Lotus 72—Formula One Icon
By Michael Oliver
In the current era of Formula One, today’s frontrunners will be fodder for the back of the grid in just a few short months. As such, it seems all the more amazing that in the early ’70s, a racecar like the Lotus 72 could be competitive for more than 5 years!
Colin Chapman and Maurice Phillippe’s striking wedge-shaped Lotus 72 was first introduced in 1970 as a replacement for their unsuccessful four-wheel-drive Type 63. However, the 72 was quick right out of the box and not only wrapped up the World Drivers’ and Contructors’ Championships in ’70, but also went through a number of developmental evolutions that saw it claim both championships again in 1972 and the Constructors’ championship in1973.
With such a long and illustrious ca-reer, it seems only fitting that the venerable 72 should finally receive a work worthy of its heritage. In Lotus 72: Formula One Icon, author and VRJ contributor Michael Oliver does a thorough and entertaining job of exploring the development and history of this magical car.
Many readers may recall Oliver’s previous work on the Lotus 49. While an outstanding work at the content level, some criticized the publisher’s decision to try and pack so much content into a smaller-sized book with limited color usage. However, there are no fears of this with Oliver’s Lotus 72 book. Hats off to publisher Coterie Press, who not only printed all 240 pages in color, but also choose to produce the book in a larger, 30-cm x 30-cm format as well.
Not only is the book larger and better reproduced, but with the expanded size, Lotus 72 benefits from more than 450 mostly unseen images of the car.
All this creates a canvas from which Oliver can now properly tell the Lotus 72’s story and he does this by elucidating the car’s history with interviews and first-hand memories from the drivers, mechanics and associates that made it all happen. This is a must-have for any Formula One, let alone Lotus, enthusiast. £39.95 ($69.95 U.S.) from www.coteriepress.com or telephone (44) 020 8699 5111.
