When it comes to collectible, elite, and high-performance sports cars and race cars, one name that is under-represented is the British company Lotus, which has been producing sleek, lightweight cars since 1948. Though these cars are prized by enthusiasts worldwide, who appreciate their excellent handling performance, they have always been fairly rare, with limited volume, and only one or two models offered at the same time.

Originally formed as Lotus Engineering, Ltd., by British engineer, Anthony Colin Chapman, known as Colin, the company's first car was produced in 1948, and their first factory was in an old stable behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, England. Two years later, Team Lotus, the competitive racing branch of the company was split off, and would be active in Formula One racing from 1958-1994. In 1959 the Lotus Group of Companies was created, and it included Lotus Cars Limited and Lotus Components Limited, which focused on street car and customer-targeted competition cars, respectively. In 1971 Lotus Components Limited was renamed to Lotus Racing Limited, but it ceased operations entirely later that same year.

While the converted stable served the company well for several years, in 1959 Lotus moved to Cheshunt to a factory built just for them. They moved again in 1966, this time taking over a factory and road test facility at the former Royal Air Force base at Hethel, near Wymondham. To this day, the test track incorporates sections of the old runway.

Operations continued as normal through 1982, when Colin Chapman died of a heart attack, and beyond, to 1986. In that year, Lotus was purchased by General Motors, which held onto it until 1993, when it was subsequently sold to the Luxembourg-based A.C.B.N. Holdings S. A. company for ?30 million. This brought Lotus under the control of Italian businessman Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti. Three years later a majority share in Lotus was purchased by Proton (Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd), a Malaysian carmaker listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.

Today, the company is officially "Group Lotus," and is comprised of Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, under the direction of Michael Kimberley, who took over as Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Group in May 2006. He currently serves as chair of the executive committee of Lotus Group International Limited (LGIL) with Syed Zainal Abidin and Badrul Feisal (both of Proton).

The first Lotus ? the Mark 1 that was produced in 1948 ? was used by founder Colin Chapman to compete in races. It wasn't until 1957 ? two years after the company had been rebranded as Lotus Cars, Ltd., that the first of the named cars was unveiled. This featherweight coupe was known as the Lotus Elite, and it owed its ultra-light profile to an innovative fiberglass unibody construction. While fiberglass itself was not a new element of automobile construction, the Elite was the first vehicle to use the material in both its skin and its skeleton. As a result, the car distinguished itself at Le Mans, and many other races around the world.

As Lotus moved into the 1960's the line grew to include the Elan, which was first available as a roadster with four-wheel disc brakes, a four-wheel independent suspension, and a twin-cam engine, though a hardtop version followed later. By 1967, Lotus had expanded their stable again, this time with the Elan Plus 2. Nicknamed "Lotus's first family car," the Elan Plus 2 was still as sporty as its predecessor, but offered a bigger cabin and two jump seats, for greater practicality.

Though the original version of the Lotus Elite was retired in 1972, the name was revived in 1974, this time attached to a vehicle that had room for four passengers and sported a 160 hp engine. Two years later, in 1976, the Esprit was added to the Lotus family. This car was two-seat sports car that continued the company trend of lightweight design, and became widely recognizable due not just to its remarkable wedge-shaped profile, but also the fact that it appeared in two James Bond films.

Despite making its Hollywood debut, the 1970's were not a stellar decade for Lotus. While the cars had evolved significantly since the first models that were sold in the 1950s, the ones in production during the 70s were bigger and more expensive, and were now competing in a market dominated by Ferrari and Porsche. They were premium-priced exotic cars in a climate where a fuel crisis caused a dramatic decline in exotic sales, and the losses felt were significant. The company would bounce from controller to controller ? first to GM, which created Lotus Cars USA in 1987, and then to Bugatti which bought the marque in 1993.

It wasn't until 1996, under their new Malaysian ownership, that Lotus produced a new model. This time, the car was the Elise, a flyweight vehicle that quickly became, not just the main product, but also the financial savior of the company. It was finally brought to the North American market in 2004 when it was able to meet American safety requirements. Today, Lotus continues two of Colin Chapman's original traditions: producing lightweight race-oriented sports cars, and model names beginning with the letter "E." Current models include:

• Lotus Elise: features an aluminum extrusion frame and composite body shell, and has spawned many variants designed for racing, included the limited series exotic 340R which has an open-body design reminiscent of the Lotus Seven. It's available in the United States, where, in order to comply with stricter emissions laws, it is sold with a Toyota engine. There's also an Eco Elise, which incorporates solar panels into a roof constructed from hemp, and uses natural materials in both the interior and body of the car.
• Lotus Exige: a variant of the Elise with a redesigned body that provides increased downforce, and coming with the Elise's sport pack and hardtop options as standard features. It's a street legal vehicle currently shipping with a supercharged Exige S engine. The S-model's engine provides 220 hp, while the standard version tops out at 190hp.
• Lotus Europa S: Inspired by the Grand Tourer, this is a two-seater that claims to offer a more upmarket experience despite having the same chassis as the Elise and Exige. The engine is a Lotus-tuned version of the same turbochargd four-cylinder engine that powers the VX220. The Europa has received negative criticism for being expensive and for being less than impressive with respect to internal equipment, accessories, and practicality. Not available in North America.
• Lotus 2-Eleven: An ultra-light (1,500) car designed for the track but with options that will make it street legal, this car offers 252 bhp and can go from zero to sixty mph in 3.8 seconds. Available in the North American market for track use only.
• Lotus Evora: The newest addition to the Lotus line, and code-named "Project Eagle" during development, this car, launched on July 22, 2008, is a 2+2 sports car with a 3.5 liter mid-mounted V6 engine. It's also the first product in a five year plan that began in 2006, with the goal of expanding the Lotus line. It's larger than the other members of the Lotus family, and the first to have an interior capable of comfortably accommodating tall drivers, like the company CEO Mike Kimberley. It was tested using the specs of 99th percentile American males. It also features a cooled boot, or storage space, behind the engine, which sources say is large enough to hold a set of golf clubs. Plans have been announced for a two-seat version, referred to as the "Plus Zero" option. Lotus plans to pit the Evora against such cars as the Porsche Cayman. The Evora has been designed to meet or exceed global emissions and safety standards with a portion of the annual 2000 unit production target slated to be available in North America.