A former Lotus mechanic was transported back in time when a classic car like the ones he used to work on visited his Abingdon care home.
Peter Lean, who lives at Bridge House care home, worked at Lotus in the 1950s and was part of the team which built models including the Lotus 7 from scratch.
The team at the award-winning care home arranged for Robert Jacobs, who owns a championship-winning race car, to bring along his Lotus to surprise Peter.
Peter said: “I was so happy to see the car and be able to touch it again. It was very emotional actually because I never thought I’d get to see one of these amazing machines again."
During his time at Lotus, where he worked six days a week between 1956 and 58, Peter had the opportunity to work alongside racing legend Graham Hill, who is the only driver to complete motor racing’s triple crown - winning the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 and Indianapolis 500.
Joined by his family and some of his own photos and memorabilia from his time at Lotus, Peter and Robert reminisced and shared stories about their passion for Lotus cars.
Lifestyles manager Chantelle Merritt, who organised the visit, said: "The mere mention of Lotus brings a sparkle to Peter's eyes, and seeing a Lotus car in front of him again brought back a flood of emotions. It was a truly special moment for Peter and everyone involved."
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