Perhaps one of the most available and frequently spotted of the Lotus road bikes is the Lotus Pro Series 3000R, in the only color combination we've seen it carry, teal and white.

The 3000R is a nice-quality bicycle, and according to multiple references it was made in Taiwan and sold, at least through Sears, circa 1989-91.  We've investigated a few vintage Sears Catalogs, but we haven't found any information yet about the Pro Series models. We believe that by this time Lotus International Corp. was licensing the Lotus name to bicycle manufacturers and was not involved as deeply in the design and import of Lotus bicycles as they were in the early to mid 1980's.  

Pro Series is somewhat of a marketing exaggeration, as this bicycle is not like a Racing Series  (pro) Lotus bicycle of years past.  But given the design and equipment the 3000R carries, it would probably fit somewhere in the Lotus Sport Series, roughly equivalent to the popular Lotus Excelle, Lotus' best selling model for many years.

The 3000R featured Suntour Blaze components and a first for Lotus on a road bike, a unicrown fork.  The three main frame tubes were Tange Triple-Butted Cr-Mo Steel. We believe the original saddle was a Viscount as shown on the 3000R in the first photo below, which appears to be a very well-preserved and original bicycle.

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