Further job creation to support increased volumes
• End of production planned for Evora, Exige and Elise in 2021

(Hethel, UK – 25 January 2021) – A new series of sports cars is confirmed, with prototype production of the Lotus Type 131 to commence this year from a world class manufacturing facility in Hethel, Norfolk.

The new manufacturing investment is part of Lotus’ Vision80 strategy, which will also see the relocation of two Lotus sub-assembly facilities into one efficient central operation in Norwich city to support higher volumes.

To accompany the £100-million-plus investment into Hethel’s facilities, Lotus will be recruiting some 250 new employees. This is in addition to the 670 to have joined Lotus since September 2017, when shareholders Geely and Etika took ownership of the company.

New recruits are required for roles in engineering and manufacturing for both Lotus Cars and the world-renowned engineering consultancy, Lotus Engineering – which opens its Advanced Technology Centre in Warwick later this year.

To acknowledge the forthcoming family of performance cars, Lotus has released an image that hints at the new generation of products that will follow Elise, Exige and Evora, which have entered their final year of production in 2021. A full programme of activities is planned to celebrate the current range of three sports cars, starting with the elder, the iconic Lotus Elise.

The Lotus Elise was unveiled in 1995, revolutionising the low volume sports car industry with its pioneering use of extruded and bonded aluminium, high-tech composites and lightweight knowhow.

Using the technology pioneered in the Elise, the Exige, launched in 2000, quickly became the epitome of the ‘racecar for the road’. The Exige demonstrated a rare ability to give the driver an involving yet accessible experience on the road, while still managing to lap the most demanding tracks of the world quickly, with the safety and progressiveness expected of a Lotus.

The Evora returned Lotus to the lucrative super-sports car sector as an award-winning and versatile road car that was more driver-focused than its peers. In motorsport, the Evora was successful too, winning national GT championships around the world and gaining a podium at Le Mans.

Future Lotus cars are taking this learning and further developing it to ensure the preservation of that all-important DNA, with the overriding criteria of being ‘For The Drivers’.

Phil Popham, CEO, Lotus Cars, said: “This year will be hugely significant for Lotus with new facilities coming on stream, a new sports car entering production and new levels of efficiency and quality that only a new car design and factory can deliver. Despite the continuing global challenges, Lotus has emerged from 2020 strong and on track in the delivery of our Vision80 business plan.”

He added: “As our Vision80 strategy illustrates, Lotus is all about looking forward, and our future is full of continuous innovation. In 2021 however, we will be reflecting on the legacy of our current range, starting with the Elise, a sports car that genuinely revolutionised the automotive industry, not only because it is a legend-in-its-own-lifetime but also for its impact on car design and technology.”

Matt Windle, Lotus’ Executive Director, Engineering, said: “Our renowned team of engineers, designers and technicians who are working on the new cars are acutely aware of the legacy from the Elise, Exige and Evora. Indeed, many were around when Elise was being developed. Members of our team, old and new, are now busy blending the learnings of the past with the innovations of today and tomorrow, to ensure our future cars truly move the game on but remain firmly committed to Lotus values.”

The Elise, Exige and Evora have contributed greatly to the Lotus business over the years, and by the time the last of these models leaves the assembly line, they will have sold a combined circa 55,000 units.

Lotus has created multiple automotive legends over the last 73 years, and with the Evija hypercar and new Type 131 sports car, a new dawn of innovation and legend-making is breaking over Hethel.