Lotus celebrates 70 years by burning lots of rubber – video

As Lotus counts down to its official 70th birthday party, the British sports car maker published a video of two of its sports car burning rubber and spelling out 70 within a circle at the company's test track at its Hethel headquarters.

Lotus claims no CGI was used for the video, although it did have to sacrifice "more than few pairs of tyres".

Although the company was officially established in 1952, Lotus traces its history back to 1948 when co-founder Colin Chapman built his first vehicle, the Lotus Mark I, a trials car based on the chassis of the Austin 7.

Although the company has a long history of racing, including its glory days in Formula One, the company also provides engineering and tuning services for other automakers. Its list of current and past clients includes Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Volkswagen, General Motors, the Chrysler Group, and Proton.

During its long and often tempestuous history, Lotus has had a number of owners, including Toyota, GM and Romano Artioli, who also controlled Bugatti at the time. The company was sold to Proton in 1996.

Last year Geely bought 51 per cent of the company from Proton's controlling interest, Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom, along with a 49.9 per cent stake in Proton. These very different automakers now join Geely's growing roster of marques, including its own brand, Volvo, Polestar, Lynk & Co, and the London Taxi Company.

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