The Lotus book - series two

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By William Taylor, ISBN: 1 902351 002

Published by Coterie Press Ltd, £39.95.

We didn’t review this book when it first appeared. It looked on first acquaintance like the work on the Norfolk marque we had all been waiting for. Closer scrutiny revealed rather too many inaccuracies and inconsistencies for it to command the authority the raw material deserved and when we heard a heavily revised edition was on the way, we decided to wait for the finished product.

It was worth it. If you want to know about any Lotus car, be it road, Formula racer or sportscar, they are all here. The book’s author, William Taylor, has photographed an example of every available Lotus and even if some are in less than brilliant condition – notably the Lotus 42 Indycar which would not be unkindly described as a wreck this actually lends more than a certain charm to the book.

The text is enjoyable and informative but only descends into the most shallow technical detail. This work is not a restorer’s guide, more an end-to-end celebration of the breed and, in its execution this shows. Though care has been taken to make it look special, it is not, nor was it ever intended to be a Work of art. This is a well-written and attractive look at Lotus and on all these counts, it does just fine.