'e's Anyone?

[Steve G]

Thought someone on here may have the answer to this one... Whilst on the way back from the run this afternoon, Sal asked me why all Lotus model names start with the letter 'E'. I haven't got a clue so thought I'd turn to the collective when I failed to know "all things Lotus"...

 

 

Cheers,

Steve.

[Zircon450]

As far as I know it was something to do with the old man (ACB Chapman)

 

All cars would begin with an E - doesnt really explain the Seven though !

 

Nice to have met you, a smashing day out.

[dobbo]

Yeah, but he also wanted aluminium engine covers on all Loti. They managed it on the early S1 Elises, but soon moved away.

[Jonathan E]

Nobody knows the reason for "E's" something Mr Chapman took to his grave along with "LOTUS" although there are theories outhere as to how both came about.

Regards

Jon

[malbon]

Lotus was something to do with a car chapman put through the auctions and a car was put on the window saying LOT Un Sold

 

dont know about the E's.

 

Elise was named after Roman Artolli's - (chairman of then owning lotus, Bugatti)grand daughter.

[Martin_S]

I've never heard the 'Lot Un Sold' explanation before - where did you get that information? Even Jabby Crombac, the biographer who was closest to Chapman when he was alive, said that Colin was never willing to explain where the name 'Lotus' came from, so I was under the impression it was, and would always remain, a mystery.

 

The 'E' names began with the Lotus Eleven. Chapman had allegedly decided that the Mark numbers in Roman numerals (Mk. VI, Mk. IX, etc.) were going to become unwieldy and rapidly reach the stage where people wouldn't know what they meant. To avoid confusion between 11 and Roman numerals II (2), he decided to spell out the word 'Eleven', and simply took a liking to the fact that any word beginning with 'E' flowed on naturally from the 'S' that ended the word 'Lotus'. It was never a completely hard and fast rule, though - all cars continued to have a decimal type number (the Elise is Type 111, of course) as well as any name, the Plus 2 was actually called the Plus 2, not, officially, the 'Elan +2', and was almost called the 'Metier' anyway, and, confusingly, the 'Seven' (launched 1957) actually post-dates the Eleven (1956) and Elite (launched October '57, alongside the Seven, but development started long before), despite having a 'non-E' designation.