How Colin Chapman's son is keeping the Team Lotus legacy going | Mastering Speed

Clive Chapman was at his father's side through many of the years of success for Team Lotus. Now that his father is gone and after the original Team Lotus ceased to exist, Clive is keeping the Team Lotus legacy going with Classic Team Lotus.
One of the cars in the car of Classic Team Lotus is a stunning, championship winning, Lotus 72, a car that won the F1 title with Emerson Fittipaldi and which was reunited with the Brazilian at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard.
We visited Classic Team Lotus to find out what keeps Clive going and the story behind the Lotus legacy.
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[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

My dad was in Indy on business in the 60s and stopped by the track. He had Jimmy Clark and Colin Chapman sign a postcard of Jimmy in the Lotus. I still have have that precious card. I went on to be a Lotus owner, with several Europas in my younger adult years.

[@peterandersson2084]

Thanks Clive for keeping the dream alive with real petrol engines! 👍

[@samfallow18]

Has there ever been a more beautiful F1 car than the 72 in JPS colours...

[@chriskaczmarek7204]

Love the 72 in JPS colors!!! That was a golden age of F1.

[@darrenbrailsford6809]

Fantastic. Team Lotus is Formula 1 for me. So pioneering, the innovation just kept coming. Pretty much everything Grand Prix racing is today is because of Colin Chapman and Team Lotus. They are legendary and sadly you’ll ever see those days again. Thank you Team Lotus 😉👍

[@marksimpson2689]

Lotus was always my favourite F1 team and I throughly enjoyed this video about the Classic Team Lotus

[@diraziz396]

Thank you for a Gentle story told by a humble man. Thanks

[@alexd302]

The golden era of F1.

[@BluesBassManuk]

Huge respect for Clive and his team for keeping these wonderful, legendary cars alive. I loved the original 49 (before it grew nose fins) and then it was surpassed by the groundbreaking sleek 72. Not to forget the handsome Lotus 59 F3 car with the nose splitter. It's fantastic how the British "garagistas" started out in a ramshackle shed and went on to become world-beaters. Colin Chapman's role in the birth of the great Cosworth DFV should not be forgotten either.

[@josedacunhafilho]

When I was eleven, I had the privilege of seeing Emerson Fittipaldi on his very first lap in a F1 car at the original 8km long Interlagos circuit in 1972. If I ever meet him, I would love to know what went through his mind on his first lap in a circuit he was so thoroughly familiar with, and where he drove much slower cars only a few years prior to that, but then he was in a Lotus 72, the most sophisticated, and fastest racing car in the world.

[@Percivallis]

Go to the Goodwood Festival of Speed I've seen him there and you can just go up and chat with him!

[@josedacunhafilho]

No doubt it is on my bucket list!

[@paulelverstone8677]

Of all the great marques in motorsport, Lotus was always my favourite and Chapman, my favourite engineer. Never the biggest, the richest or the most successful team but was the most resourceful, creative, ingenious imho. How many engineers can say that they changed the face of F1 3 times, with the 25, the 72 and the 78. The 72 was always my favourite. If there was ever a more beautiful car than a 72 with JPS livery and an anvil airbox then I've never seen it. Competitive for 5 seasons is unheard of for a F1 car. Such a beautifully presented piece too. Enjoyed that immensely...

[@frankhoward7645]

I think you have to include the 49 in there as well.

[@Percivallis]

Love the 72 but the 79 was my favourite, most disappointing day of my life watching Andretti and my hero Ronnie Peterson racing at Brands with Ronnie all over Andretti's gearbox until about lap 6 when he had to retire...

[@supercededman]

@@Percivallis The 79 was my favourite, too. Most beautiful F1 car of all.

[@tonywilson4713]

@@frankhoward7645 I agree the 49 need to be included in the list. It might not have been as technically innovative as the others but it introduced the Cosworth DFV. You also need to consider the 38. It wasn't an F1 it was just the first rear-engined car to win the Indy 500. Arguably the only other person to come as close as Colin Chapman to being the king of innovation was Ken Tyrrell.

[@juliataylor2623]

Never the richest but i would argue easily the most successful until the 80s, Colin thought differently, thats why he never called his team Chapman F1, no v12 obsession like Ferrari, though lotus were as charismatic.

[@fredyair1]

Without a doubt the Lotus 72 and 78 are the most beautiful formula 1 cars ever created. The simplicity of lines and the innovative engineering solutions are par non .

[@landhopper4296]

It’s legacy lives on with those of us who remember the polished black and gold, the innovation, and for me the beauty of the Lotus 79 as it pulled away from the field.

[@mikerenshaw7867]

Great to see Team Lotus live on. Really fantastic stuff!

[@chriskaczmarek7204]

I love Team Lotus! My favorite F1 Team led by a Genius who changed everything in F1. He deserved an OBE! Clyde thanks for keeping these beautiful cars running! Your biggest fan and proud Lotus Evora Owner in Miami Florida! Lotus will always be my favorite team!

[@danieldravot341]

Compliments are more heart-felt when you get the name right. Clive, not Clyde.

