The Lotus Elite was a turning point for Lotus. First produced at the end of the 1950s, it marked Lotus' transition from a maker of small racing cars, which had limited utility on the road, to the producer of a highly sophisticated road and race car. In the Elite, Lotus exploited its knowledge of new technology and racing pedigree to produce a car which, with its glass fibre monocoque and Coventry Climax engine, had the potential to be a world beater. This book gives an insight into the reasons the car was produced and its importance in Lotus' history, especially in the production of lightweight innovative cars. Through interviews with Elite owners, first hand accounts provide a good overview of owning one of these iconic cars, covering its foibles and quirks as well as its exemplary roadholding, handling and performance. Illustrated with many colour photographs, along with period advertising material, the book provides a valuable insight into owning, running and racing these iconic cars.
Explores the design development and production of the Lotus Europa, Lotus's first mid-engined road car. It covers the Renault-powered Series 1 and 2 cars, the Lotus Twin Cam-engined versions, and the Type 47 racing models.
Colin Chapman – legendary racing car designer, founder of Lotus, one of the true greats of motorsport – has been the subject of several biographies but this new one is really special. Endorsed by his family and with a foreword by his son Clive, this all-color hardcover tells Chapman’s story in comic-strip form. Beautifully drawn and historically accurate, this brilliant book will enlighten and charm motorsport enthusiasts in equal measure.
Mike Lawrence shows how Chapman operated in a fast-moving, highly pressurized world of international racing and car making that generated huge rewards and temptations. The crunch came when he became involved with the ill-fated Delorean car company.
This long-awaited memoir by a key figure in Formula 1 includes trenchant observations on the 12 World Champions with whom he worked at Team Lotus. Peter Warr was best known for his management of the Lotus Formula 1 team, where he was one of Colin Chapman's closest allies as well as the man who nurtured the early Formula 1 careers of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. Frank, informative and beautifully written, his memoir remained unfinished at the time of his death in 2010, but the bulk of his work was done and was published in 2012, complete with an introduction and epilogue by Simon Taylor. This long-awaited inside story, which is of particular interest for its author's thoughts on Chapman and all the drivers he worked with, is a 'must read' for any Formula 1 enthusiast.
Lotus Esprit: The Official Story is the inside story of Britain's best loved supercar from it's development in the early 1970's right through to the 21st century. That the Esprit ever appeared in the showroom, never mind set a record for British sportscar continuous production from 1976-2004, is a story straight from the Lotus era. How Colin Chapman labored alongside Italian designer and fellow genius Giorgetto `Giorgio' Giugiaro to bring the first show Esprits to life, is just one of the stories unveiled by Jeremy Walton's research. The Esprit, in all its Lotus Type numbers and derivatives from the very first Type 79 onwards, is revealed in this seriously comprehensive book. A total of under 11,000 Esprits were made in it's 28 year production span, which means that some models had production numbers of less than 100 and have therefore become extremely collectable. Supremely agile and rapid Esprits such as the Sport 300 and V8 350 are examined in all their 160 to 175 mph glories - along with the race track inspired Esprit Turbo SCCA, X180R and Type 114 Esprit GT1. As with Walton's acclaimed Lotus Elise title for Coterie, this conscientious Esprit production was enabled only by the full co-operation of Lotus Cars. Once again they gave frank access to their archives as well as their employees. Lotus Esprit The Official Story contains the reminisces of the loyalists and the youngsters who added to their growing reputations when involved in the concept and design of the Esprit, many who are now famous industry figures following a Lotus apprenticeship. The author's trusted participation at every stage in the Esprit's long life is reflected by the openness of all involved. They tell us the real stories behind the car, leaving us with hope of an innovative new Esprit before too long.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall" is how the old saying goes and while most of the time that is true the once-mighty Team Lotus was the exception. Because Lotus' decline was unusual: it was not a spectacular, swift or a sudden affair. Instead, it was a death by a 1000 cuts spanning years if not decades. During which time drivers were calling the shots, resources not allocated efficiently, race-winning technologies squandered, and questionable investments made. But could all this have been avoided and if so who or what should take the blame? A new book explores...Team Lotus: Beyond the Colin Chapman Era tells a tale that has been criminally under-reported. Lotus' decline, and its death by 1,000 cuts. It contains approx. 500 pages (kindle size) with over 150 rare photos. In short it will be comparable to my last book, 1994 - The Untold Story. Given all the positive reviews of that, you can expect this new book to be a great read, please look out for any reviews if you don't believe me. Contributors towards it include: Frank Dernie - Lotus' Technical Director Between 1989/90.Peter Wright - The man behind Lotus' active suspension during the 1980s.Antony Hayes - Historian for Team Lotus, and someone who worked there during the 1980s & 1990s.Willem Toet - Designer of championship-winning Benetton's and Ferrari F1 cars & F1 aerodynamics/wind tunnel expert.Nigel Beresford - Tyrrell's Race Engineer to Palmer, Alesi and Modena between 1989-1991 I'll add any reviews of this E-book here in due course so readers can make an informed decision. Peter Wright has read some of the draft and calls it an "interesting read." So what will be contained in this book? It focuses on the years from 1983 to the end of 1989 because we may produce a follow up book investigating Lotus' final years of 1990 - 1995. The reason they aren't in a single book is simple; this decline story is one that needs to be covered in detail. Remember there are 1000 cuts to cover. The book guides readers through all of Team Lotus' races between 1983 to the end of the 1989 F1 Season. This is to identify how the team bounced back after the death of their founder and inspiration, Colin Chapman, and to work out where their decline began. But it's also just an excuse to relive what was a great period of F1, the original turbo era. The book itself is full of detail, insights and written by someone passionate about this subject matter. An essential ingredient for a good book.This book is not shy in telling readers how things might have been done differently. It has many exclusives and is controversial in its findings. There are important lessons to be learned from a team's downfall, and that was certainly the case with Lotus as readers will come to learn. l've worked hard since the abridged version of this book (released in January 2020) to ensure any feedback from that has been implemented into this updated version. As a result this book is twice as long & detailed as that abridged version. I believe this book provides outstanding value for money for the content you are getting.
