64-412: The Lotus Elite name has been used for two production vehicles and one concept vehicle developed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer Lotus Cars . The first generation Elite Type 14 was produced from 1957 until 1963 and the second generation model (Type 75 and later Type 83) from 1974 until 1982. The Elite name was also applied to a concept vehicle unveiled in 2010. The first generation of
128-493: A shooting brake body style, with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. The Elite's fibreglass bodyshell was mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa . It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. 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 (120.4 cu in) and
192-560: A 4 or 5-speed manual transmission depending on the customer specifications. Beginning in January 1976, an automatic transmission was optional. The Elite had a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.30 and at the time of launch, it was the world's most expensive four-cylinder car. The Elite's striking shape was designed by Oliver Winterbottom . He is quoted as saying that the basic chassis and suspension layout were designed by Colin Chapman , making
256-520: A 91% stake in Group Lotus for £22.7 million, which allowed GM to legally force the company buyout. 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 Malaysian car company Proton . Lotus Cars was awarded
320-594: A complete turnaround in the company's fortunes, for which he was dubbed "the saviour of Lotus." Despite having employed designer Peter Stevens to revamp the range and design two new concept cars, by 1985 the British investors recognised that they lacked the capital to fund production and sought to find a buyer. In January 1986, Wickins oversaw the majority sale of the Group Lotus companies and 100% of North American–based LPCI to General Motors . After four months, Toyota sold GM its stake. By October 1986, GM had acquired
384-541: A fuel consumption of 35 mpg ‑imp (8.1 L/100 km; 29 mpg ‑US ). All production Elites were powered by the FWE engine, except for one that acted as testbed for the newly developed Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine. The FWE engine was derived from a lightweight (FW = Feather Weight) high-capacity water pump engine used for firefighting. The car had independent suspension all round with transverse wishbones at
448-644: A garage. The four letters in the middle of the logo represent Chapman's full name, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman. When the logo was created, Chapman's original partners Michael and Nigel Allen were allegedly told that the letters stood for Colin Chapman and the Allen Brothers. The first factory was situated in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey , North London. Team Lotus , which
512-648: A heart attack on 16 December 1982 at the age of 54. At the time, both Chapman and Lotus were linked to the DeLorean Motor Company scandal regarding the use of UK Government subsidies for the production of the DMC DeLorean , for which Lotus had designed the chassis. Chasing large sums of money that had disappeared from the DeLorean company, Lotus was besieged by Inland Revenue inspectors, who imposed an £84 million legal "protective assessment" on
576-409: A joint venture with Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance and its Alpine division to develop a range of electric performance cars sharing some of their future platforms. 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. Geely and Etika Automotive provided two billion pounds (US$ 2.8 billion) to fund
640-645: A mere 383. This situation resulted from the worldwide economic recession combined with the virtual collapse of sales in the American market and limited development of the model range. In early 1982, Chapman forged an agreement with Toyota to exchange intellectual property and applied expertise. As a result, Lotus Engineering helped develop the Mk2 Toyota Supra , also known as the Toyota Celica XX . The partnership also allowed Lotus to launch
704-509: A more powerful engine with raised compression ratio and a stronger camshaft with five bearings. A limited number of Super 100 and Super 105 cars were made with Weber carburettors, for racing use. Among the Elite's few faults was a resonant vibration at 4,000 rpm (where few drivers remained, on either street or track) and poor quality control, handicapped by an overly low price (resulting in Lotus losing money on every car produced) and, "perhaps
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#1732781094600768-655: A new cost effective business plan. Lotus Cars Lotus Group (also known as Lotus Cars , and trading as Lotus NYO in China ) is a British multinational automotive manufacturer of luxury sports cars and electric vehicles. Lotus Group is composed of three primary entities. Lotus Cars , a high-performance sports car company, is based in Hethel , Norfolk . Lotus Tech , an all-electric lifestyle vehicle company, headquartered in Wuhan , China, and operates regional facilities in
