Lotus Cars Limited is a British automotive company headquartered in Norfolk, England. It manufactures sports cars and racing cars noted for their light weight and fine handling characteristics.

Lotus was previously involved in Formula One racing, via Team Lotus, winning the Formula One World Championship seven times.

Lotus Cars was founded and owned for many years by Colin Chapman. After his death and a period of financial instability, it was bought by General Motors, then Romano Artioli and DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary Proton. It is currently owned by Chinese multinational Geely, with Etika Automotive as an equity partner.

The engineering consultancy firm Lotus Engineering, an offshoot of Lotus Cars, has facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, China, and Malaysia.

1948  mark I

7/seven

The Lotus Seven was launched in 1957 to replace the Mark VI as the 'entry-level' Lotus model, The Seven name was left over from a model that was abandoned by Lotus, which would have been a Riley-engined single-seater that Lotus intended to enter into the Formula Two in 1952 or 1953. However, the car was completed around Chapman's chassis as a sports car by its backers and christened the Clairmonte Special.

Externally similar to Chapman's earlier Lotus Mark VI, but with a different tubular frame similar to the Lotus Eleven, the Seven was powered by a 40 bhp  Ford Side-valve 1,172 cc inline-four engine. It was used both on the road and for club racing (750 motor club in the UK).

The Lotus Seven S2 followed in 1960 and was supplemented by the Lotus Super Seven S2 from 1961. The Super Seven initially used the larger Cosworth modified 1,340cc Ford Classic engine and later examples were fitted with 1,498cc or 1,599cc engines. The Seven S3 was released in 1968. In 1970, Lotus radically changed the shape of the car to create the slightly more conventional sized Series 4 (S4), with a squarer fibreglass shell replacing most of the aluminium bodywork. It also offered some luxuries as standard, such as an internal heater matrix.

After Lotus ended production of the Seven, Caterham bought the rights and today Caterham makes both kits and fully assembled cars based on the original design known as the Caterham 7. The Lotus Seven design has spawned a host of imitations on the kit car market, generally called Sevens or Sevenesque roadsters.

eleven

The Lotus Eleven is a sports racing car built in various versions by Lotus from 1956 until 1958. The later versions built in 1958 are sometimes referred to as Lotus 13, although this was not an official designation. In total, about 270 Elevens of all versions were built. The Eleven was designed by Colin Chapman and fitted with a sleek body designed by aerodynamicist Frank Costin. Its top version, dubbed Le Mans, was generally fitted with a 1100 cc Coventry Climax FWA engine.  Several cars were fitted with alternative engines by their owners, these included Coventry Climax, Maserati, DKW  and SAAB.

Despite the wide variety of engines installed, the car was primarily designed to compete in the 1100 cc class where it was one of the most successful cars during the mid- to late-1950s. In 1956, an Eleven, modified by Costin with a bubble canopy over the cockpit, was driven by Stirling Moss to a class world record of 230 km/h for a lap at Monza. Several class victories at Le Mans and Sebring followed, and the Eleven became Lotus' most successful race car design. A 750cc version won the Index of Performance at Le Mans in 1957. In 1957, the Eleven underwent a major design change, including a new front suspension and improvements to the drivetrain. Although officially called Eleven Series 2, these late models are sometimes informally referred to as Lotus 13s, since they were produced between the 12 and 14 models and the 13 designation was not used by Lotus.

14/elite

The Lotus Elite name has been used for two production vehicles and one concept vehicle. The first generation Elite Type 14 was produced from 1957 to 1963 and the second generation model (Type 75 and later Type 83) from 1974 to 1982. The Elite name was also applied to a concept vehicle unveiled in 2010.

The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fibreglass monocoque construction, in which a stressed-skin Glass reinforced plastic unibody replaced the previously separate chassis and body components. Unlike the contemporary Chevrolet Corvette, which used fibreglass for only exterior bodywork, the Elite used glass-reinforced plastic for the entire load-bearing structure of the car. A steel subframe for supporting the engine and front suspension was bonded into the front of the monocoque.

