Announcing a new, revised reprint of the Lotus Elite book that started it all.......

The Original Lotus Elite Racing Car for the Road was first published in 1977 in California. The book was very well received back in the day and in the year 2007 copies of the original, very fragile, soft bound book commanded premium prices in the collector book market.

The book’s significance was much appreciated at its publication because in 1977 there were only two books about Lotus. Both of these were histories of the Works which gave only brief descriptions of the Lotus mark numbers and their competition records.

The Original Lotus Elite Racing Car for the Road was the first in- depth study of a specific Lotus model. It was also one of the first in the car book industry to focus exclusively on one car and every aspect of it, from design, through production, marketing, racing and the like. The book also had the distinction of being one of the first to include factory records of every car built. Date of invoice, chassis and engine numbers, first customer and date sold were features of this list, which have enabled every Elite owner to trace his car’s history starting at the very beginning.

The Original Lotus Elite Racing Car for the Road set a pattern for most of the single marque books that followed, several writers using the same chapter heads and even elements of the title, whether they were about Lotus or the products of other automobile builders.

The new edition by Bookworks in New South Wales is a reprint of the original work but includes a new cover and several new pictures. It is otherwise unchanged, but for a vastly superior method of binding, so the book can be appreciated in its original format without it falling apart in one’s hands as did the 1977 edition. Due to its limited print run it will no doubt become a collector’s item as well. Meantime, it is hoped that this new reprint will provide the same enjoyment as the original work did some thirty years ago.

Copies can be ordered through BOOKWORKS, 56 Bonds Road, Punchbowl, NSW 2196, AUSTRALIA. Phone at 61-2-9740-6766 or by email at ian@bookworks.com.au.