Blogging From A to Z Day 12: L is for Lotus

Image courtesy Lotus

For the month of April I will be participating in the Blogging From A to Z Challenge. Learn more about the challenge by clicking here. Each day (except Sundays) I will be posting a theme based on each letter of the alphabet. This blog is covering automotive topics for the month. To read my other blog posts for the challenge, click here. 

One of my earliest automotive infatuations was the Lotus Esprit. The car looked sleek and futuristic, yet it didn't use a huge engine like so many other performance cars of the day. There was something magical about the British car, and I have to admit that I'm not a huge British car fan (although the new Jaguar F Type is something else).

Lotus was started by Colin Chapman after World War II. Chapman really just wanted to race, but in case you aren't aware, motorsports aren't cheap and so he had to find a way to help finance his racing fantasies. That lead him to start making road cars. Instead of making just any old road cars, Chapman decided to take some of the racing excitement to the people.

One of my most favorite cars of all times is the Lotus Exige. It's based on the impressive Elise, but takes things up to an insane level. Instead of going for a big engine, Lotus used a small Toyota engine and through some creative engineering, including a low curb weight and incredible handling, produced a relatively affordable and capable vehicle.

Unfortunately, today Lotus has lost its way. The current Evora is not in the spirit of past Lotus models, and as a result Lotus has struggled financially. I hope the company pulls through by going back to what made it a success, and hope it does not face the horrid death Saab suffered.