The Lotus Group of Companies was formed in 1959. Team Lotus, which was split off from Lotus Engineering in 1954, was active and competitive in Formula One racing from 1958 to 1994. The first factory was situated in old stables behind the Railway Hotel in Hornsey, North London. When the logo was created, Colin Chapman's original partners Michael and Nigel Allen were led to believe that the letters stood for Colin Chapman and the Allen Brothers. The four letters in the middle of the logo stand for the initials of company founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman. by engineers Colin Chapman and Colin Dare, both graduates of University College, London, but had earlier origins in 1948 when Chapman built his first racing car in a garage. The company was formed in 1952 as Lotus Engineering Ltd. Notable Lotus cars include the Lotus Seven, the Lotus Esprit and the Lotus Elan. The engineering consultancy firm Lotus Engineering, an offshoot of Lotus Cars, has facilities in the United Kingdom, United States, China, and Malaysia.

It is currently majority owned by Chinese multinational Geely, with Etika Automotive as a minority shareholder. After his death and a period of financial instability, it was bought by General Motors, then Romano Artioli and DRB-HICOM through its subsidiary Proton. Lotus Cars was founded and owned for many years by Colin Chapman. Lotus was previously involved in Formula One racing, via Team Lotus, winning the Formula One World Championship seven times. Lotus Cars Limited is a British automotive company headquartered in Norfolk, England which manufactures sports cars and racing cars noted for their light weight and fine handling characteristics.

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