The two companies have performance-oriented contemporary design in common, but that’s not all. British car company Lotus has begun working with Savile Row outfitter and bespoke tailor Norton & Sons on a new project.
For now, both companies have been relatively mum on what they’re working on, but a few key details have snuck out. The first of which is that they say their creation is “For the Drivers”. A clue and a tagline in one.
There are promises that the creation will, “incorporate both brands’ core values of light-weighting, performance-oriented contemporary design and sporting durability.” They’ll make an official announcement later this year.
Norton & Sons is located on London’s famed Savile Row.Photo courtesy of Lotus Cars
Lotus has been undergoing a brand renaissance since new shareholders and management took over in 2018. In its heyday, the company had the Elan, which was recently voted as one of Britain’s best classic cars, had vehicles featured in James Bond films, and was winning at the racetrack with enough frequency to claim a level of dominance.
Recently, the company has made plans for a quick and electrified future. They announced that the Lotus Evija hypercar has enter its initial build stage.On the more pedestrian end of the spectrum, the Evora has gotten a cheaper, more daily-driver-focused variant and Elise Classic Heritage Editions were shown for the first time.
Norton & Sons 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.
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.”
