RUSSELL CARR, DESIGN DIRECTOR, LOTUS CARS

Tell us about the way air moves around this car. “Something very Lotus which we’ve taken to another level is the aerodynamics. It’s always been part of our history and motorsport: in the ’60s we were among the first teams putting wings on cars, we had ground effects in the ’70s and streamlining way back in the ’50s. With this car, the philosophy was that we wanted to harness the airflow over the body of the car, but also through the body of the car. We’re not the first people to do it, but we wanted to do it in a very sculptural manner that would give a different aesthetic to the car.” What does that mean for aesthetics?

“When you look at the car from the outside you see familiar volume, we hope a very beautiful-looking car. It’s important that it’s beautiful in the first place. But as you walk around it you start to see openings that go through the car, which allow the air to pass through.

As I say, that gives it a different aesthetic, draws the eye through the car and over the car, and gives it a great sense of movement.”