Overview & Reviews

Founded in Britain, Lotus is very much a specialty outfit, with output limited to high-performance racecars and sports cars known for their sleek and lightweight designs. Though its cars are prized by enthusiasts seeking maximum handling performance, Lotus has never been particularly keen on sales volume, and it rarely has more than one or two models for sale at a time.

The marque was founded by racing enthusiast Anthony Colin Chapman. The first Lotus was built in 1948, and used by Chapman to compete in races. By 1955, Chapman had officially formed Lotus Cars Ltd. A company milestone was reached two years later with the unveiling of the innovative Lotus Elite. This remarkably light coupe owed its featherweight status to its fiberglass unibody construction. Though the use of fiberglass for a car's body wasn't unique, the Elite was the first vehicle to use this material both in its skeleton and its skin. The resultant weight savings helped the Elite to distinguish itself at Le Mans and other notable races around the world.

The 1960s saw Lotus expanding its line with the addition of the Elan. First available as a roadster, the car offered a twin-cam engine, four-wheel disc brakes and a four-wheel independent suspension. Hardtop versions were later offered. By 1967, Lotus had added the Elan Plus 2 to its lineup. Dubbed Lotus' first family car, the Plus 2 was just as sporty as the Elan, but more practical thanks to a bigger cabin and the addition of two jump seats.

Lotus discontinued the Elite in 1972, but the name was revived in 1974. The new Elite was a four-passenger model with a 160-horsepower engine. Two years later, the Lotus family grew yet again, with the addition of the Esprit. The two-seat sports car continued Lotus' ethos of lightweight design, and it was instantly recognizable due to its distinctive wedge-shaped exterior and appearance in two James Bond movies.

Movie stardom aside, this was not a good decade for Lotus. The brand's vehicles had evolved significantly since the first Elite cruised off showroom floors. But Lotus cars of the 1970s were bigger and more expensive than their predecessors, and the brand had muscled its way into a segment populated by the likes of Ferrari and Porsche. Lotus cars were now premium-priced exotics; unfortunately for the brand, this segment saw a dramatic fall-off in demand in the wake of that era's fuel crisis. As a result, the niche-market automaker suffered significant losses.

In 1986, General Motors took full control of Lotus and created Lotus Cars USA in 1987. That relationship lasted until 1993, when GM sold Lotus to Bugatti. Bugatti's ownership was even shorter; Lotus was sold to a Malaysian firm in 1996. The same year, Lotus began producing the flyweight Elise, a car that would quickly become the company's main product and financial savior. The Elise was finally imported to North America in 2004 after safety and emissions considerations were overcome.

Today, Lotus remains true to Chapman's original desire of producing lightweight and race-oriented sports cars. With tight cabin accommodations, a stiff ride and minimal comfort and storage features, modern Lotus cars make poor grocery-getters. But for the enthusiast looking for world-class handling, sporty style and an unfiltered connection between car and driver at a reasonable price, the Lotus brand is hard to beat.

User Reviews:

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  Perfect Sports Car - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By jkbrill - April 6 - 11:46 pm

  This car is so fun to drive. This vehicle makes everything else I have driven seem like a RV. The car handles, brakes, and looks like a sports car should. The ride is surprisingly good; however the Elise is not a daily driver. However, it is an amazingly fun toy, that is well constructed for a handmade vehicle. It is also pretty zippy, and loves high rpms.

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  Worlds Best Car - 2003 Lotus Esprit
  By Jamez - February 20 - 2:00 am

  Great Car, no problems, love it!

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  Bow Down - 2002 Lotus Esprit
  By BoostedLoser - February 13 - 10:00 am

  ...Bow down to the greatest sports car that was ever designed! More affordable than any of its competetors, and a style that is better than any other!

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  Bang for the Buck - 2006 Lotus Elise
  By Mackspane - February 12 - 1:56 am

  In 1998 I was finally established enough to buy a nice new car and purchased a Boxter and I enjoyed it, but 8 years later, after only 22,000 miles, it died. In 2006 I was looking, quite honestly, for the best bang for my buck. Im single and dont drive much and never used the back seats in my old cars, so a 2 seater was ideal for me. Upon seeing the Elise I was sold. In Chili Red with the Sport and Luxury upgrades, I purchased a 2006 brand new and it is quite literally the most amazing car Ive ever owned. Between beauty, performance, and even reliability (with the Toyota engine), this car blew and still blows away anything from twice the price on down. Its truly an awe inspiring vehicle

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  Esprit V8 - Last of the Breed - 2002 Lotus Esprit
  By Paul Hatz - December 31 - 10:00 am

  It has more punch than than comparable Ferraris 355 and 360, thanks to the turbo, and it has a trunk, which they dont because of their large normally aspirated intake systems (the twin turbo design allows for a remarkably small and light engine design in the Lotus V8). Forget about all the garbage about it not sounding good, junk the exhaust and install straightpipes and this thing sings! You will get more compliments and looks with a nice Lotus V8 than any entry level Ferrari.

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  The Drivers Masterpiece - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By Eliseiak - December 22 - 10:00 am

  How can the Elise be described other than as the best handling, most fun piece of art on the roads. Not only is it one of the most beautiful cars available, it cant be beat for smiles per mile. It hugs the road in the curvy bits and settles right down on the straights. It is surprisingly comfortable to drive for long days, after three 500+ mile days, I still wanted to get right back in her and on the road again. This car is worth every penny it costs and every day you wait for it to arrive.

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  new car - 2006 Lotus Elise
  By Adam Horak - December 19 - 10:53 am

  WOW is all I can say! Looks outstanding drives amazing.

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  Dream Come True - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By Tom - December 3 - 5:46 pm

  I had anticipated a great car, but was unprepared for how wonderful the Elise is to drive. Ive driven a Fiat Spider for 15 years, so Im already used to the usual array of sports car quirks. This car has none of those. Aside from the way you have to enter the car (sliding in backwards and swinging your legs over the high door sill), its a pure joy. As I say, "Its a little hard to get in. Its impossible to get out." Things like a reliable starter and 29.5 mpg combined so far make this car the perfect way to go for me. Its my every day driver -- in two months, Ive put 2000 miles on her already!

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  Unbelievable Ride - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By RedElise - November 19 - 8:46 pm

  Clearly this car is not for everyone, but if you are under 60" tall, 200 lbs, and have a size 10 or smaller foot then this is a tremendous amount of fun. It is extremely difficult to get in and out of (words cant describe it), but there is nothing out there that handles like it. The stereo is poor, but usually you have the top off and you are listening to the purr of the engine behind your head. This car really lives up to all the great magazine reviews it has accumulated over the last year.

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  2005 Lotus Elise - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By mark Greenblatt - October 31 - 11:46 am

  Anyone who is serious about sports cars should put this car on your short list of cars to test drive. I have had 4 Porsches, much more expensive than this car, but I will never go back to Porsche again. They are so boring and bland compared to this car. A purchaser of this car should be aware that it is one of the most raw cars for sale. Raw meaning it has a loud engine (1/3 of my reason to buy a car is the sound it makes), the interior is spartan with a lot of exposed chassis metal (which I think looks so cool), it is a simple car designed to have balanced handling and performance, low weight, and will give you grins every time you get in it. It has a Toyota drivetrain to boot.