Every Lotus model, be it road car or race car, has a Type designation, similar to BMW's "E" designations.
http://www.race-cars.com/utility/lotusr.htm
As of 1996 they had over 115 different "Types" (although the first 12 were called "Marks")
Lotus Seven = Mark 7
Lotus Eleven = Mark 11
Lotus Eleven Series 2 = Type 15
Lotus Elite = Type 14
Lotus Elan = Type 26
Lotus Ford Cortina = Type 28
Lotus Elan Coupe = Type 36
Lotus Elan Drophead = Type 45
Lotus Europa = Type 46
Lotus Elan 2+2 = Type 50
Lotus Europa Series 2 (Prototype) = Type 54
Lotus Seven Series 4 = Type 60
Lotus Europa Series 2 (Production) = Type 65
Lotus Europa Twin Cam = Type 74
Lotus Elite II = Type 75
Lotus Eclat = Type 76
Lotus Esprit = Type 79
Lotus Sunbeam Talbot = Type 81
Lotus Esprit Turbo = Type 82
Lotus Elite II Series 2 = Type 83
Lotus Eclat Series 2 = Type 84
Lotus Esprit Series 3 = Type 85
Lotus Excel = Type 89
Lotus Elan = Type M100
Lotus Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega = Type 104
Lotus Elise = Type 111
Lotus Esprit V8 = Type 114
Lotus Elise GT1 = Type 115
Unfortunatly the list only goes to 1996, so I have no clue what the Series 5 Esprit's Type number is, or the Exige, or the Series 2 Elise and Exige.
The Elises with variants like the "Type-49", "Type-72" are not actual Type names, they are merely noddings at the F1 success of the historical Type-49 and Type-72.
