![]() ![]() They made Lotus the decade’s dominant power in international open-wheel competition. In 1962, Chapman changed the shape of racing with rear-engine Formula 1 and Indianapolis cars. But the Elan would showcase Chapman’s philosophy that lighter is better. Lotus soon expanded into road cars with the stark, speedy Seven roadster, followed in 1959 by the elegant Elite coupe, the world’s first production car with fully unitized fiberglass construction. ![]() After a modest start in the late 1940s souping-up tiny Austin Sevens, he formed Lotus Cars in 1952 and won fame with aluminum-bodied sports-racers that proved giant-killers despite small engines and somewhat fragile natures. Contents: Current / Seven / Elan / Cortina / Europa / Elite / Éclat / Excel / Esprit / Elise / Europa S / Exige / Evora / Evija / Other / Concept / RaceĬolin Chapman was a canny Brit whose credo was that simplicity, lightness, and streamlining wins the race.
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