Colin Chapman
The design genius behind Lotus, Colin Chapman was a man obsessed with making his cars ever faster and lighter.
His innovations often brought glory on the track – with legendary drivers including Graham Hill, Jim Clark and Mario Andretti securing World Championships in a Lotus.
a man obsessed with making his cars ever faster and lighterThat Petrol Emotion
But this relentless pursuit of speed also proved deadly, with many criticising the cars as unstable. In 1962 Stirling Moss’s career was ended after a crash in a Lotus, and worse was to come when in 1968 Motor Racing’s golden boy Jim Clark was killed behind the wheel.
Despite the tragedy Chapman continued to innovate, and helped to develop design features like aerofoils and wings that will be familiar to modern race fans.
Chapman was also ground breaking in another area – advertising. He was the first to allow his cars to carry the logos of tobacco companies in the late 1960s. And throughout the 70s the black and gold livery of the ‘John Player Special’ Lotus became an icon on the track.
His career was cut short in 1982 after he died of a heart attack. But Colin Chapman stayed a true player to the end, helping to break new drivers like Nigel Mansell and courting controversy through his involvement with the Delorean Motor Company.
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