Some cars leave a paper trail; the Lotus 76 left a name and a place in Lotus's list. What follows is what can be said with a source behind it. The shape is credited to Colin Chapman / Ralph Bellamy.
The story
The Lotus 76 is a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman, Tony Rudd and Ralph Bellamy and used by Team Lotus in the 1974 Formula One season.
Its place in the line
In the Lotus line-up the Lotus 76 has a clear place: it replaced the Lotus 72; it handed the line to the Lotus 77. Nearby in the Lotus catalogue sit the Lotus 100T and the Lotus 101.