14 Nov 08
Lotus celebrates its 60th anniversary this summer. We look back at 10 of the best from the sports car-maker and motorsport firm.
1. Lotus Seven
Colin Chapman built his first car - a go-kart made out of an old soapbox - at the age of seven and then while he was still at college he built his first racing car.
His initial Mk1 (1948), sold in kit form, was based on the Austin 7. Subsequent 'specials' were built for trials, 750cc track races and other grass-roots events. But it was the self-developed Seven that made his name. It was a lightweight aluminium-panelled club racer built around a tubular steel chassis and cost just £536 as a DIY assembly kit when it was launched in 1957.
The Seven was simple but effective; steady sales meant that production continued well into the 1970s. And since Lotus sold the rights to produce the Seven to Caterham in 1973, the car lives on today, still true to the original blueprint. The Seven was a TV star, too, playing an important role in the cult series The Prisoner.
2. Lotus Elite
The 'Type 14' Elite was the first production road car from Lotus. Launched at the 1957 London Motor Show, the Elite was ultra-aerodynamic - in fact the lowest-drag production car yet made. Powered by the 1216cc Coventry Climax engine, the Elite produced between 75bhp and 105bhp, depending on its carburetor set-up.
Sadly, the pretty Elite proved fragile; the body tended to part company with the chassis, and problems were not solved by shifting body manufacturing to Bristol Plastics. Nonetheless, it scored many successes in 1300cc GT races, including class wins at Le Mans 1959-64, and 1030 were made by the time production ended in 1963.
Lotus revived the Elite name again for the Type 75 (1974-80) and Type 83 (1980).