832-548: A new rear bumper and brake lights from the Rover SD1 . On 20 September 2010, Lotus unveiled photos of an Elite concept that was exhibited at the 2010 Paris Motor Show . The car was expected to go into production in 2014. The car was to feature a 5.0-litre V8 engine sourced from Lexus, rated at 592 hp (441 kW). The car would have a front-mid engine layout to distribute weight evenly at all four wheels. An optional hybrid kinetic-energy recovery system would augment
896-484: A personalised Lotus Turbo Esprit, the new American company, Lotus Performance Cars Inc. (LPCI), was able to provide fresh capital to Group Lotus in the United Kingdom. Former Ferrari North America general manager John Spiech was recruited to run LPCI, which imported the remarkable Giugiaro -designed Turbo Esprit for the first time. American sales began to quickly jump into six figures annually. Chapman died of
960-509: A purpose-built factory at Cheshunt in 1959, and since 1966 it has occupied a modern factory and road test facility at Hethel , near Wymondham in Norfolk . The site is a former World War II airfield, RAF Hethel , and the test track uses sections of the old runway. In its early days, Lotus sold cars aimed at private racers and trialists. Its early road cars could be bought as kits in order to save on purchase tax . The kit car era ended in
1024-460: 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, as
1088-506: A top speed of 111.8 mph (179.9 km/h) and a 0–60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration time of 11.4 seconds. A fuel consumption of 40.5 mpg ‑imp (6.97 L/100 km; 33.7 mpg ‑US ) was recorded. The test car cost £1,966 including taxes. The ownership and history of the more than 1,000 Elites is maintained by the Lotus Elite World Register. There are several active clubs devoted to
1152-741: Is currently majority-owned by Chinese multinational Geely . Lotus was previously involved in Formula One racing, via Team Lotus , winning the Formula One World Championship seven times. Notable Lotus cars include the Lotus Seven , the Elan , the Esprit and the Elise . The company was formed in 1952 as Lotus Engineering Ltd. by Colin Chapman but had earlier origins in 1948 when Chapman built his first trials car in
1216-411: Is the holding company of Lotus Group Plc. Kimberley retired as CEO on 17 July 2009, replaced on 1 October 2009 by former Ferrari executive Dany Bahar . Bahar intended to drive the brand into the expanding global luxury-goods sector and away from the company's traditional lightweight simplicity and pure driving-experience focus. Bahar was suspended on 25 May 2012 while an investigation into his conduct
1280-622: The 1.8L VVTL-i I4 from Toyota's late Celica GT-S and the Matrix XRS . Michael Kimberley, who had been a guiding figure at Lotus in the 1970s, returned as acting chief executive officer in May 2006. He chaired the executive committee of Lotus Group International Limited (LGIL), established in February 2006 with Syed Zainal Abidin (managing director of Proton Holdings Berhad) and Badrul Feisal (non-executive director of Proton Holdings Berhad). LGIL
1344-451: The 1960 Australian GT Championship at the wheel of a Lotus Elite. After winning Index of Thermal Efficiency prize, Lotus decided to go for an outright win at Le Mans in 1960. They built a one-off Elite, called the LX, with a 1,964 cc (2.0 L) FPF engine, larger wheels, and other modifications. In testing, it proved capable of a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h). Unfortunately,
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#17327810946001408-727: The EMAS concept from its parent company Proton, and likely to be primarily built by Proton in Malaysia. This car has also been cancelled. Lotus CEO at the time Jean Marc Gales confirmed in 2017 that development of an SUV is currently under way, after the company was acquired by the Chinese automotive manufacturer, Geely. In July 2019 Lotus revealed the Evija, a 1,470 kW (2,000 PS; 1,970 hp) and 1,700 N⋅m (1,254 lb⋅ft) electric supercar . In January 2021, Lotus teased that
1472-542: The Elise , Exige , and Evora would be discontinued and be replaced by the Type 131 which had yet to be released at the time of announcement. In July 2021, Lotus revealed that this new model is called Emira . In November 2021, Lotus teased the future introduction of the future Type 132 SUV, later named as Eletre . The Motor (magazine) The Motor (later, just Motor ) was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903 and published by Temple Press. It
1536-652: The KV team in the IndyCar Series and the ART team in the GP2 and GP3 Series in 2011 and 2012. After fielding underpowered and uncompetitive engines in the 2012 Indianapolis 500 , in which drivers Jean Alesi and Simona de Silvestro were black-flagged after ten laps for failing to maintain a competitive pace, Lotus was released from its contract and did not participate in future seasons. Current Lotus models include: At
1600-758: The Lotus 900 series , and later a V8 , and turbocharged versions of the engines appeared in the Esprit. Variants of the 900-series engine were supplied for the Jensen Healey sports car and the Sunbeam Lotus "hot hatchback". In the 1980s, Lotus collaborated with Vauxhall Motors to produce the Lotus Carlton , the fastest roadgoing Vauxhall car. By 1980, Group Lotus was in serious financial trouble. Production had dropped from 1,200 units per year to
