NEWS Headlines

It is with great sadness that Classic Team Lotus reports on the passing of photographer and passionate Lotus enthusiast Stewart White at the age of 87. The majority of Lotus fans probably wouldn't recognise his name, but I’m sure most of you will know his photographs as Stewart probably photographed more Lotus roadcars than anyone else in the world.

In 1978 Colin Chapman was famously photographed on the runway at Hethel with the tools of his trade, his Black & Gold Cessna 414A registered as G-PRIX and the then-new Esprit Series 2 in appropriate Gold & Black.

A Limited Edition Heritage Show Car project has been announced. A New partnership will see Memento Exclusives entrusted with Classic Team Lotus archive to create Limited Edition Show Cars. The Company is known for officially licenced platform, F1® Authentics, and as the Show Car supplier to F1® and its ecosystem. The livery with promise of ‘historic significance’ is set to be revealed later this summer.

The Lotus Type 49 was built and unveiled at Hethel, the home of Lotus, on May 23rd, 1967. Fity-nine years after the historic day Colin Chapman famously drove the Type 49 down the runway at Hethel and was photographed with the brand new Lotus production facility behind him, Classic Team Lotus unveiled the reconstruction of 49R1 that was commissioned by George Barber the late founder of the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham Alabama.

Classic Team Lotus is deeply saddened by the news that George Barber has died. Mr Barber established the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama; a world class centre of automotive endeavour on an 880 acre site. An architecturally splendid building houses the world’s largest collection of motor cycles alongside the world’s largest collection of Lotus cars. Alongside is the Barber circuit which is a state of the art race track hosting Indycar racing and the Porsche North America Driver Training. Barber Motorsports Park is the largest philanthropic enterprise in the State.

Clive Chapman is very sorry to announce that the Classic Team Lotus Garden Party 2026 will not take place after all.

The Chapman family is pleased to announce the 2026 Classic Team Lotus Garden Party will take place over the weekend of 6-7 June at East Carleton Manor, Norfolk. The event this year is to be designed around an open timetable throughout the day which will enable guests to choose how their day is made up and will feature Team Lotus F1 cars through the years.

Classic Team Lotus is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former Lotus aerodynamicist Peter Wright who played a fundamental role in bringing the Lotus innovation of Ground Effects into Formula 1.

Classic Team Lotus were pleased to be able to display 47GT-71 at the NEC Classic Motor Show. The car which has recently completed a full restoration by CTL was the star of the Historic Lotus Register stand at the recent three day event.

One year on from the sad passing of HGPCA stalwart and Lotus aficionado John Bowers, CTL announced they have commissioned a new HGPCA award. At the end of the year luncheon in December, the John Bowers Trophy will be presented to the V8 Driver of the season.

September 15 – Serving as the festival’s official automotive partner for this year, Lotus Cars announced that D.N.A. x DNA, an immersive exhibition would be opening at the Lotus Mayfair showroom as part of London Design Festival 2025 

Fresh from appearing at the 2025 Goodwood Revival, this week we took 33R11 to the RAC club on Pall Mall in London to be on show in the highly prestigious Rotunda display at this historic location

The main feature of the 2025 Goodwood Revival was the greatest season for any team and driver combination in the history of motor sport... 1965, Team Lotus and Jim Clark. CTL took along four cars to showcase Jim's 1965 season successes. Types 32B, 33, 35 and 38 sat proudly at the front of the grid for the feature parade on Saturday.

In 1980 Colin Chapman thought all his birthdays had come at once when he secured title sponsorship by Essex Petroleum. David Thieme was the flamboyant character behind his oil trading company based in Monaco. Evidently he reckoned promotion, bravado, charm (?) and no fear were the vital ingredients to success in this volatile trade.

The recently released 196-page Autosport 'Summer' Special Edition has an excellent 8-page feature by Damien Smith on the influence of Lotus in Formula 1. How, through innovation, dedication and a lot of hard work, Hazel, Colin and their dedicated crew helped build Team Lotus into the influential and dominant force of the 60s and 70s. Well worth the read, it is on the news stands now, don't miss it. Hopefully, the publishers don't mind us using their imagery here. We just couldn't let it go by without letting all you Lotus fans know about it.