“Theory 1” heralds a new chapter for Lotus
The Theory 1, which Lotus unveiled to the public at Goodwood, is a preview of what Lotus envisions as its super sports car of the future.
At the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed, which was a huge success, Lotus held a wide range of exhibits and demonstration runs, the highlight of which was the fully electric concept car “Theory 1”, created as an intelligent performance car.
Ben Payne, Lotus Group vice president of design, added the following about Theory 1:
“Theory 1 represents the next chapter for Lotus and we are delighted to be able to unveil it at Goodwood. This concept car draws on the experience Lotus has built over its 77-year history to push the boundaries of the high-performance car driving experience. We do not want to compromise, even in the cars of the future, where digital and analogue systems function in harmony.”
This time, Team Lotus, which is Lotus’ motorsports organization, has been revived. The first one-make racing car since the Exige, the Emira Cup, was also unveiled for the first time. The Emira Cup was developed based on the production-spec Emira, and the company plans to hold a one-make race series called the Lotus Cup, which will be open to everyone from beginners to veterans.
Exhibition commemorating 75 years of F1 participation
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Lotus’ participation in F1, Jim Clark’s Lotus Type 33 and Ayrton Senna’s Lotus 97T were on display.
This year at Goodwood, a tribute project was held to celebrate Lotus’ 75th anniversary of its F1 participation. The Lotus Type 33, in which Jim Clark won the F1 title in 1965, and the Lotus 97T, in which Ayrton Senna took his first F1 victory, were on display. There was also a talk session with Clive Chapman, managing director of Classic Team Lotus, and Chris Dinage, who was once Ayrton Senna’s number one mechanic.
Clive Chapman, who participated in the talk session, commented on Team Lotus and the two great racing drivers:
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s first Formula 1 victory at the Portuguese Grand Prix with Team Lotus in 1985. It was a monumental victory that marked a turning point for the team and its driver. It is also 60 years since Jim Clark’s unbeatable year, when he dominated F1, the Indy 500, the Tasman Series and F2. The passion and rare talents of Senna and Clark led Team Lotus to great success.”
The current lineup of Evija, Emeja, Elettre and Emira will take part in a dynamic hill run throughout the day, and at the Lotus booth, motor journalist and presenter Natasha Bird will be hosting a Q&A session about Lotus with a number of distinguished guests, including racing drivers.