1664-534: The Queen's Award for Enterprise for contribution to international trade, one of 85 companies receiving the recognition in that category in 2002. Lotus cars wore the badge of the award for several years. On 24 May 2017, Chinese multinational Geely announced that it was taking a 51% controlling stake in Lotus. The remaining 49% was acquired by Etika Automotive , a holding company of Proton's major shareholder Syed Mokhtar Albukhary . In January 2021, Geely announced
1728-458: The de Havilland Aircraft Company, contributed to the final design. The SE was introduced in 1960 as a higher-performance variant, featuring twin SU carburettors and fabricated exhaust manifold resulting in engine power output increasing to 85 hp (63 kW), ZF gearboxes in place of the standard "cheap and nasty" MG ones, Lucas PL700 headlamps, and a silver coloured roof. The Super 95 model had
1792-552: The 1960s with the Lotus Elan. This two-seater was later developed to two-plus-two form (Elan +2S). Lotus was notable for its use of fibreglass bodies, backbone chassis and overhead camshaft engines, initially supplied by Coventry Climax but later replaced by Lotus-Ford units ( Ford block, Lotus head and twin-cam valve gear). Lotus also worked with Ford on the Lotus Cortina , a successful sports saloon . Another Lotus of
1856-591: The 2010 Paris Motorshow, Lotus announced five new models to be introduced over the next five years: Their intention was to replace the Elise with an entirely different model, as well as to introduce two entirely new sports coupes, which would have been known as the Elite and the Elan, a new sports saloon, the Eterne, to rival the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte , and a modern interpretation of
1920-421: The 7 September issue, Autocar & Motor . Six years later, with the 21 September 1994 issue, the name reverted to Autocar . This transport magazine or journal-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . See tips for writing articles about magazines . Further suggestions might be found on the article's talk page . This British magazine or academic journal–related article
1984-551: The Elite and its sister design the Eclat the last Lotus road cars to have significant design input from Chapman himself. The Elite was available in four main variations, set apart by equipment levels: 501, 502, 503, and later on 504. The Elite was the basis for the Eclat , and the later Excel 2+2 coupés. Although larger and more luxurious than previous Lotus road cars, the Elite and Éclat are relatively light, with kerb weights not much over 2,300 lb (1,043 kg). In 1980
Lotus Elite - Misplaced Pages Continue
2048-419: The Elite or Lotus Type 14 was a light weight two-seater coupé produced from 1957 until 1963. The car debuted at the 1957 London Motor Car Show, Earls Court bearing chassis number #1008. The Elite had spent a year in development, aided by "carefully selected racing customers" before going on sale. The Elite's most distinctive feature was its highly innovative fibreglass monocoque construction, in which
2112-529: The Esprit supercar. It became apparent in July 2012 that the firm's financial difficulties had made this plan impossible to implement, and initially all but the Esprit project were cancelled. Subsequently, the Esprit project was also cancelled. Lotus also showed an unnamed city car concept using its 1.2L range-extender engine. In 2011, Lotus revealed this as the Lotus Ethos , a plug-in hybrid car based on
2176-659: The FIA Historic Formula One Championship . It also preserves the Team Lotus archive and Works Collection of cars, under the management of Colin Chapman's son Clive. Team Lotus's participation in Formula One ended after the 1994 season , when the team's cars were no longer competitive. Cars constructed by the team won a total of 79 Grand Prix races. Former racing driver David Hunt (brother of F1 world champion James Hunt ) purchased
2240-693: The Lotus Elite. Like its siblings, the Elite was campaigned in numerous formulae, with particular success at Le Mans and the Nürburgring . The Elite won in its class six times at the 24 hour of Le Mans race as well as two Index of Thermal Efficiency wins. Les Leston, driving DAD10, and Graham Warner, driving LOV1, were noted UK Elite racers. In 1961, David Hobbs fitted a Hobbs Mecha-Matic 4-speed automatic transmission to an Elite, and became almost unbeatable in two years' racing – he won 15 times from 18 starts. New South Wales driver Leo Geoghegan won
2304-449: The Team Lotus name, but Group Lotus had sole right to use the Lotus name. As a consequence, for 2012 Lotus Renault GP was rebranded as Lotus F1 Team and its entries were badged as Lotus cars, while Team Lotus was renamed Caterham F1 Team (after the sportscar manufacturer owned by team principal Tony Fernandes ) and its cars were badged as Caterhams. Group Lotus was also involved in several other categories of motorsport. It sponsored
2368-474: The Type 75 was replaced by the Type 83, also called the Elite Mark 2. This version received a larger 2,174 cc (132.7 cu in) Lotus 912 engine. The chassis was now galvanised steel and the five speed BMC gearbox was replaced by a Getrag Type 265 unit. The vacuum-operated headlights of the earlier model were replaced with electrically operated units and the Elite was now fitted with a front spoiler,
