Team Lotus: My View from the Pit Wall
By Peter Warr
Author Warr was nothing if not Colin Chapman’s right-hand man, and like the talk regularly heard of tales being “saved for the book,” this is that book. Although most of it was written before Warr’s untimely 2010 death, the finishing touches have been applied by veteran British journalist Simon Taylor, with revelations coming directly from Warr or as told to Taylor. The one I found most compelling is the account of Chapman’s 1982 death. I remember, at the time, that rumors of mystery and intrigue surrounded Chapman’s passing, but here the bare facts of the matter set the record straight.
Warr worked alongside Chapman for much of Team Lotus’ golden era, even though he was tempted away just as Lotus began its final ascent to World Championship glory with Mario Andretti. That Warr was always welcome to return, and indeed did several years later, speaks volumes to the bond between the two.
Warr calls himself the shock absorber between Chapman and his troops, the buffer who calmed the storms over decisions that left his men thinking their leader mad, only for subsequent events to prove him correct. It was, as Warr tells, loyalty bred of reverence reinforced by experience.
Available for US$29.95/£19.95 from enthusiast bookstores or direct from publisher Haynes at www.haynes.co.uk