The weight savings allowed the Elite to achieve sports car like performance from a 75 hp, 1.2 L Coventry Climax FWE all-aluminium Inline-four engine.

When production ended in 1963, 1,030 cars had been built. Other sources indicate that 1,047 were produced.

From 1974 to 1982, Lotus produced the considerably larger four-seat Type 75 and later Type 83 Elite. With this design Lotus sought to position itself upmarket and move away from its kit-car past. It replaced the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2. The Elite was the first Lotus automobile to use the aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder Type 907 engine that displaced 1,973 cc  and was rated at 155 hp. With this engine the car does 0–100 km/h in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 201 km/h. (The 907 engine had previously been used in Jensen-Healeys.) The 907 engine ultimately became the foundation for the 2.0 L and 2.2 L Esprit power-plants, the naturally aspirated 912 and the turbocharged 910. The Elite was fitted with a 4 or 5-speed manual transmission depending on the customer specifications. Beginning in January 1976, an automatic transmission was optional.

The Elite was available in four main variations, set apart by equipment levels: 501, 502, 503, and later on 504.

• 501 - "Base" version.
• 502 - Added air-conditioning to the base model.
• 503 - Added air-conditioning and power-steering.
• 504 - Added air-conditioning, power-steering and automatic transmission.

The Elite was the basis for the Eclat, and the later Excel 2+2 coupés.

26/elan

Lotus Elan is the name of two separate ranges of automobiles produced by Lotus Cars. The first series of cars was produced between 1962 and 1975 as a rear-wheel drive vehicle. The second series was produced between 1989 and 1995 as a front-wheel drive vehicle.

The Lotus Elan was the first Lotus road car to use a steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass body. This style of construction was to be repeated in subsequent Lotus models for nearly three decades. At approximately 680 kg, the Elan embodied Colin Chapman's minimum weight design philosophy. The Elan was technologically advanced with a DOHC 1,558 cc engine, four-wheel disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and 4-wheel independent suspension. Gordon Murray, designer of the McLaren F1 supercar, reportedly said that his only disappointment with the McLaren F1 was that he could not give it the perfect steering of the Lotus Elan.

The original Elan 1500 was introduced in 1962 as a roadster. After a very short production run of just 22 cars the engine was enlarged and the car was re-designated the Elan 1600.  An optional hardtop was also offered. The Elan 1600 of 1963 was replaced by the Elan S2 in 1964. In 1965 the Type 36, a fixed head coupé version of the car, was introduced while in 1966 the drop head coupé Type 26 was replaced by the Type 45. Both Types, 36 & 45, were offered initially in S3 form, followed in 1968 in S4 form, and finally in 1970 as the Elan Sprint. Production of the Sprint ceased in 1973. The standard (Std) S2, S3 & S4 models were also available in a slightly more powerful and luxurious "Special Equipment" variant, generally referred to as the SE (e.g. Lotus Elan S3 SE).

cortina

MKI: Lotus Cortina is the commonly used term for the Ford Cortina Lotus, a high-performance sports saloon, which was produced in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1970 by Ford in collaboration with Lotus Cars. The original version, which was based on the Ford Cortina Mark 1, was promoted by Ford as the "Consul Cortina developed by Lotus", with "Consul" later being dropped from the name. The Mark 2 was based on the Ford Cortina Mark II and was marketed by Ford as the "Cortina Lotus". Lotus gave the model the type number designation Type 28.

 Ford supplied the 2-door Cortina bodyshells and took care of all the marketing and selling of the cars, whilst Lotus did all the mechanical and cosmetic changes. The major changes involved installing the 1,557 cc, 105 bhp  engine, together with the same close-ratio gearbox as the Elan.

