Lotus Classic Cars

Colin Chapman's lightweight masterpiece — the backbone-chassis roadster that proved less weight beats more power.

Built around Chapman's signature philosophy of "simplify, then add lightness," the Elan used a steel backbone chassis and a fiberglass body to achieve a power-to-weight advantage that let a modest twin-cam four-cylinder engine deliver genuinely thrilling performance. Its steering feel and chassis balance influenced sports car design for decades after, and it remains one of the purest expressions of the lightweight-sports-car idea ever built.

The dramatic Giugiaro-styled wedge that gave Lotus a genuine mid-engine supercar rival — and a starring role opposite James Bond.

Styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro in the sharp-edged "folded paper" idiom of the mid-1970s, the Esprit gave Lotus a mid-engine sports car to compete with Ferrari and Lamborghini at a fraction of the price. Its combination of dramatic looks, genuinely capable handling, and a memorable turn as a submersible sports car in a Bond film made it Lotus's most famous model of the era.