Lotus

Colin Chapman founded the Lotus Engineering Company in 1952, growing from his earlier 1948 cars built in a north London stable using an Austin Seven chassis. The Mark VI kit car of the early 1950s gave way to the legendary Seven in 1957, a design so elemental that the Caterham Cars version is still produced today. Chapman's engineering genius flourished in both road cars, the Elite, Elan, Europa, and Esprit, and in Formula 1, where Lotus won seven Constructors' Championships. After Chapman's sudden death from a heart attack in December 1982 at age 54, Lotus navigated decades of financial difficulty and ownership changes through Proton and eventually Geely. Under Geely, a new era commenced with the Emira petrol sports car, the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine, and the Eletre electric performance SUV, bringing the company into the 21st century while honouring Chapman's lightweight creed.