From the official Lotus FAQ:

Why do Lotus names have to start with an E?
Nobody really knows but before the Lotus Eleven all Lotus road cars were known as Mark 1, Mark 2 etc. However, when it came to the Lotus Eleven using the numerical symbol confused the car with the Roman Numerals for the number 2. Consequently, since the Lotus Eleven all Lotus road car names have started with the letter E.

In other words, they don't know why either!

Having been involved with product naming a few times in my life, I think being restricted to only words that start with a certain letter would make things much, much easier. Once they got stuck on 'E', my hunch is no one really wanted to change and open the can of worms that would go with that.

 

everything starts with an E

 

Colin Chapman tradition...

Romano Artioli states inthe introduction to LOTUS ELISE, The official story continues "I believed it important to continue with Colin Chapman's tradition, with the starting letter E"( the board considers calling the Elise the M111-the project name)" As a coincidence, my granddaughter Elisa was born in the same period as we decided to build the car, which gave me the idea to call it by her name" When the Elise made its debut in Frankfurt the two year old was seated in the car with a tshirt that said 'I am Elise'. When the little girl went to school in Norwich it is said that she would say to anyone who asked her name, "I am ELISE LOTUS". Pip

 

everything starts with an E

rotfl

 

everything starts with an E

Like Ecstacy.:shift:

 

When the numbering got to 11, the question was how to say it was it the "Eleven" or the "One one". Or the "Mark eleven" or the "Mark one one"? Colin liked the way "Eleven" rolled off the tongue, and he just decided to name the next (street) car with a name instead of a number - and he decided to make it an "E" word. The tradition followed.

 

Because if they were made in Canada they'd all start with an "A"?

 

Because if they were made in Canada they'd all start with an "A"?

no, they'd all end in A, eh?

 

Nick Adams just recently told me the story and as always, Tim Mullen is spot on!!!! Good Show............ :clap: :clap:

 

Yes, Tim's explanation tracks what I have heard from various sources at the factory. But it reminds me of a story. A few years ago I was attending a hi-end Concours d' Elegance in the Bay Area where a very well prepared Lotus XI won a best-of-class award. However, when the award came over the PA system the announcer said the award was being given to "Joe Blow" for his beautiful Lotus "ex one" -- followed by a collective groan from the audience . I think ACBC made the right decision!

 

E eats everything. - They Might Be Giants

 

Hmmm. Tim's explanation sounds good, and apparently has been authenticated, but....

I believe that Peter Kirwan-Taylor, who was an accountant who among other things styled the original Elite, was largely responsible for the "E", and for the French word connection too. Elite, Elan, Eclat, Esprit, etc. Europa is the odd one out.

There's no doubt Colin liked it, but did he originate the tradition?

Hmmm.....

 

I believe that Peter Kirwan-Taylor, who was an accountant who among other things styled the original Elite, was largely responsible for the "E", and for the French word connection too. Elite, Elan, Eclat, Esprit, etc. Europa is the odd one out.

There's no doubt Colin liked it, but did he originate the tradition?

Hmmm.....

You left Exige out...

 

Like Ecstacy.:shift:

Lotus Ecstacy!

Me likey!

 

Let's see.....................UUUMMMMM....................New E words for new Lotus models...................Erectio-.................Naaaaaahhhhh........That would be an end result, not a name if they get it right..........:coolnana: :coolnana:

 

You left Exige out...

No, the list wasn't meant to be exhaustive, just the earlier ones.

 

Because if they were made in Canada they'd all start with an "A"?

Actually that's spelled "Eh?" - so it complies! Being a ex-patriate Canuckistanian I was verify this to be true. :sheep:

 

No, the list wasn't meant to be exhaustive, just the earlier ones.

I was reffering to the French word connection...

...French word connection too. Elite, Elan, Eclat, Esprit, etc. Europa is the odd one out...

exige:

en español | in context | images


Multiple results for exige: exiger exigé

exiger:
Principal Translations:
exiger (nécessiter) v require (need, demand)
exiger (imposer) vi compel (require)

Additional Translations:
exiger v insist on
exiger v insist upon
exiger v make a demand
exiger v need
exiger v exact (demand)
exiger v demand (require)
exiger v command (be high)
exiger (déclarer obligatoire) v require
exiger (nécessiter) v need
exiger (silence, etc.) v require
exiger (silence, etc.) v insist on
exiger (silence, etc.) v claim

Compound Forms:
exiger de l'attention v demand attention
.

exigé:
Principal Translations:
exigé adj requested

Additional Translations:
exigé adj required (demanded)
exigé (patience sacrifice discrétion) pp adj entailed
.

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who among other things styled the original Elite, was largely responsible for the "E",

But the Eleven came before the Elite. Other's may have suggested "E" names, but knowing Colin's tight hold on Lotus, Colin made all the decisions...

 

Tim,
I know 11 comes before 14, and I fully accept why the Eleven was so called. All Lotus before then were called Mark something-or-other, all after Eleven were just plain numbers - including the Seven, which came after the Eleven.
But Elite was the second "E", and it seems to me you can't have a tradition with only one example. Anyway, it's a distant memory for me now, but I do seem to recall that Kirwan-Taylor was either a Francophile or had som eother connection.

Patricko,
Merci bien pour le lecon. Moi, je parle assez bien, ayant passe quelques annees en France.
Comme j'ai ecrit, la liste n'etait exhaustive, mais quelques exemples de modele Lotus.
Merci quand-meme.

 

T
I know 11 comes before 14, and I fully accept why the Eleven was so called. All Lotus before then were called Mark something-or-other, all after Eleven were just plain numbers - including the Seven, which came after the Eleven.

All Lotus have a "number" (i.e. all the race cars, the Elise is the 111, etc.), but only the street cars had names (at least usually).

In the case of the Seven, Colin had planned that car in the sequence of numbers, but it was put on hold. When he got back to it, other cars had higher number, but he stuck with the name/number he originally had allocated for the Seven...

 

One more confirmation for Tims account being just about word for word from what Nick Adams said at the mountain drive.

 

Tim,
What I was getting at, obviously inadequately, was that the "Mark" designation was dropped with the Eleven. Previously they'd been Mark 2, Mark 3, etc., up to and including Mark 10. The designation was dropped, so in numeric sequence you now have . . Mark 6, Seven, Mark 8.

Also, at various times the early cars were given Roman Numerals - Mark III, Mark IV, Mark VI, for example. Whether this was by happenstance or design I don't know, but the practice seems to have stopped after the Eleven. Elevens often are numbered XI, but I don't remember seeing Roman numerals used for later cars. Of course, they can get a bit complicated - 49 is a lot simpler than XLIX, and 111 than CXI, for that matter!

Maybe that's what I need for my personal plate?

 

I love the E system..

Though not a fan of the name Elise for these cars.. Exige is hot and bad ass sounding but elise is a little.. well it's feminine..

For instance I think the Elise should have been named Exige and the Exige should be the Exige Sport.. since really it's a very similar car..

 

Elise name was created pure and simple because Artioli was ceo of Lotus/Bugatti at the time, happened to be his granddaughter's name. It's probably not one of the more inspiring name in the Lotus series, but a lot of the good names are used already.
Chris