The Lotus Position
The history of Lotus as a road car maker is as chequered as the other low-volume British makers, right up there with the likes of Aston Martin and Jensen.
Despite all odds though, the Norfolk brand has survived countless owners, the DeLorean controversy and the death of its founder to survive to the present day, where it prepares to enter a new chapter. The ‘last hurrah’ final combustion-engined car has just been unveiled and future Lotus models will be fully electric, once again fixing the likes of Porsche in their ambitious sights.
All of which seems an ideal excuse to ask the CCB team to select their favourite Lotus models – some serious and some perhaps with tongue in cheek.
Paul Wager Group Editor
FAVOURITE LOTUS: ELAN
My experience with Lotus has been patchy to say the least. One of the biggest ‘never meet your heroes’ moments was an Esprit Turbo which I’d been eagerly anticipating but which proved to be a great disappointment, illustrating perfectly the fatal optimism of Chapman’s dreams of chasing the likes of Porsche, yet my first drive in an Elise stunned me with how well the clever minimalist design worked.
For me then, Lotus is at its best when ploughing its own furrow using inspired engineering solutions to
