Lotus news - Ice and light - 2008

You're the RAF bobsleigh team - yes, the RAF has a bobsleigh team - and your sled is in a state of general disrepair. Cracked, scuffed, crisp packets in the footwell... that sort of thing. So what do you do?

Hand it over to Lotus, that's what. With their thorough grasp of composite materials, aerodynamics and the accelerative properties of green-and-gold paint, the boys from Hethel have transformed the RAF's ramshackle shed into a podium contender - and, we're near certain, the finest looking competitor on the grid. (Do bobsleigh races have grids? If not, they should.)

Lotus isn't the first manufacturer to go to work on a bobsleigh, though. Back in February, Ferrari announced it would work with the Italian Olympic Committee to develop sleds and skis for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Top Gear senses an inter-manufacturer luge championship coming on. Just imagine the Lambo entry...