The Elite, or Lotus Type 14, was the first purpose-designed road coupe from the innovative mind of Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus Cars (1952). Chapman’s approach was always to “add lightness,” instead of moving to bigger, heavier engines.

Lotus Cars, founded by the late Colin Chapman, was a racing car manufacturer that also built road cars, such as the Elan and Elite. Chapman was the engineer, and a group of committed staff made his ideas come to life.

The Lotus Super 7 was the brainwork of famous race car designer Colin Chapman, who loved the phrase “less is more.” The Super 7 was a simple, fast, minimalist sports car. Production started in 1957, and continued until 1972 under the Lotus name.

The Louvet is a three-passenger, one-door, dual-pedaled, 2 x 5-speed car—meaning both driver and front passenger have their own pedal cranks that operate on separate 5-speed selectors. It was discovered in a remarkable set of French photographs from 1935.

Maurice Pezous was a French aeronautics engineer, a racing fan, and a Citroën enthusiast. 

In 1926 brothers Otto and Wilhelm Maisch formed Maisch & Co. to produce small 2-stroke engines of JLO design, plus bicycles and parts. In 1932, the brothers began producing scooters and motorcycles under the Maico name.

In 1952 the Manom Company started on the prototype Manocar. The car was to have large curved body shapes that gave it a larger appearance.