There were 3,306 Mark I and 4,093 Mark 2 Lotus Cortinas produced

MKII: Ford wanted to change a few things for the Mk2, the Mk1 had done all and more than they could expect in competition, but the public linked its competition wins with Lotus and its bad points with Ford. Ford still wanted to build a Mk2 Lotus and compete with it, but Lotus were moving from Cheshunt to Hethel so it was a bad time for them to build another model. Ford were also concerned with the unreliability of the Lotus built cars. So a decision was made at Ford that to continue with its competition drive and make the car more cost effective they would make the car at Dagenham themselves, alongside the other Cortinas. So the Mk2 had to be much easier to build than the Mk1 so that it could be made alongside Mk2 GT production, just with a different engine and suspension. The Mk2 Cortina Lotus also gained an improved and more powerful (111 PS) engine.

46/europa

The Lotus Europa name is used on two distinct mid-engine GT cars. The original Europa and its variants comprise the Lotus Types 46, 47, 54, 65 and 74, and were produced between 1966 and 1975.  The name was later revived in the Type 121 Europa S, a sports car based on the Lotus Elise produced from 2006 to 2010.

Lotus planned the Europa to be a volume-produced, two-seater mid-engine sports coupe built to reasonable cost. The Europa used a lightweight, folded & welded "minimalist" boxed-steel backbone chassis with a fibreglass moulded body, a combination that was first used by Lotus founder Colin Chapman in the Lotus Elan launched in 1962. The Renault 16's engine  was used after it got a Lotus work-over. It produced 63 hp. Production of the original Lotus Europa ceased in 1975, with a total of 9,230 cars of all models having been built.

The S2 used the same 1,470 cc Renault engine and mechanical components as the earlier Series 1, but added a number of key refinements. Early examples of the S2 were externally almost identical to the S1 with the exception of the new windows.

In 1971, the Type 74 Europa Twin Cam was made available to the public, with a 105 hp 1,557 cc Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine and a re-designed bodyshell to improve rearward visibility. In total 4,710 Type 74s were produced, of which 3,130 were badged "Specials".

Type 47 and 62s engine, gearbox and rear suspension were completely different from the standard Europa and were taken in their entirety from the Lotus 23/Lotus 22 Formula Junior cars with a Lotus-Ford Twin Cam based 165 hp 1,594 cc Cosworth Mk.XIII dry sump engine. As a mobile test bed for the new 2-litre Lotus 907 engine being developed for the forthcoming Elite and Eclat, the Type 62 was produced. Only two such cars were ever made.

76/éclat

The Lotus Éclat (Type 76 and Type 84) is a sports car built from 1975 to 1982. It was based on the Elite but had a fastback body style which offered more practicality with storage in the boot, albeit with less headroom above the rear seats. The car was initially to be called the "Elite Coupe". The lower half of the fibreglass bodywork was actually identical to that of the Elite.The Éclat Series 1 (1975–1980) was announced in October 1975. It used a 2.0 L, 160 hp  Lotus 907 Inline-4 engine. Later cars (1980–1982) used a larger 2.2 L  Lotus 912 engine, however, because of emission regulations modifications the power output remained the same as the early engine. It did, however, produce more torque and thus improved the car's performance. Both were versions of the 900 engine series.

Early cars either had a four speed Ford gearbox or the five speed gearbox derived by Lotus from Austin Maxi components. Later cars used a Getrag five speed gearbox. A three-speed automatic gearbox was optional.

The car was well received by the motoring press, which praised the car's handling and grip.^{[citation needed]} The fuel consumption was also considered reasonable at the time, in comparison with the larger and multi cylinder engines used in competitor GT cars.

In 1982, the Éclat was developed into the Éclat Excel (later badged simply as the Lotus Excel), which used the same engine, but a modified version of the chassis, altered bodywork, a Toyota gearbox, driveline, and brakes.

79/esprit

The Lotus Esprit is a British sports car that was built by Lotus Cars at their Hethel factory in England between 1976 and 2004. It was among the first of designer Giorgetto Giugiaro's polygonal "folded paper" designs.

