NB Items which are strike-through have been removed from their respective website.
2011
Newbury Weekly News
2009
We are featured in the October Eastern Daily Press about our ‘Factory Frolic’.
EDP
A convoy of dozens of super cars snaked their way from Norwich to Cromer at the weekend, drawing admiring glances from those along the route – all in the name of fun and charity.
All carried the Lotus marque, with models ranging in age across four decades and brands including the Esprit, Elise, Exige and Elan M100.
Dubbed the ‘factory frolic 2009’ and organised by the Lotus Forum, the weekend event was made up of the Saturday drive from Dunston Hall on the edge of Norwich, via Acle and Stalham, finishing in Cromer, then an evening dinner with charity auction, followed by a Sunday visit to the Hethel headquarters of Lotus for a factory tour and track events.
Those track events included test driving of the Evora, the newest mid-2008 addition to the Lotus stable.
The drivers in the Saturday convoy included international visitors from Canada, the US, Finland, Germany and Denmark, several who had brought their cars from their home countries to take part.
“It was quite some sight for people driving the other way or for anyone standing by the roadside,” said one of the organisers Tony Kimberley, whose father is the recently retired chief executive of Lotus, Mike Kimberley.
“People were waving and cheering and taking photographs as we passed, it was a lot of fun for everyone.”
The convoy stopped at the Runton Road car park in Cromer and participants walked into town for traditional seaside fish and chips and café visits, said Mr Kimberley.
A dinner on Saturday evening back at Dunston Hall included an auction of various donated lots, plus a surprise presentation to Mike Kimberley of a painting by well known car artist Guy Allen featuring Mr Kimberley surrounded by the various cars he had been involved in designing over many years.
These included the likes of the E-type Jaguar as well as all the Lotus models, said his son: “He has been incredibly supportive of the Lotus Forum over the years, attending many of our events all over the place, so we wanted to show some gratitude.”
The weekend events were set to raise several thousand pounds, added Mr Kimberley, although a final total was not yet known.
2007
LEF were very sneaky in 2007 and arranged for one of our members cars to be restored in secret as his illness was preventing him working on the car. Links to stories and press articles below…
The Bexley Times
Practical Classics
We were also interviewed for 5 radio shows, the article was translated into 4 languages and appeared on hundreds of automotive and other web forums!
2006
LEF arranged a day at the Lotus Factory in Hethel for 200 of our members raising over £5,000 for Macmillan in the process. Links to stories and press articles below…
Vehicle Engineer International
Bury St Edmunds Today
Classic & Sportscar Magazine
