Lotus Elan F1 supercar, reportedly said that his only disappointment with the McLaren F1 was that he could not give it the perfect steering of the Lotus Elan. In 2004, "Sports Car International" named the Elan number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1960s. The original version of the car was designed by Ron Hickman who also designed the first Lotus Europa as part of Lotus' GT40 project bid and made his fortune having designed the Black & Decker Workmate. Because of its successful design and rigorous attention to cost control on the body, chassis, engine and the
Lotus Europa S factory in Malaysia, allowing for a lower sale price, but ultimately the company chose the Lotus Hethel factory for the car's production. Delivery of the Europa S began in September 2006 from the Lotus factory at Hethel, Norfolk. The car was not offered for sale in the United States or Canada as the Opel/Vauxhall-built turbocharger was not certified to meet emissions requirements for those countries. The Europa S body and platform was also used by Chrysler for their Dodge Circuit EV electric car concept. The Europa S was replaced by the more potent Europa SE in 2008. Production of the