BOOKS
A familiar yet fresh view of Chapman and Lotus
Is this a new book? Gordon Cruickshank thinks so, even if the late Jabby Crombac’s original words date back to the mid-1980s
Colin Chapman on the Lotus production line. He remains a transfixing presence more than 40 years after his death
This one caused much discussion at the RAC motoring book awards judging. It’s built around a previously issued biography, re-presented in a much more glamorous package of two volumes in a slip case. Was this a mere reissue or did it involve enough new material to be seen as a new book?
I vote the latter. First, the original author was authoritative Swiss racing journalist Jabby Crombac, Colin Chapman’s close friend and confidant, and it’s reckoned by many to be the best story of his life. Second, written in 1986, it’s out of print. You can buy a secondhand copy, but Crombac’s name has fallen from currency; more recent Lotus fans may not know of his intimate connection. Third, this also incorporates some of the autobiography of Fred Bushell, for years the finance director at Lotus. Add in other contemporary material knitted together by Lotus historian William Taylor, plus over 1400 images, and it makes a fresh and tempting package.