Lotus factory tour / F1 museum

[sawman]

Family trip to norfolk planned this summer and I was planning a trip for me and the lad to the lotus factory +/- their F1 heritage museum. We have previously toured the Morgan factory which was really good and a bargain at only a tenner a head at the time. The contrast to something a bit more modern would be interesting.

Whilst browsing the lotus site i note that track experiences are also available, I cant really justify both but now conflicted - track or factory tour??

Anyone done either or both? Any views?

[HarveyMushmanDC2]

If you both enjoyed Morgan, then the classic team lotus tour is equally fascinating.

Having done the Morgan tour, and thoroughly enjoyed it, there’s no reason to go again anytime soon, because it will be the same.

Whereas with the Classic Lotus tour, I’ve travelled from Manchester twice to do it in the last 2years (I’d originally booked to go with my dad post lockdown, but he wasn’t well so went with a friend. When dad had recovered went again).

The collection upstairs has a real spread of cars from the earliest to the Senna era and you get as much time as you could ever need to wander amongst them soaking in the details, as does the workshop downstairs where there could literally be anything in for prep/rebuild/restoration.

On my last visit there was Jim Clarke’s lotus 25 and Ronnie Petersons 72, both in the workshop amongst others.

So well worth a visit (in my view).

Can’t comment on the “modern” factory tour as not been since about 1997 when my dad was waiting for his Elise to be built!

[sawman]

Thanks for the reply, from what i can see on the lotus website, the heritage tour is an addition onto a factory tour,

I was rather hoping this thread would survive in general gassing but it seems mods thought otherwise….

[HarveyMushmanDC2]

Booking direct with classic team lotus is £55. Saturdays only though.

[sawman]

HarveyMushmanDC2 said:

Booking direct with classic team lotus is £55. Saturdays only though.

thanks for the steer on that - hadnt seen the classic team lotus option - sounds good, I'm probably more interested in the classic workshop than the new factory, although my lad is an engineering student and might be more interested in the factory.
We did the Morgan factory when he was about 7 - his face was a picture when he saw the morgan production line, including hammers wood bending and tin snips - he had only seen car factories on the discovery channel before.

[Panamax]

I see you are in the North East, which is bad luck because Nissan don't have factory tours. However, the Mini factory at Oxford does if you're ever down that way.

See linked article on this subject. You might even be able to do two in one day with a bit of forward planning.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/grand-...

[F1GTRUeno]

I imagine the focus would be on the Chapman era and then JPS cars but does the Classic workshop/museum/tour have much with the 89-94 cars?

[BertBert]

F1GTRUeno said:

I imagine the focus would be on the Chapman era and then JPS cars but does the Classic workshop/museum/tour have much with the 89-94 cars?

It's fairly balanced going through the Lotus era. It's quite informal and the tour guide will react to interest and questions. So if you make it known what specifics you are interested in, I think you'll get them covered well. For me it was spellbinding, I absolutely loved it! Ready to go back again.

OTOH the factory tour was very dull in comparison. Great to be there but the tour narrative was nowhere near as well developed and informative. Didn't help that the factory was dead as a dodo, I assume run down for the Easter break. Just looked like groups of people standing round chatting with hardly anything being assembled.