A Brooklands Portfolio

compiled by Graham Capel and R.M. Clarke

Published 2000 by Brooklands Books Ltd., England ISBN 1-85520-555-6

This is a compilation of magazine articles, mostly contemporary, published on Lotus sports racing cars.  It begins with the four-part "Lotus Story" written by Colin Chapman for Motor Racing in 1954, the time of the Mk VIII, and continues through to a 1965 article from Sports Car Graphic on the Lotus 40.  The book is an expanded version of the Lotus Sport Racers Gold Portfolio published by Booklands in 1992 (ISBN 1-85520-2239).  

This new issue takes up 344 pages and includes many more articles than the first.  In addition it offers introductions for each Lotus beginning with the Mk III by well-known Lotus historian Graham Capel.  Each of these is a thoughtful essay summarizing the place the car takes in the Lotus lineage.    

As a research aid the volume is invaluable, providing so many viewpoints and factual details in a single source.  And if one goes through the painstaking effort to collect copies of these ancient periodicals, the new portfolio compares well, with often better print quality than the originals. 

With 66 pages of material on the Eleven, this book is a very good value.  With all the other pages on other Lotus cars, there are many nights of reading in store.

-- Jay Sloane