S1: The Esprit was launched in October 1975 at the Paris Motor Show and entered production in June 1976, replacing the Europa in the Lotus model lineup. These first cars became known as "Series 1" (or S1) Esprits. The wedge-shaped fibreglass body was mounted on a steel backbone chassis. Power was from the 1,973 cc Lotus 907 four-cylinder engine that was rated at 162 PS in European trim and 140 hp in US/Federal trim. The engine was mounted longitudinally behind the passengers and drove the rear wheels through a Citroën C35 5-speed manual transaxle also used in the SM and Maserati Merak. Rear brakes were mounted inboard, following contemporary racing practice. The Series 1 embodied Lotus' performance through light weight mantra, weighing less than 1,000 kg.

S2: In 1978, the revised Series 2 (or S2) Esprit was introduced. External changes included intake and cooling ducts added behind the rear quarter windows, taillights from the Rover SD1, and an integrated front spoiler. S2 Esprits also had 360 mm (14 in) Speedline alloy wheels designed by Lotus. In 1980 the Essex Turbo Esprit was launched. This special edition model wore the blue, red and chrome livery of the Essex Overseas Petroleum Corporation, the sponsor of Team Lotus from 1979 to 1981.

S3: The Series 3 (or S3) and Turbo Esprit debuted in April 1981. The two models shared a common chassis, and bodywork was based on a common set of moulds. The final incarnations of the Giugiaro-styled Esprit were announced in April 1986. Higher compression ratios for the engines was indicated by the 'HC' moniker. Power output of the naturally aspirated engine rose to 172 PS  and 217 N⋅m for the Esprit HC, and to 218 PS  and 298 N⋅m for the Turbo Esprit HC, with more torque available at lower engine speeds.

X180:  In 1987, the Esprit was restyled by British designer Peter Stevens. Stevens, who would later go on to design the McLaren F1, produced a less angular, more rounded Esprit. Giugiaro is said to have liked the new shape, claiming it was perhaps too close to his original design. The exterior changes were accompanied by a redesign of the interior that gave more space to the occupants. The revised Esprit was not given a new "Series" number but is often called by its project code of X180. The X180 cars inherited most of their mechanical components from the earlier HC Esprit and Turbo Esprit. Power output was up to 268 PS.

S4: Another refresh of the car in 1993 penned by Julian Thomson resulted in the Series 4 (or S4). Exterior changes included a smaller rear spoiler placed halfway up the rear deck-lid, revised front and rear bumpers, side skirts and valence panels. New five-spoke alloy wheels were also fitted. New rectangular taillights were borrowed from the Toyota AE86. The S4's engine had the same power output as the SE at 268 PS. The S4 was the first Esprit to use a power steering. In 1996, Lotus launched the Esprit V8. The car came equipped with Lotus' own Type 918 V8 engine. The engine was detuned from a potential 507 PS to 355 PS to prevent gearbox damage.

1980 talbot sunbeam lotus

Chrysler had also commissioned the sports car manufacturer and engineering company Lotus to develop a strict rally version of the Sunbeam. The resulting "Sunbeam Lotus" was based on the Sunbeam 1.6 GLS, but fitted with stiffer suspension, a larger anti-roll bar and a larger transmission tunnel. The drivetrain comprised an enlarged, 2,172 cc, version of the Lotus 1973 cc Type 907 engine, a 16V slant four engine. In road trim, the type 911 engine produced 150 bhp at 5,750rpm and 203 N⋅m of torque at 4,500rpm. In rallying trim this was increased to 250 bhp.

wet nellie

Wet Nellie is a custom-built submarine, created for the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me in the shape of a Lotus Esprit S1 sports car. The Esprit was chosen to give James Bond a glamorous car to drive. "Wet Nellie" is named in reference to Little Nellie, an autogyro featured in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice, which was itself named after actress and comedian Nellie Wallace.

