Back to basics

When an anonymous South East Asian customer asked Lotus to design and build a Lotus Exige racing car, all it asked was ‘when do you want it?’

Most production vehicle makers would have laughed at the reply ‘in six months’, but Lotus just got on with the job. In an environment where the solution to long lead times for new model introduction is addressed by total computer integration from day one, Lotus went back to its traditional roots.

It assembled a small design and manufacturing team so that effective communication was second nature, and chose tried and trusted suppliers and processes to minimise surprises and speed up problem resolution. And most radical of all, it opted for traditional processes — hand sketches and clays.

Key to the whole exercise was the inclusion of Racing Technology Norfolk (RTN) to produce the specialist lightweight carbon-fibre bodywork which was to be mated to a standard Elise aluminium extruded and bonded chassis.