Why Chapman Selected Name LOTUS

Ridgeman580 · #1 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 03:57 PM

Fruit of the Lotus tree was fabled by the
'ancients' to make strangers who ate of its fruit to ' forget all others'. Anthony
Colin Bruce Chapman decided to name his company LOTUS because he believed that, with regard to his creations, "once you drive it, you will forget all others!"

mikester · #2 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 04:03 PM

And, the source for this information is ?

Reason I ask is because this topic is controversial, numerous theories are out there, I've heard about 3 or 4 of 'em.

That's probably as good as any, though :p

**mason** · #3 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 04:09 PM

mikester,

What are the other theories you've heard?

Ridgeman580 · #4 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 04:31 PM

Read, awhile back, where one of Chapman's contemporaries said, "Chapman calls his car a Lotus because
once you drive it, you will forget all others." Didn't fully understand it, but
once I went to Google and looked up the definition of Lotus Tree it coincided with
what was attributed to Chapman. Sounds good to me.

mikester · #5 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 06:09 PM

One of the explanations that I've heard goes something like this:

At the place that Graham Chapman was working at the time, there was a parts bin or some such labeled "LOT US" which stood for lot unsold - stuff that had not yet been sold, maybe for return etc. Anyway it's said that he liked the looks of that LOT US and just decided on the spur of the moment to name his fledgeling car company LOTUS.

Another one; I saw an english TV program on Chapman and Lotus, and they interviewed Chapman's widow, and they asked her about it, and she got this funny look in her eye (kind of a little spark or something), and kind of smiled a little and said that she really wasn't sure. But some speculate that it was sort of a little private joke between them, something intimate (wink wink, nudge nudge );) The interview with her made that seem a definite possibility.

Off hand can't think of any others, maybe somebody else will weigh in.

Ridgeman580 · #6 (**permalink**) 12-18-2003, 07:38 PM

I guess he decided to begin all model
names with 'E' because the parts-bin
was always empty.

I wouldn't mention anything about the
parts bin theory if you ever find yourself in psychiatric therapy. You'll be consigned, not to the parts-bin, but the loon bin, and they won't let you bring
your Elise there.