The Lotus Story – Vols. 1 To 4 DVD – Neville Hays 

The story of the Lotus company is linked closely with designer Colin Chapman who founded the company in 1948 with a backyard special based on a pre-war Austin Seven. He then went on to develop a range of cars for both the road and the track.’ Volume 1 – 1948-59′ takes the viewer from the birth of the company to the rise to Grand Prix racing in the fifties. ‘Volume 2 – 1959-62’ contains archive footage from the 1960 GP, Le Mans of the same year, the tragic events of 1961 and many other races. ‘Volume 3 – 1963-68’ is a look at the ‘golden years’ of Lotus’ history. During that time (in 1963 and 1965) Lotus triumphed over BRM and Ferrari despite the tough challenge posed by drivers like Graham Hill, John Surtees, Jackie Stewart and Lorenzo Bandini. The car also proved successful in Indy car racing, and there is exclusive action and interviews from both competitions. Whilst in ‘Volume 4 – 1968 Onwards’ the Types 72, 78 and 79 were all hugely successful designs, and Lotus provided the vehicles for the 1970, 1972 and 1978 World Champions. However, the team’s fortunes then took a downward trend, and following Chapman’s death Lotus ownership passed through various hands, never again to equal the success of their glory years.

Volume 1: 1948 – 1959 Radical designer Colin Chapman’s introduction to the Lotus company. Volume 2: 1959 – 1962 Colin Chapman’s first foray into the world of motor racing with Lotus. Volume 3: 1962 – 1968 F1 world championships are won with the legendary Lotus 49. Volume 4: 1968 – 1990 Aerodynamics and sponsorship change the face of Lotus’ involvement in F1.