2432-727: The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany. Additionally, Lotus Engineering , an engineering consultancy firm, is headquartered at the Lotus Advanced Technology Centre (LATC) located at the University of Warwick's Wellesbourne Campus. Lotus 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 then DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary Proton , which owned Lotus from 1996 to 2017. Lotus
2496-470: The V8 by feeding electricity generated by braking to motors in the transmission. The 0–100 km/h (62 mph) time was reported to be as low as 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph). The car had a 2+2 body style and was to be marketed as a grand tourer. The Elite project was cancelled in July 2012 after a take over of Lotus' then parent company Proton by DRB-Hicom which initiated
2560-490: The business is divided into Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering. In addition to manufacturing sportscars, the company also acts as an engineering consultancy, providing engineering development—particularly of suspensions —for other car manufacturers. Lotus's powertrain department is responsible for the design and development of the four-cylinder Ecotec engine found in many of GM's Vauxhall , Opel , Saab , Chevrolet and Saturn cars. The American Elise and Exige models used
2624-430: The changes. Lotus Technology, the electric-vehicle division of Lotus. which has a different ownership structure (30% by Etika and the rest by Geely and Nio Capital), was listed on Nasdaq in February 2024, following the completion of a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company affiliated with L Catterton . After the listing, 10.3% of shares are held by the public. Currently organised as Group Lotus Limited,
Lotus Elite - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-650: The company. At the trial of Lotus accountant Fred Bushell, the judge insisted that had Chapman lived, he would have received a sentence "of at least 10 years." With Group Lotus near bankruptcy in 1983, David Wickins , the founder of British Car Auctions , agreed to become the new company chairman through an introduction by his friend Mark Thatcher . Taking a combined 29% BCA/personal stake in Group Lotus, Wickins negotiated with Inland Revenue and recruited new investors: merchant bank Schroeder-Wagg (14%), Michael Ashcroft 's Bermudian operating company Benor (14%) and Sir Anthony Bamford of JCB (12%). Wickins oversaw
2752-658: 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
2816-563: The drivers' title went to Jackie Stewart of Tyrrell . Chapman saw Lotus beat Ferrari as the first marque to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories, even though Ferrari had won its first nine years sooner. 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. Team Lotus established Classic Team Lotus in 1992, which continues to maintain Lotus F1 cars and run them in
2880-443: The event of a crash. Still, a full understanding of the engineering qualities of fibreglass-reinforced plastic was several years off and the suspension attachment points were regularly observed to pull out of the fibreglass structure. The weight savings allowed the Elite to achieve sports car like performance from a 75 hp (56 kW), 1,216 cc (1.2 L) Coventry Climax FWE all-aluminium Inline-four engine while returning
2944-462: The factory the Elite was originally fitted with Pirelli Cinturato 155HR15 tyres. Advanced aerodynamics also contributed to the car's low drag coefficient of C d =0.29 considering the engineers did not enjoy the benefits of computer-aided design or wind tunnel testing. The original Elite drawings were by Peter Kirwan-Taylor. Frank Costin (brother of Mike, one of the co founders of Cosworth ), at that time Chief Aerodynamic Engineer for
3008-407: The front and Chapman struts at the rear. The rear struts were so long, that they poked up in the back and the tops could be seen through the rear window. The Series 2 cars, with Bristol-built bodies, had triangulated trailing radius arms for improved toe-in control. Girling disc brakes, usually without servo assistance, of 9.5 in (241 mm) diameter were used, inboard at the rear. When leaving
3072-437: The greatest mistake of all", offering it as a kit (with a substantial reduction in price and Purchase Tax), exactly the opposite of the ideal for a quality manufacturer. Many drive-train parts were highly stressed and required re-greasing at frequent intervals. When production ended in 1963, 1,030 cars had been built. Other sources indicate that 1,047 were produced. A road car tested by The Motor magazine in 1960 resulted in
3136-532: The late 1960s and early 1970s was the two-seater Lotus Europa , initially intended only for the European market, which paired a backbone chassis and lightweight body with a mid-mounted Renault engine, later upgraded to the Lotus-Ford twin-cam unit as used in the Elan. The Lotus Seven , originating in the 1950s as a simple, lightweight open two-seater. continued in production into the early 1970s. Lotus sold
