This newly-launched driving experience is sure to make visitors feel like a Formula 1 winner.

Norfolk-based car manufacturer Lotus is opening its doors to the public for the first time in five years to offer a driving academy and factory tours.

Lotus was founded in north London in 1952 before moving to an old RAD airfield in Hethel in Norfolk in 1966, where its headquarters have remained since.

Eastern Daily Press: The tour will take visitors around the Emira production lineThe tour will take visitors around the Emira production line (Image: Lotus)

The newly opened Lotus Driving Academy (LDA) will allow visitors to drive the new Emira sports car on the full 2.2-mile Hethel test track with tuition from Lotus experts.

Lotus is also restarting its factory tours for the first time since 2017 after a £100 million upgrade. Visitors will walk through the old factory where the Elise, Exige and Evora were built before moving on to see the production of the new Emira.


Eastern Daily Press: The factory tour can sometimes be upgraded to a heritage tourThe factory tour can sometimes be upgraded to a heritage tour (Image: Lotus)

Regular factory tours will be from Monday to Thursday every week at 10am and 2pm from April 4. They can be booked online now.

The launch of the Hethel LDA and factory tour are part of the company's three-year growth plan.