Birmingham-based McCann Erickson Central has been appointed lead agency to relaunch iconic car brand Lotus.

The Drum can exclusively reveal that the Birmingham agency has been briefed by Group Lotus to draw on the "pedigree and heritage" of the brand as it looks to overtake luxury car rivals.

McCann will create a new brand identity, "web solutions" for both Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, support materials, a new brochure suite and support for a high-profile launch at the Paris Motorshow in September 2010.

"This is an incredible win for the agency and I couldn’t be more proud to announce we will be working with the Lotus brand," said McCann Central CEO, Dean Lovett.

"This type of opportunity, to influence the future of a true automotive icon, is very rare and a real privilege for the team who will be leading the work."

Lotus's legacy stems back to the early fifties. The motoring marque won seven Formula 1 world championships, was driven by racing legends Stirling Moss and Ayrton Senna, and appeared in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

McCann's work on the account starts immediately.