3200-545: The late 1960s and early 1970s, with the Lotus Elan Plus Two as the first Lotus road car not offered in kit form, and the Lotus Eclat and Lotus Elite of the mid-1970s were offered only in factory-built versions. After the Lotus Elite of the 1950s, which featured a complete fibreglass monocoque fitted with built-in steel pickup points for mounting major components, Lotus found critical and sales success in
3264-415: The lead driver withdrew the night before the race, so the car did not have a chance to prove itself in competition. 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. The Elite was announced in May 1974. It replaced the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2 . The Elite has
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#17327810946003328-423: 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 onward. In December 2010, Group Lotus announced
3392-510: 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 was killed in April 1968 when the rear tyre of his Formula Two Lotus 48 failed while making a turn at a race in Hockenheim . His death
3456-506: 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
3520-597: The new Lotus Excel to replace the ageing Lotus Eclat . Using drivetrain and other components build by Toyota enabled Lotus to sell the Excel for £1,109 less than the outgoing Eclat. Looking to reenter the North American market, Chapman was approached by young law professor and investment banking consultant Joe Bianco, who proposed a new and separate American sales company for Lotus. By creating an unprecedented tax-incentivised mechanism by which each investor received
3584-615: The rights to produce the Seven to Caterham , which has continued to produce the car since then. By the mid-1970s, Lotus sought to move upmarket with the launch of the Elite and Eclat models, four-seaters aimed at prosperous buyers, with features such as optional air conditioning and automatic transmissions. The mid-engine line continued with the Lotus Esprit , which became one of the company's longest-lived and most iconic models. Lotus developed its own series of four-cylinder DOHC engines,
3648-429: The undersurface of the car to create downforce . It invented active suspension and was the first to move radiators to the sides of the car to improve aerodynamic performance. Formula One Drivers' Championship winners 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;
3712-453: Was a severe blow to the team and to Formula One, as he had been the dominant driver of Lotus's early years. That year's championship was won by Clark's teammate Graham Hill . Team Lotus is credited with making the mid-engine layout popular for IndyCars , developing the first monocoque Formula One chassis and integrating the engine and transaxle as chassis components. Team Lotus was among the pioneers in Formula One in adding wings and shaping
3776-441: Was a square-section windscreen-hoop that provided mounting points for door hinges, a jacking point for lifting the car and roll-over protection components. The first 250 body units were made by Maximar Mouldings at Pulborough , Sussex. The body construction caused numerous early problems, until manufacture was handed over to Bristol Aeroplane Company . The resultant body was lighter, stiffer, and provided better driver protection in
3840-400: Was initially launched as Motorcycling and Motoring in 1902 before the title was shortened. From the 14 March 1964 issue the magazine name was simply Motor . Compared to rival The Autocar (later, just Autocar ), Motor was more informative and more conservative. The magazine usually included: In 1988, the journal was absorbed by its long-standing rival Autocar , which became, from
3904-477: Was rated at 155 hp (116 kW). With this engine the car does 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 8.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 125 mph (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
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#17327810946003968-539: Was replaced by Feng Qingfeng from Lotus Group's parent company, Geely. October 2018 saw further senior personnel changes as Phil Popham was named CEO of Lotus Cars, with Qingfeng remaining in charge of Group Lotus. In January 2021, Matt Windle was appointed managing director of Lotus Cars after Phil Popham resigned. 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
4032-460: Was split from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to 1994. The Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. This was composed of Lotus Cars Limited and Lotus Components Limited, which focused on road cars and customer competition-car production, respectively. Lotus Components Limited became Lotus Racing Limited in 1971, but the newly renamed entity ceased operation that same year. The company moved to
4096-461: Was undertaken. On 7 June 2012, Lotus announced the termination of Bahar and the appointment of Aslam Farikullah as the new chief operating officer. The ambitious plans for several new models were cancelled following Bahar's departure. Jean Marc Gales became CEO in 2014, and in 2017, he enabled the company to achieve its first profit in decades. Gales left the company in June 2018 for personal reasons and
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