FEATURE
THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE OF LOTUS
The iconic British brand is undergoing big changes but still makes cars relevant to its past, reports Darren Cassey
I
f you want a driver-focused car, Norfolk-based Lotus is one of the world’s best. For more than 70 years it has been known for building some of the best-handling cars of any company. Over the years, it has evolved from being a motorsport company to building highly desirable road cars that echo the lightweight-first ethos of founder Colin Chapman. However, with the industry and buying habits changing, the future is complicated for Lotus. Here, we take a look at some of the cars that earned it its reputation, the models it builds now, and what it plans for the future.
Lotus Esprit
THE PAST
Lotus Elan 50 | CarDealerMag.co.uk
Adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere. Colin Chapman
THE company was founded in 1948 when Chapman built his first racing car in his garage. Lotus would largely sell kit cars designed for private racers, but the Elan would become the first to be built fully by the factory in the 1970s. While many of his rivals would chase horsepower for performance, Chapman’s ethos was ‘simplify, then add lightness’. He also said that ‘adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere’. This ethos stood the company in good stead, and it would go on to work with other manufacturers to help create performance versions of their vehicles, or produce lightweight components on their behalf, all while offering its own range of lightweight sports cars.
