- Collaboration will draw on both brands’ core values of light-weighting, performance-oriented contemporary design and sporting durability
- To be unveiled later this year, the project showcases the skill and passion of Britain’s finest craftsmen and women
(Hethel/Savile Row, UK – 3 June 2020) – Lotus is working with renowned Savile Row outfitter and bespoke tailor Norton & Sons to design and create something special ‘For The Drivers’.
The creative project, a collaboration between the two quintessential British icons to be formally unveiled later this year, will incorporate both brands’ core values of light-weighting, performance-oriented contemporary design and sporting durability.
Having celebrated its 70th year in 2018 and now undergoing a renaissance under new shareholders and management, Lotus is a sports car company that exists first, last and always ‘For the Drivers’.
Famed for its illustrious heritage in Formula 1 racing and appearances in iconic James Bond movies, Lotus is a pioneer of light-weighting in automotive and motorsport. Many of the brand’s most famous innovations have come from the Lotus Engineering consultancy, which today is leading the way for the company’s entry into the world of automotive electrification.
The critically acclaimed Lotus Evija hypercar – the first all-electric British hypercar and the most powerful series production car ever made – is the company’s first step in this new direction, and will serve as an inspiration to this new collaboration with Norton & Sons.
Norton & Sons, one of Savile Row’s longest-established tailors, was founded in 1821 and celebrates its bicentennial next year. It has clothed some of history’s most stylish and inspiring men, including Hollywood legends such as actor Cary Grant, British royalty including King Edward VII, and performance pioneers such as Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the speed of sound.
From its tailoring shop on Savile Row – the epicentre of the London fashion scene – it has developed an expertise in exquisite lightweight clothing for sporting pursuits. Norton & Sons works closely with the fashion industries of London, New York and Paris, cutting and sewing elegant yet informal tailored pieces for a long list of celebrated designers.
Patrick Grant, Director of Norton & Sons, said: “The year I was born Lotus won the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship. Growing up it was the definitive British sports car brand. James Bond drove a Lotus Esprit and it was the car that every kid in the playground dreamed of owning. Colin Chapman is revered as an engineering icon, a pioneer and an entrepreneur of exceptional personal style. Norton & Sons has a long tradition of making for sportsmen and pioneers, so Lotus and Norton & Sons feels like a perfect fit.”
Russell Carr, Director Design, Lotus, added: “Norton & Sons share many synergies with Lotus – we are both British brands built on performance, quality and timeless style. We are both disruptors with modern thinking, a purist aesthetic and a sense of adventure. Like our sports cars, the fruits of this collaboration will be handcrafted in Britain using British-made technical materials, and will have a genuine focus on ultimate performance through light-weighting.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
For more information please contact the Lotus Communications team:
James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications jandrew@lotuscars.com
+44 (0) 7384 830903
Rob Borrett, PR Manager, Product and Digital Content rborrett@lotuscars.com
+44 (0) 7718 560789
Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk
+44 (0) 7802 918662
Marc Mustard, Head of Content and Launch Programmes mmustard@lotuscars.com
+44 (0) 7538 835450
Richard Yarrow, PR Manager, News and Technology ryarrow@lotuscars.com
+44 (0) 7471 994525
The Lotus media site – https://media.lotuscars.com – contains news, images, specifications and full details of current models, as well as heritage cars and engineering technology.
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About Lotus
Group Lotus is based in Hethel, Norfolk, UK. It is part of Geely Automotive, the fastest growing automotive group in the world. Geely has a 51% controlling stake, with 49% owned by Etika Automotive, a Malaysian conglomerate.
Lotus Cars builds world-class, high-performance sports cars including the Evora, Elise and Exige ranges. In July 2019 it launched the Evija, the world’s first all-electric British hypercar. Production will start in 2020.
Lotus Engineering provides a comprehensive consultancy service which works with many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. It is internationally recognised for its long-standing contribution to ground-breaking automotive engineering and vehicle development.
About Norton & Sons
Norton & Sons were tailors to the Gentlemen of the City of London. As the world changed, so too has Norton & Sons. For quite some time now Norton & Sons has welcomed anyone desiring of the finest clothing available to them, dressing men, women and children regardless of their social standing or where they come from. Founded by Walter Norton and originally located on The Strand, the business flourished and in 1859 then Guv’nor George James Norton was granted the Freedom of the City of London in recognition of his services to tailoring. In the 1860’s Norton & Sons moved to Savile Row to join the ranks of tailors in what was to become the home of bespoke clothing. In 2005, Patrick Grant took ownership of the brand and has increased innovation practices and sales.
