It’s 1952. King George has just died, the scars of WW2 are only just starting to heal and America’s B-52 bomber flies for the first time. It is a period of time where Great Briton has somewhat lost its identity amidst the worlds ever growing noise. Did she still rule the waves? Or had her leadership in various disciplines dissolved? Whilst this island nation pondered its future, a group of Brits did what we do best. They sat in a shed and built the beginnings of something astonishing. With Collin Chapman at the helm, this small collection of people became Lotus.

Over the decades this name evolved into a performance icon, not just in Briton, but all over the world. From the worlds best handling sports cars to global admiration for their ingenuity in Formula One, Lotus did Great Briton a huge service in reaffirming our place on the world stage. The companies genius thinking and famed slogan “add lightness” produced world championship winning racing cars, and even by todays standard, road cars that that set your soul alight.

Today Lotus as a whole is facing a harrowing demise that could just see the final chapter in Collin Chapman’s legacy come to an end. The company are denying the possibility of liquidation but with road car sales being sluggish, the wolf continues to knock at the door. Many of the worlds car manufacturers come to Lotus Engineering for their help in setting up the chassis and suspension for their new cars. This division is truly a world leader when it comes to car handling. The worry is that certain elements of the company will be saved, but the motor car side of things might not survive. The nightmare of Bahar has done its damage.

The world needs the plucky Brit. If variety is the spice of life then Lotus is planet Earths paprika. We are told that their new halo car, the Esprit, is all but ready for production and this potential Ferrari rivalling machine could be just what the brand needs to kickstart sales again.

For now, at least according to them, Lotus is safe but personally I would like to see a large company such as BMW come along and put some faith in one of the most legendary icons the motor industry has ever seen.