When the first Lotus went on the market at 1948, by 202 1, the last fuel sports car of Lotus was Emira. Perhaps the Lotus Dynasty created by Colin Chapman has been here for more than 70 years.
From refitting to the birth of the whole racing legend
Lotus is a world-famous luxury sports car and racing brand with the same reputation as Ferrari and Porsche. 1948, Colin Chapman, the founder, and Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, the founder of Lotus Brand, modified an Austin 7 with only an electric drill and the most elementary sheet metal skills, and Mark I was born.
The core principle of "lightweight and high efficiency as performance standards" that Mr. Colin Chapman and Lotus have always adhered to is the first track racing car Mark III of Lotus since 195 1. The combination of lightweight aluminum alloy body and Chapman's creativity allows this car to accelerate from standstill to 50 mph (about 80 km/h) in 6.6 seconds, and the top speed can reach 90 mph (about 145 km/h).
Mike Costin, the first full-time employee of Lotus Company, also works for the aircraft company. With the joint efforts of two close friends, Lotus Mark VIII appeared on 1954, which was the first step for Lotus to explore aerodynamics. The Lotus Team, which was also established, gradually became famous with the strong performance of Mark VIII.
Speaking of the glorious history of Lotus F 1 track, we should start with Lotus 12. 1958, the 12 model originally scheduled to participate in the F2 race, started the Lotus F 1 race due to its excellent performance, and won the fourth place in the Spa track for the first time. The CP Lotus brand has also entered a period of rapid development, and the CP Lotus Group was formally established in the same year.
The lotus clan is brilliant.
1970, Chapman introduced Model 72 single-seater racing car. This extraordinary racing car has set a new trend. Its design concept is to move all the weight to the rear of the car to improve the dynamic performance. 1973, Lotus won the championship for the sixth time and racer Emerson Fedipal won the championship for the second time. This is also due to the persistent scientific and technological innovation of Lotus. Wedge front, side radiator and fixed wing ... have created countless F 1 stadiums, and Lotus has been advancing.
1977, Lotus once again shocked the stadium. Colin Chapman introduced the concept of "ground effect" into F 1 stadium. With the improvement of technology, the 79-type WIG racing car launched in the second year is even more invincible. Lotus Team monopolized the prize money of F 1 competition, 12 pole position, with 8 champions.
With the glory on the field, Lotus production models are not far behind. Esprit, a classic model operated by legendary designer George Yarrow, also amazed the world. Even today, 45 years later, Esprit is still the favorite of many car fans.
1977 In "007 Underwater City", James Bond drove a Lotus Esprit into the water, and the car became a submarine in the water, which made the Lotus Esprit quickly circle the powder. Until today, the famous electric car brand Tesla still has the option of submarine mode in the human-computer interaction system.
The ultimate sports car built and inherited the original lightweight.
Being maverick and challenging convention has always been the motto of Chapman and Lotus. Now, Lotus actually practiced the fiery concept of "open platform" as early as 40 years ago. 1980, Lotus Project was formally established. It is the world's top professional automobile design and engineering consulting company, which undertakes all the design, development, engineering and technical improvement of Lotus series sports cars and racing cars.
Lotus Engineering also provides all automotive product technologies including vehicle design, chassis research and development, powertrain, etc. It is a world leader in chassis design, engine adjustment, control system and other technologies. In Asia, North America and Europe, there are many world-advanced R&D automobile design and engineering technology centers. In other words, although Lotus Engineering does not produce cars independently, it is recognized as a leading automotive engineering consulting company in the world.
Mr. Colin Chapman, with his passion and hard work on cars, not only changed the sport of racing, but also profoundly influenced the whole automobile industry. However, this great man of the world automobile industry has come to an end in the glory of Lotus. 1982 65438+February 16, Colin Chapman, founder and chairman of the board of directors of Lotus Team, died of a heart attack at the age of 54. He left a precious legacy for the world car world and injected a touching soul into the lotus.
Although Chapman's father has passed away, his indomitable and innovative spirit is always there. Lotus installed the active suspension system for the racing car for the first time in F 1983, and maintained the balance of the car body through the hydraulic suspension controlled by advanced computer system. The active suspension system in the early experimental stage was installed on the Type 92 racing car driven by Mansel.
Lotus is still the one who has been looking for a breakthrough.