The submarine does not maintain a dry interior, and thus is a "wet sub" that requires occupants to don scuba gear. It was built by Perry Oceanographic, Inc., of Riviera Beach, Florida, United States, specifically for the film, using a Lotus Esprit S1 bodyshell, for about $100,000 at the time. The wedge shape of the Esprit is designed to provide downforce, which would cause the submarine to dive. This undesirable force was compensated for by fins placed where the wheels would be in a conventional Esprit. The sub requires a crew of two to operate. It has four electric motors that allowed forward motion only. The interior bears no resemblance to that of a car, being just a platform for the scuba divers, and the equipment used to operate, drive, and power the sub.

Upon completion of filming, the submarine went on a promotional tour. Afterwards, it was shipped to Long Island, New York, and placed in storage. The storage unit was prepaid for 10 years; at the end of the lease, no one claimed the contents, so the contents of the storage locker were placed on auction. Elon Musk bought the vehicle, and as of 2013, planned to convert it into the functional car-submarine from the film. Musk stated that he plans to use Tesla Motors' electric drive train in making his conversion a reality.

etna

The Lotus Etna is a one-off concept car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who also designed the Lotus Esprit. When the Etna was revealed in Birmingham, it was promised that it would be the first road-going Lotus to receive Lotus' sophisticated f1 suspension, along with traction control, ABS and noise cancelling – and, of course, the new V8  4.0-litre Type 909 engine which ultimately produced 335bhp.

However, although it resembled a fully-operational car, the Etna concept was actually a styling model fashioned from wood, clay and glassfibre. While Lotus took care of the engineering in-house, it had commissioned Italdesign of Turin to style the Etna and shipped the elongated Esprit chassis to Italy. What came back was a handsome, aerodynamic design – but it was created to stir interest in the production version, rather than being a fully-functional representation of it.

By 1985 the British investors who owned Lotus  recognised that they lacked the required capital to invest in the required new model development to production, and sought to find a major motor manufacturing buyer. In January 1986, Wickins oversaw the majority sale of the Group Lotus to General Motors. 

On 27 August 1993, GM sold the company, for £30 million, to A.C.B.N. Holdings S.A. of Luxembourg, a company controlled by Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti Automobili SpA. In 1996, a majority share in Lotus was sold to Proton, a Malaysian car company listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.

On 24 May 2017, Chinese multinational Geely announced that was taking a 51% controlling stake in Lotus. The remaining 49% were acquired by Etika Automotive, a holding company of Proton's major shareholder Syed Mokhtar Albukhary.

In April 2021 Lotus announced plans to produce only electric cars by 2028 and increase production numbers from around 1,500 per annum to tens of thousands. By going electric, where the powertrain is comprised of silent batteries and relatively simple electric motors that deliver instant torque, Lotus can focus on its core strengths: performance achieved through efficiency, light weight and innovation. In electric specialty performance cars, handling, packaging, and clever design will be preeminent. To expand the brand into lucrative market segments in the West and also provide a range of products to sell in the Chinese market, a “premium” and highly mutable battery-electric platform will come before the battery-electric sports car. 

130/evija

The Lotus Evija is a limited production electric sports car to be manufactured by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars. Unveiled in July 2019, it is the first electric vehicle to be introduced and manufactured by the company. Codenamed "Type 130", its production will be limited to 130 units.

The name Evija is derived from Eve of the Abrahamic religions, a name whose etymology can be traced back to the Biblical Hebrew חי, meaning 'alive', or 'living'.^[9] Lotus Cars CEO Phil Popham said: "Evija is the perfect name for our new car because it is the first all-new car to come from Lotus as part of the wider Geely family. With Geely's support we are set to create an incredible range of new cars which are true to the Lotus name and DNA."

The Evija is powered by a 70 kWh battery pack developed in conjunction with Williams Advanced Engineering, with electric motors supplied by Integral Powertrain. The four individual motors are placed at the wheels and each is rated at 500 PS, for a combined total output of 2,001 PS and 1,700 N⋅m  of torque. The Evija has magnesium wheels with diameters of 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. It uses Pirelli Trofeo R tyres and AP Racing carbon ceramic disc brakes. Lotus claims the Evija will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h  in under 3 seconds, from 0 to 299 km/h  in under 9 seconds, and achieve a top speed of over 320 km/h.

