NEWS Headlines

How best to celebrate 75 years of Formula One? The Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum in Birmingham, Alabama has commissioned Classic Team Lotus to reconstruct the F1 Lotus which realized the biggest ever performance increase in F1 history. Classic Team Lotus is to recreate the very first Lotus Type 49, chassis number 1. The greatest game changer of them all.

CTL would like to send huge congratulations to owner of 49R2, Chris MacAllister. Restored by Classic Team Lotus in 2010, 49R2 took the coveted Concours de Sport Best in Show award at the Amelia Island concours held at the oceanfront Ritz-Carlton hotel in Florida last weekend. “To be honest I just came here to have fun. It was huge a surprise but made for a great day," Chris told us.

25th Feb 2025: It is with great sadness that Classic Team Lotus reports the passing of Nigel Allen who was 93 years old. Along with Colin Chapman and Hazel Williams, Nigel and his brother Michael were co-founders of the Lotus marque back in 1952. We send our condolences to Nigel’s children, Jill, Deryn, Simon and Samantha, and their families.

The first Lotus single-seater and the first Lotus to compete in a Championship Grand Prix, was the Type 12. On loan from the Chapman Family Collection, the prototype 12, chassis 12/301 is now proudly on display at the Lotus Mayfair store in Piccadilly.

Plans for this year’s Garden Party have progressed and, as the content has developed, it has become apparent that for practical reasons we should concentrate on a one day event for this year. Therefore, the 2025 Garden Party will now be held on Saturday 14th June.

The Type 99T driven by Ayrton Senna to victory in Monaco and Detroit in 1987 is now on display at the Lotus Mayfair showroom on Piccadilly.

At yesterday evening’s Royal Automobile Club Historic Awards held at a glittering celebration in Pall Mall, London, motorsport legend Bob Dance was honoured as the recipient of the club's Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honours an individual who has, in the opinion of the Club, made an outstanding contribution to British motoring history and heritage, or to the British historic motoring and motor racing movement, across many years.

The Chapman family is pleased to announce the 2025 Classic Team Lotus Garden Party will take place at East Carleton Manor on the 14th of June 2025

The very sad news today is that John Bowers has died. Classic Team Lotus got to know John when in 2008 he purchased the 1963 Lotus Type 25 chassis R4 at auction in Australia, from the Estate of the Hon John Dawson-Damer. He had not intended to buy R4, but as the auction played out - and with the encouragement of wife Margaret – he decided on the spot that he should. (John was a brilliant economist and was particularly able at assessing situations and reacting quickly, with logical, sound decisions. Much like Margaret, in fact.)

The third edition of the TABAC Classic GP held over the weekend of 14-15 September at the Assen Circuit in the Netherlands was a huge success. The program featured 21 car and motorcycle races, various stunning demonstrations and a paddock filled with historic race cars. The undoubted stars of the show however, were Emerson Fittipaldi and 72/7.

A week ago: Andy Middlehurst scored an extraordinary ninth Glover Trophy win at the Goodwood Revival. Racing the Jim Clark Lotus Type 25 owned by Australian John Bowers, Andy managed to hold off the challenging Ferrari to win by just 0.038 seconds.

More images from this two-day Lotus extravaganza held at East Carleton Manor. Use this CTL link to see an online library of more images from the weekend.

The Chapman Family were pleased to welcome guests to East Carleton Manor, for this, the second celebration of Hazel & Colin Heritage.

"What is the greatest racing car of the past 100 years?" Is a question as easy to ask, as the answer is hard to find. But in this, their 100th year, Motor Sport magazine have been trying to answer that very question.

A break in the qualifying sessions on Saturday at the Monaco Historique saw a tribute parade to Ayrton Senna, who passed away 30 years ago. Five iconic cars and Ayrton's Go-Kart were scheduled to complete 3-laps of the Principality with celebrity drivers that included Bruno Senna behind the wheel.