Lotus - The Early Years - Peter Ross

LOTUS THE EARLY YEARS tells the story of what might be called the amateur years of Lotus, the days before Colin Chapman and Mike Costin gave up their day jobs and worked for Lotus full time. Between 1951-1954

Colin relied heavily on help from motor sport enthusiasts who were attracted to him and Lotus partly because of his charm, but mainly because he was so obviously going places and made things happen very fast. This is their story, told by those who are still around 50 years later.

It is based very much on records kept by the Allen brothers, as well as the recently re-discovered daily diary, kept by the author at the time.

That they should have created a car that beat the world leaders in the 1500cc Class seemed astonishing at the time, but subsequent history showed that these humble beginnings were based on an incredible ability and drive which took Colin to the very top.

The book corrects many of the historical myths that have appeared in earlier Lotus books, and adds many hitherto unknown facts. It includes for the first time period photographs and sketches taken from the personal albums and drawing boards of those who were there. In addition, contemporary illustrations clarify some of the more unusual and innovative techniques used to overcome the engineering problems they met with. LOTUS THE EARLY YEARS is a must for anyone with an interest in Lotus and the desire to know the true story of how it all started.