Lotus has a history of producing extremely lightweight sport cars, see Lotus Seven [1], famously featured in the opening sequence of "The Prisoner" TV series.
The biography "Colin Chapman The man and his cars" by Jerry Crombac is the got to read for this topic. BTW., Crombac is a legend in sports journalism in his own right.
Not just featuring in the opening sequence, but indeed symbolic of the entire show. A quirky, agile stand-out from the crowd that represents freedom and individuality, yet in the end is still imprisoned to follow the same roads as everybody else.