The Company

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 a garage. The four letters in the middle of the logo represent Chapman's full name, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman.

The Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. Team Lotus, which was split from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to 1994. The mid-engine line continued with the Lotus Esprit, which became one of the company's longest-lived and most iconic models. Lotus sought to move upmarket with the launch financially.  Thought After Chapman's death, the company was in a financial downfall, from producing 1,200 units to 383 units per year. In early 1982, Chapman forged an agreement with Toyota to exchange intellectual property and applied expertise. 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. Due to this, the company went from near bankruptcy, and then sky rocketed to international marketing.