2022

This week in December especially, we have in mind Hazel and Colin Chapman, one and 40 years on since they passed.

On October 14th, all eight remaining Lotus Type 72s (of the ten built) were gathered together for the first time ever. Classic Team Lotus brought the cars together at the Lotus Cars test track at Hethel for this very 'Special' day to help celebrate 50 years since guest of honour Emerson Fittipaldi became the 1972 World Champion, driving the John Player Team Lotus Type 72.

60 Years of The Classic Lotus Elan was celebrated with a Picnic held at the current Lotus Cars site at Hethel supported by both Lotus Cars and Classic Team Lotus. Organised by The Classic Lotus Elan Register, owners and enthusiasts of all Elan cars (Types 26, 36, 45 & 50) were invited to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the launch of the Lotus Elan in October 1962.

The 2022 Revival was another busy weekend for CTL with the team taking an amazing nine cars to Goodwood. Over the three days, five were raced (Types 16, 18, 21, 24 & 25), and four were featured in Marque displays (the Chapman family Austin Seven in the Austin feature, and Types 12, 57 & 49in the Graham Hill celebration).

Emerson Fittipaldi and CTL were at the Italian Grand Prix this year to help celebrate 50 Years since the Championship clinching victory at Monza in 1972.

Chris Locke won the first ever Corkscrew Hillclimb run at the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion event in August. New for this year, the Corkscrew Hillclimb time trials started on the front straight at Laguna Seca and continued clockwise through turns 11, 10, 9 and 8, and finished about 50 yards past the crest of the infamous corkscrew corner.

25th Aug 2022: Sad news today that we lost long-time stalwart of Team Lotus in the 60s, Willy Cowe. Never one to give praise when it wasn't due, Bob Dance who worked with Willy for many years told us Willy was, "a jolly good chap to work with, one of the best all-rounders in the team." High praise indeed.

On 15th August Elio De Angelis won the 1982 Austrian Grand Prix. The next day Chris Dinnage joined Team Lotus. A good couple of days for the Lotus marque. Bob Dance, who interviewed Chris in 1982, retained his application form complete with Bob’s note saying ‘This guy is worth a try, I reckon’. (40 years on and Bob has no regrets!)

The Gold Cup weekend at Oulton Park in Cheshire saw conditions across the full range of British summer weather, as a wet practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday were followed by varying degrees of dryer track conditions for the two HGPCA F1 races.

CTL were pleased to welcome Photographer/Artist Alan Thornton to the workshop this week. Alan presented Clive Chapman with the first example of his remarkable, hand-signed, limited edition art screen prints titled simply, 'Lotus 72D'.

Classic Team Lotus were pleased to run a pair of Type 18s in the recent HGPCA races run as part of the Zandvoort Masters weekend. Andrew Beaumont was in car #49 (chassis 915) while Andy Middlehurst drove car #4 (chassis 18-907) which belongs to Charles McCabe.

Yes, it really is 44-years since Ronnie Peterson took his last race victory. At the 1978 rain-soaked Austrian Grand Prix held at a Osterreichring, Ronnie took a magnificent driving Type 79/2.

After a pretty extensive rebuild over the past 6-months Lewis Cullington fired up the Lotus Cortina and took her 'home'. Congrats to all the team at CTL for getting this historical car back on the road.

East Carleton Manor, Sunday 26th June 2022 East Carleton Manor was a fitting venue for the Memorial event for Hazel Chapman, who passed away in December 2021, aged 94. The Chapman, Payton and Hepworth families welcomed around 180 guests to come together to remember Hazel and celebrate her wonderful life.

Released today on what would have been Colin Chapman’s 94th birthday, this 15-minute insight into Classic Team Lotus filmed among the fabulous collection of cars at CTL is one to watch.