Lotus – A Divided Operation

By Ben Rees. The Lotus story is a complicated one. Colin Chapman began the Lotus brand and raced in the 1950s under the Team Lotus name. In the late 1950s and early 1960s different corporate entities were established; Lotus Cars Ltd, to run the road car operation, and Team Lotus Limited, to run the racing operation. In effect, the claims and counterclaims heard in this dispute, which predominantly relate to passing off and trade mark infringement, can be dated back to the formation of the two companies.