The Custodian: Lotus the car maker was also a
Formula 1 team who won many championships and introduced lots of technological advances (and a not-so-technological one. Keep reading). They were the first to use
aerodynamics to increase car performance. They advanced
ground effect (a way of sucking air from below the car to "glue" it to the floor and improve
cornering speeds), although it was first seen on
Chaparral sportscars.
They were also the first racing team to use commercial sponsorship. In 1968, Lotus F1 cars appeared with advertising for Gold Leaf cigarettes painted on their sides, surprising everybody.
Colin Chapman was the genius behind Lotus. After he died in 1982, the team went into a slow decline, eventually dissolving in 1994. Their last Grand Prix win was in 1987 in the United States with Ayrton Senna.