131/emira

The 2022 Lotus Emira is the latest model from the legendary British automaker and the last to use an internal combustion engine. That's right. Lotus is preparing for an all-electric future­, as previewed by the Evija hypercar. But before bidding adieu to its traditions, the company will treat purists to one final gas-burning sports car. As the successor to the Evora GT, which is currently the only Lotus sold in the U.S., the Emira is said to be more practical and have active safety equipment for the first time. While the entry-level example will have a turbo four with 360 horsepower, Lotus will also offer a supercharged V-6 with 400 ponies and an available manual gearbox. That means the Emira will compete with Porsche's 718 Cayman and certain 911 variants. Mounted in the middle of the Emira will be one of two engines: a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a supercharged 3.5-liter V-6. The four-banger is sourced from Mercedes-AMG and makes 360 horsepower. It feeds the rear wheels exclusively through a dual-clutch automatic transmission. The V-6 is a Toyota-sourced unit that's carried over from the outgoing Evora GT. It pairs with either a torque converter automatic or a manual transmission. With the stick-shift, Lotus says the 3.5-liter produces 400 horses. Unlike most other modern sports cars, the Emira will forgo electric power steering for a hydraulically assisted setup that the Brits believe will provide better feel and feedback.

With a simple design and seating for two, the Emira's interior is both minimalistic and intimate. The driver faces a squared-off steering wheel and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster.

132/eletre

The Lotus Eletre is a high-performance battery electric full-size luxury crossover SUV .

Lotus refers to the Eletre as a Hyper-SUV. The Eletre has a twin motor with 600bhp and the ability to hit 100 km/h in 2.9secs - is the entry level version. It’s in with a shout of being proclaimed the world’s fastest SUV with better sprinting ability than a Lamborghini Urus (3.6secs), Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT or Aston Martin’s DBX 707 (both 3.3secs). Tesla claims a 0-100 km/h  of 2.7secs for the forthcoming Model X Plaid. This means the Lotus is light.

The flagship Eletre, due in a couple of years, will have 900bhp thanks to a second 300bhp motor on the back axle. If this proves true, it should drop the 0-100 km/h time well below 2.5secs, putting it completely out of reach of any internal combustion rivals. The fast-SUV game is now making the transition to electric.

The Eletre is based on the Lotus Premium architecture for the company's future C-segment and E-segment electric models. After the Type 132, two more SUVs and a sports car are planned to be released.

77

Lotus surprised attendees of this month's 2023 Monterey Car Week in California with the reveal of the Type 66, a limited-edition track car based on a race car that Lotus designed in the late 1960s but never got around to building.

The original plan for the Type 66 was to enter it in the 1970 Can-Am Series. Lotus founder Colin Chapman wanted to see how his company's lightweight ethos would fare in Can-Am. A focus on Formula 1 meant Chapman never got his wish, despite Lotus' lead draftsman at the time, Geoff Ferris, having completed much of the design of the Type 66.

To help celebrate Lotus' 75th anniversary this year, the company has now announced plans to put the Type 66 into production. Just 10 examples will be built, as a nod to the number of races the car would have competed in during the 1970 Can-Am season, and each will be priced from more than $1.27 million.

One of the real highlights of the design is a pushrod V-8 engine that Lotus developed purely for the project. The mid-mounted engine, complete with forged aluminum internals and trumpet-style air intakes, is claimed to deliver 830 hp at 8.800 rpm.

According to Lotus, simulator testing has shown the Type 66 will likely match the performance of a modern GT3 race car.

emeya

2024-

 Lotus has unveiled the Emeya, the company’s first four-door hyper-GT, in New York City. Emeya is setting a new benchmark for how a Lotus drives and feels by combining the company’s 75-year expertise in engineering and design, with the latest advanced innovations – bringing drivers an electric car that is exciting to drive and performs exceptionally.

