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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  lotus - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By alexfox - May 28 - 10:00 am

  nice car. love to drive it.

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  Incredible car, may be the last car like this ever - 2011 Lotus Exige
  By scm6079 - January 30 - 6:53 pm

  The Exige is an amazing car that Makes you forget about any shortcomings when you take the next corner. Mine is not a daily driver, and although I love the car there are days you need to carry passengers and cargo. This car is incredibly light weight and a type of car I fear may be dissapearing forever as cars continue to grow in size and weight and even lotus themselves is talking about transforming into a Ferrari competitor with much heavier cars. Although cliche, this car really is a useable go-kart for the street.

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  Very fun car with some drawbacks - 2006 Lotus Elise
  By Ian - August 27 - 11:40 pm

  This car was built for the track. If you buy this car expecting anything more than a driving machine, you are looking at it for the wrong reason. The combination of aluminum and fiberglass that make up the Elise provide a very high power to weight ratio, even with the very small 1.8L Toyota engine. After pushing the car past 6200 rpm you feel a boost in power as the car switches to the second cam. As you redline in second at 8500 rpm, the shift into third pushes your head back into the seat. At this point you realize that youre on the freeway inching toward 100 and need to slow down. What a killjoy. Amazing handling and road hugging tires make freeway on ramps the best part of your day.

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  get one before its too late! - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By wade lee - July 22 - 10:00 am

  its hard to overcome paying $6000 over msrp to drive one off the lot right now, but i did. and no regret, its worth it, the fun factor, the attention and the sense of haha, look at me i have one while you still waiting.

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  Lotus Value - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By Frank C. Robles - June 15 - 4:16 pm

  Great performance. Very difficult to get in and out.

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  An Owners Review: 2003 Lotus Esprit V8 - 2001 Lotus Esprit
  By Owner of 2003 Esprit - February 24 - 10:00 am

  Frightening fast car, difficult to drive slow. Dont mean b/c u "want" to drive it fast, I mean b/c IT wants to drive fast. The gas pedal is either on or off, as is clutch. Brakes similar, risk a face plant if not careful to go gentle on pedal. Not easy to drive, but has its rewards. Downsides: (there are several), forget about getting it if you are shy, everyone WILL react to it, sometimes positively, sometimes not. This leads to things that weigh on your mind. As in, can I just park this car anywhere?(ans: no). Do I need to plan my trips? (ans: yes). The car nose is unbeleivably low. Remember this is not a Porsche911, it is a supercar.

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  Almost Perfect - 2006 Lotus Elise
  By ALLAMAN - October 23 - 3:23 am

  Do not buy this car if you are looking for comfort. The Elise is a purpose built machine. The purpose is sublime handling, which is evident on any backroad or cloverleaf. This handling could not have been achieved if the car were packed with (heavy) luxury features. The seats have no padding and getting in/out of the car requires advanced yoga training. You should only buy an Elise when performance is the ONLY thing that is important to you. I love my Elise.

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  Pocket Rocket - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By SP - September 9 - 1:20 am

  Really a fabulous sports car package: lightweight, fantastic performance, Kart like handling and high tech construction.

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  Lotsa fun - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By Zack Jones - August 19 - 2:46 pm

  I have felt the need to have the dealer do the service which tends to be expensive. I was involved in a minor accident (not my fault), but the repairs were extremely expensive. That said, it really is fun and will turn heads and have lots of people asking what it is and how much it cost.

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  proud to be a member of this elite club - 2005 Lotus Elise
  By larry - August 6 - 7:53 pm

  if you want a car unlike anything youve ever seen or driven before, this is it. If you are shy and introverted and do not want to draw attention to yourself, this is not your car. It stands out in the crowd of cars 3-4x more expensive. It is very quick and handles better than any other car ive ever driven. getting in and out with the roof on is initally a little challenging, particularly if you are tall. It was definitely worth the 17 months i had to wait to get it.