2026

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.