The top specification model for Emeya features Lotus’ high-power dual motor set-up that delivers a top speed of more than 250km/h and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in under 2.8 seconds, making it one of the fastest electric GTs in the world.

Emeya has an electronically controlled air suspension system. Its advanced onboard sensors feel the road 1000 times a second and automatically adjust the vehicle to ensure the smoothest ride. 

Emeya joins as a flagship model in Lotus’ line-up of luxury lifestyle electric vehicles, part of the company’s vision to become a global performance brand by 2028. Production is expected to begin in 2024.

lotus based cars

1961  lotus 18

In its early days, the company encouraged its customers to race its cars, and it first entered Formula One through its sister company Team Lotus in 1958. A Lotus Formula One car driven by Stirling Moss won the marque's first Grand Prix in 1960 at Monaco. Moss drove a Lotus 18 entered by privateer Rob Walker. Major success came in 1963 with the Lotus 25, which – with Jim Clark driving – won Team Lotus its first F1 World Constructors Championship. Clark's untimely death – he crashed a Formula Two Lotus 48 in April 1968 after his rear tyre failed in a turn in Hockenheim – was a severe blow to the team and to Formula One. He was the dominant driver in the dominant car and remains an inseparable part of Lotus's early years. That year's championship was won by Clark's teammate, Graham Hill.

1980  81

Even after Chapman's death, until the late 1980s, Team Lotus continued to be a major player in Formula One. Ayrton Senna drove for the team from 1985 to 1987, winning twice in each year and achieving 17 pole positions. By the company's last Formula One race in 1994, the cars were no longer competitive. Team Lotus constructed cars won a total of 79 Grand Prix races. During his lifetime Chapman saw Lotus beat Ferrari as the first Marque to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories, despite Ferrari having won their first nine years sooner.

Formula One Drivers' Championship winner for Lotus were Jim Clark in 1963 and 1965, Graham Hill in 1968, Jochen Rindt in 1970, Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 and Mario Andretti in 1978. In 1973 Lotus won the constructors' championship only; the drivers' title went to Jackie Stewart of Tyrrell.

2010  t127

Team Lotus's participation in Formula One ended at the end of the 1994 season. Former racing driver David Hunt (brother of F1 world champion James Hunt) purchased the name 'Team Lotus' and licensed it to the Formula One team Pacific Racing, which was rebranded Pacific Team Lotus. The Pacific Team folded at the end of the 1995 season.

The Lotus name returned to Formula One for the 2010 season, when a new Malaysian team called Lotus Racing was awarded an entry. The new team used the Lotus name under licence from Group Lotus and was unrelated to the original Team Lotus. In September 2010 Group Lotus, with agreement from its parent company Proton, terminated the licence for future seasons as a result of what it called "flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by the team". Lotus Racing then announced that it had acquired Team Lotus Ventures Ltd, the company led by David Hunt, and with it full ownership of the rights to the "Team Lotus" brand and heritage. The team confirmed that it would be known as Team Lotus from 2011 onwards.

In December 2010 Group Lotus announced the creation of Lotus Renault GP, the successor to the Renault F1 team. This team contested the 2011 season having purchased a title sponsorship deal with the team, with the option to buy shares in the future. The team's car for that season, the R31, was badged as a Renault, while Team Lotus's car, the T128, was badged as a Lotus. In May 2011, the British High Court of Justice ruled that Team Lotus could continue to use the "Team Lotus" name, but Group Lotus had sole right to use the "Lotus" name on its own. As a consequence, for 2012 Lotus Renault GP was rebranded as Lotus F1 Team and its cars were badged as Lotuses, while Team Lotus was renamed Caterham F1 Team (after the sports car manufacturer owned by team principal Tony Fernandes) and its cars were badged as Caterhams.