Chasing Elites

By Michael Hipperson, £10, michaelhipperson.co.uk,

ISBN 978 0 9575016 4 5

This isn’t intended to be an indepth technical history of the groundbreaking Lotus Elite, but a social history. It begins with the dream team who created it, their after-hours projects at Lotus, the car’s convoluted and difficult birth and the marketing effort behind it.

The second half of the book reads not unlike a Classic Cars Life Cycle, because Hipperson tells the story of his own Elite and the roundabout way in which he learned of its life.

Sold new to Max Mosley – who provides the foreword – it became a long-term restoration project (which is documented here) and is now a beloved classic that has enjoyed many starring roles at Lotus events.

It’s not a comprehensive history nor a technical manual, but Chasing Elites still entertains and informs.