Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 1/Episode 8/Lotus Lada Film
Following the conclusion of the prior segment, Hammond hypothesizes that any saloon could be turned into a performance car given the right tuning, and who better to test this hypothesis out than Lotus? Previously known for their work on the Lotus Cortina and Lotus Carlton, which turned the likes of the Ford Cortina and Vauxhall Carlton saloons into notorious, powerful sports cars, the engineering team at Lotus are given a new challenge; a 1997 Lada Riva 1.5E owned by Paul Sherwood. Introducing himself to General Manager Chris Arnold, the pair discuss the car's history; at six years old (albeit the design itself being much older), Sherwood has owned the car for just under a year, which seemingly replaced another Lada judging from Sherwood's affectation towards them. Though not familiar with the Russian marque, Arnold takes a look at the car to see what can be done in spite of its boxy form, with the production team paying £200 for a replacement engine. The car is then taken to the company's test track and thrashed around by test driver Gavan Kershaw to assess the car's performance, the car losing one of its replacement hubcaps in the process. Russell Carr and his team then take a closer look at the Lada, with Carr immediately singling in on the tyres, wheels and ride height so that the car can handle much better.
Sat at a computer, Carr and a designer settle on painting the car black so as to obscure its brutalistic design. In Photoshop, their proposed design also includes a new set of alloy wheels, the deletion of the front bumper, removal of chrome trim, and tinting of the windscreen. After attempting to remove the bumper and grille without any tools, Carr then sits with a bunch of print-outs, including an alternate interpretation modeled after Lotus' classic Grand Prix cars, as well as a ZIL limousine and Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, with the thought to create a compromise design which combines elements from these other ideas. After showing another Photoshop render with a large silver detail plus new chrome trim as well as Russell Carr stating his intentions for the car's interior, Gavan Kershaw and the rest of the team laugh at Paul Sherwood's worries that they could "ruin" the looks of the original car.
Later on in the episode, it's revealed the team at Lotus Cars have 2 weeks to turn Paul Sherwood's Lada into a sports saloon. They replace the brake system, hand-craft a new exhaust and seats, repaint the car with Lotus black paint from the East Bilney Coachworks, and replace the knackered 35 horsepower engine with an otherwise-identical Fiat-sourced powerplant which has been modified to produce 180 horsepower, with Lotus bringing in Fiat & Lancia twin-cam expert Guy Croft. Elsewhere, the car's interior has received further upgrades in the form of a racing steering wheel, gear shifter, pedals, and instrumentation, and the exterior has been finished with BBS alloys and a silver pinstripe containing the hammer & sickle symbol of the Soviet Union. In total, it's revealed that 1000 man-hours of work was expended on the car. Hammond then brings Sherwood into the garage, the latter blindfolded before the car's new engine is revved. Sherwood is then shown his new car with the team at Lotus standing proudly alongside it, before being reacquainted with Chris Arnold, whom he personally thanks.
On the whole, Sherwood is overjoyed with his renovated Lada, as is Arnold, who was initially unsure if anything could be done with the car after its alternator failed and wheel trims fell off but as the project developed, saw more and more potential. Hammond shows Sherwood his new engine, explaining to him that Croft is the foremost expert on the Fiat twin-cam and literally "wrote the book" on the subject, before turning to Rob, a Lotus engineer, and commending him for his hard work. Gavan Kershaw is more than willing to throw the tuned Lada around their test track with Sherwood as passenger. The resultant Lotus Lada easily powerslides around the course and is clearly proof that any car can be made sporty with the right amount of work.
Back at the studio, Jeremy Clarkson reveals that the cost of parts and labour totaled £100,000 had Paul Sherwood gone to Lotus himself and requested the upgrades made to his car. Clarkson asks Sherwood to "look" grateful, before making him get on his hands and knees and grovel in front of the team who were present at the studio, much to the audience's merriment and applause.
