Lotus Engineering Limited was founded in 1952 by Colin Chapman. From day one Lotus designed and built race cars, some for the track and some for the street, and even in the fifties Lotus encouraged their customers to race them.
Lotus entered Formula One in 1958, and between 1958 and 1980 Lotus was the most successful team in the sport. Team Lotus took some seven builder’s titles, six driver’s titles, and seventy-three race victories. They are fourth all time in both win categories and points standings. Team Lotus was also the first to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories. (Ferrari was the second team to do so, having won their first F1 race in 1951, seven years earlier.)
Most of this success can be attributed to Lotus’ innovative designs. Lotus introduced the mid-engined layout, developed the first monocoque F1 chassis, and was first to integrate the engine and transaxle as chassis components. Lotus was also a pioneer in F1 in adding wings and shaping the undersurface of the car to create downforce, as well as the first to move radiators to the sides of the car to aid in aerodynamic performance. These are but a few of the many race innovations that Lotus has introduced or helped develop over the years.
The modern Lotus street car has not forgotten its heritage, and is ready to hit the track right out of the box. Some have said the Elise and Exige are too small and race oriented to be practical, even for sports cars. Lotus is working on the answer; the new Evora (slotted for release in 2010) is a larger, more refined six cylinder sports car which is aiming to silence the critics.