Photo: Lotus
Back in the early 1990s, Lotus found itself between a rock and a hard place. To make a long story short, General Motors sold the British automaker to Romano Artioli, the man who revived Bugatti in 1987 to produce the EB110 in Campogalliano, Italy. And this fellow called Romano, his granddaughter bears the name of Elisa Artioli.
Now you know how Lotus under Artioli came up with Elise for the two-door sports car that replaced the Elan. 22 years later, Elisa returned to the stomping ground of the automaker in Hethel to be reunited with Elise #1. That’s right, ladies and gents; this is the very first example to roll off the assembly line, way back in 1996!
Why would Elisa visit Lotus after such a long time, more so if you bear in mind the automaker went through many ups and downs in this period? The answer to that comes in the form of the 70th anniversary. Not of Lotus per se, but of the first racing car built by Colin Chapman, way back in 1948.
Artioli sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia in 1996, and financial struggles also forced the Italian businessman to sell Bugatti to Volkswagen in 1998. Lotus is now in the hands of Geely, which also runs Volvo, Polestar, and the London Electric Vehicle Company that produces the black cab.
While Elisa was at Hethel, Lotus convinced her to drive the Exige Sport 410 and Evora GT410 Sport around the Hethel test track. And on that note, the Elise is here to stay even if the automaker plans to change things from the ground up in order to compete with Ferrari as equals.
Before the next generation comes along, the Elise Cup 250 is the best road-going version of the sports car that you can get. Priced at £47,400 not including the £18,400 in weight-saving options, the Elise Cup 250 can also be fitted with a fire extinguisher for the eye-watering sum of £2,800. Who said buying a Lotus was cheap, right?
Why would Elisa visit Lotus after such a long time, more so if you bear in mind the automaker went through many ups and downs in this period? The answer to that comes in the form of the 70th anniversary. Not of Lotus per se, but of the first racing car built by Colin Chapman, way back in 1948.
Artioli sold Lotus to Proton of Malaysia in 1996, and financial struggles also forced the Italian businessman to sell Bugatti to Volkswagen in 1998. Lotus is now in the hands of Geely, which also runs Volvo, Polestar, and the London Electric Vehicle Company that produces the black cab.
While Elisa was at Hethel, Lotus convinced her to drive the Exige Sport 410 and Evora GT410 Sport around the Hethel test track. And on that note, the Elise is here to stay even if the automaker plans to change things from the ground up in order to compete with Ferrari as equals.
Before the next generation comes along, the Elise Cup 250 is the best road-going version of the sports car that you can get. Priced at £47,400 not including the £18,400 in weight-saving options, the Elise Cup 250 can also be fitted with a fire extinguisher for the eye-watering sum of £2,800. Who said buying a Lotus was cheap, right?
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