Lotus has built fine cars since 1952. Some sold like hotcakes, others… didn’t. Let’s look at the winners and the oddities. Did the market hate them, or was it intentional exclusivity? We start at the bottom of the best-seller chart.
The Big Ten Start Here
10. Lotus Seven (1957–73) – 2,077 sold
Number ten on our list. A simple, open-top two-seater. Colin Chapman, the founder, built this beast. People loved it. You could drive it to work Monday through Friday then qualify for a race on Saturday. Want to save on tax? Brave souls assembled the ‘complete knock down’ kits themselves.
9. Lotus Esprit (197–90) – 2,2,91 sold
In 1976 Lotus played a stunt. They parked a shiny new Esprit right outside Cubby Broccoli’s London offices. On purpose. Albert R. Broccoli was the guy running James Bond production. The car got its moment in The Spy Who Loved Me. It was a stunt for movie stardom. The mix of Ital Design looks and decent handling revived the brand. Almost free publicity is the best kind. Note that it had no missile launcher, however tempting.
**8. Lotus Exige S2 (2–11 – 3–11) 6–2,889) 40–06 – 4 0–458) 20412 478)
Born from racing. Powered by a supercharged Toyota motor. People liked the way it went around corners more than some expensive rivals did. Track day regulars adored the sharpness. The Exige pushed harder than the basic Elise so many owners added upgrades just to survive a weekend at the circuit.
**7. Lotus Elise (2–0–925) sold
Elise 2 followed the first. General Motors money helped. It bought GM’s investment money helped. That money also gave us the Vauxhall VX-1,913312 – 2008 sold.
The first one. It saved the company. The roof to get up was hard – worse than putting a tent in the middle of a storm. The door sill was high, an obstacle for everyone who wasn’t born with short legs. But the steering? Perfect. The weight was low. Fans flocked.
**6. Lotus Elise 1121R110 – 1R 08 33–60) – 7 sold. The 11R wasn’t the first Japanese-engined Lotus but the 189hp Toyota motor meant faster times than the 11S. Extra gear ratio included. This one finally cleared US emission laws so America got their fix. The old K-series never passed there.
**5. Lotus Elan+2 (68) – 28 9412 – sold
More GM funding. This time we got the front-wheel drive experiment. The first. The last. Reliability came courtesy of an 1.6 litre Isuzu engine with optional turbo. It wasn’t profitable for Lotus though. So they sold the design to Kia. Kia made it for another three years because why waste a good blueprint.
4. Lotus Elise1113 sold.
3. Lotus 1–4 667 – sold
Expand on a hit formula. Add a foot of length. The Elan+2 gave people rear seats. Practical. The twin-cam got stronger to cope with all the extra steel. It was the first Lotus sold not in kit form. Reliability improved as a result. Fewer missing bolts in people’s garages.
What happens to a sports car that tries too hard? Maybe it fails. Or maybe it just takes up too much garage space. 🏁
