Lotus: The Competition Cars-All the Racing Type Numbers from 1947 to the Modern Era [Hardcover]

Anthony Pritchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2006

This is a comprehensive survey of Lotus's racing history, covering the extraordinary range of sports-racing and single-seater cars designed by Colin Chapman and his disciples.

Grand Prix machinery predominates, with landmark machines such as the 25 (the first monocoque), 49 (the start of the Cosworth-DFV period), 72 (wedge-shaped with side radiators) and 79 (the all-conquering ground-effect design). Into the narrative are woven the memories of Lotus Formula 1 drivers, and an insiders view of the innovations for which Chapman was personally responsible and those credited to him but derived from others.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Victory Lane, December 2006

“This full chronicle of all the sports racing and formula cars is well done and technically well researched and presented.”

About the Author

Anthony Pritchard is a prolific author who in recent years has been producing books of ever-greater authority. His recent titles for Haynes include Mille Miglia, Aston Martin: A racing history and Scarlet Passion.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Haynes Publishing; 1st edition (May 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844250067
• ISBN-13: 978-1844250066
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #56 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Luxury

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting Work, August 23, 2007

By 

N. Swanson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lotus: The Competition Cars-All the Racing Type Numbers from 1947 to the Modern Era (Hardcover)

This book is a fantastic overview of the racing cars built by Lotus, from the original cars built by Chapman, up to the racing version of the Esprit in the mid 90's.

Beginning with the original hill-climb cars, each of the models has some description and list of it's racing history, which for some models includes almost a full racing history in the case of the of the marque's more famous formula one cars, such as the 25, 49, 78 and 79, as well as the company's sports racing cars. Small stories and anecdotes are commonplace, and interviews with some members of the Lotus team give insight into the ideas and people behind the cars.

If you're looking for an in-depth report on a single model, this might not be the book you're looking for (particularly if you're interested in the Seven), but as an overview for someone interested in the topic, this book is unique.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another Lotus book, June 12, 2010

By 

Stewart E. Smith (Santa Cruz, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lotus: The Competition Cars-All the Racing Type Numbers from 1947 to the Modern Era (Hardcover)

This book is a great one for individuals not familiar with Lotus competition cars. Plenty of photographs and good descriptions of each of the marks. The author seems to have a great body of information that he re-cycles every once in a while with another book. Those of us who have read lots of Lotus history will recognize many of the photographs as previously published in many other sources. There isn't enough new information here to make me want to keep this book in my library. It is a nice compilation of Lotus cars to bring one up to speed.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, January 20, 2008

By 

D. Hopings - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lotus: The Competition Cars-All the Racing Type Numbers from 1947 to the Modern Era (Hardcover)

If you are a Lotus fan or want to learn more about the history of the organization and its racing triumphs and failures, this is a great source of information. I recommend it highly!!