[@trickydicky2908]

Colin and Graham Hill were the quintessential faces of formula one.

[@danieldravot341]

The thing that really got me hooked on Team Lotus came on the day when I was first close enough to inspect one of the Golf Leaf cars. The red and white logo features a round British Union flag in the centre, and in the horizontal blue bar was painted Racing for Britain . . . As a flaming Anglophile I was really moved by that, and at that moment I became a fan for life. It didn’t hurt that the Lotus 49 and the Lotus 72 were two of the prettiest cars of any type ever produced . . .

[@jerrycann6374]

I watched the F1 black and gold John Players Special race at Mosport back in the 70's. Beautiful car and the sound of those F1's going around turn 2 and 3 at Mosport will be never repeated with the new F1. Back in the 70's it was $40 for a weekend camping close to the track and pit pass so I saw all these drivers and got a close up look at the cars.

[@frankhoward7645]

6:52. Haunting photograph as Jochen Rindt unknowingly looks at the part that would eventually end his life. Wonderful video though!

[@gyrogearloose1345]

GO Lotus!! And hats off to Clive Chapman . .

[@PurityVendetta]

Lately there are a lot of things about being British that make me less than proud but Colin Chapman and the Lotus team were definitely things which engendered pride. Such an innovator, such a daring engineer. I don't watch F1 any more but started as a child watching James Hunt. What a thing the 72 must have been when it first appeared. Definitely futuristic.

[@markthibault8579]

Great story and what a brilliant machine restored, maintained, and driven with great care. Well done.

[@timwrk]

Brilliant content and history, so much admiration for the legends that was here

[@frostyab7579]

How Colin Chapman's son, Clive, is keeping ...

[@bobbishop9339]

Yea I was going to say that title is very misleading. Clive was the son of COLIN. Nothing in this video about Clive's SON, if he even has one. Come on guys get it right.

[@markrutlidge5427]

He may not have helped at the pit lane, but he absorbed, can't say anytheng better than that.

[@BD12]

... you, on the edge of your SEAT

[@lesflynn4455]

I can't help but imagine what the amazing, unforgettable Jim Clark could have achieved if he'd still been alive when the Lotus 72 was racing.

[@mike1575]

AFTER THAT IM HEADING FOR THE 1:32 TRACK !!!!!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT BE PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS CAR....

[@No.Handle31]

Colin Chapman the father of the modern day F1 car.

[@jimbrown5091]

I was at Goodwood in 2012 for 60th anniversary celebration...seeing all the Lotus cars was awesome.

[@curiousuranus810]

Fantastic; the greatest F1 designer and GP team ever, ever, ever.

[@daveblock4061]

I am so looking forward to visiting Hethel and taking the Driving Academy. Thank you Clive!

[@davidcolin6519]

Great to see Clive again. I was at prep school with him.

[@nikita_kozlov]

I love learning about the history and the people behind these iconic machines. Great video!

[@glidb4]

Yes scalextric model for me too. 7 years old. The most awesome racing car of all time.

[@johnhoward563]

What a wonderful legacy

[@richardwallinger1683]

Hi Great to see the Lotus cars which were on loan to David Render for his Sprint and hillclimb challenges .

[@philipgrice1026]

The Lotus 72 is in my opinion the most beautiful racing car ever built. It epitomizes the Chapman principle of efficient function. I was lucky to be able to watch it race from track side live several times with Emmo behind the wheel. I lovingly built the Tamiya scale model, painting the driver's helmet to match Emmo's design. It led me to buy my 1970 Lotus Europa which to me serves in the same way. It is beautiful, very efficient and provides all the sports car I need even after 50 years of hard use. My Lotus Type 65 Europa is a Type 72 wannabe for certain.

[@THROTTLEPOWER]

Great vid, really enjoyed! 👍👍👍

[@michaellorenson2997]

Wonderful! I had models (possibly Corgi) of both a Lotus 72 and a Surtees F1 car as a boy of ten or so. I remember studying those detailed, metal-chassis car models, and trying to understand each component and what it did. I also remember being puzzled by the wings. How would they make the car go faster? By trying to lift it? How would that help? Race cars were supposed to be fast, and therefore slippery. These wings did not look slippery... I didn't know enough about wings or anything else to puzzle that one out, I just sort of grudgingly accepted them.

[@scottwhyte2772]

Thankyou for sharing.

[@liberisempre]

... LOTUS...UN MITO...SALUTI🇮🇹

[@speedfinder1]

Clive Chapman has the ultimate "Job" in the world. No only does he get to work with some interesting cars, but he genuinely seems to enjoy doing it too.

[@jomaoliveira7949]

I think #5 type 72 should be in Gold Leaf colours instead of JPS black and gold, as that was it's initial paint scheme (and more unusual to see nowadays).

[@jbradbury2]

most kids way back had a model of the 72 in some form

[@sportstelling]

The most brazilian-british team. Lotus I love you.

[@davidhannah943]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@LeoWuerde]

Lotus is synonymous with this GIANT driver: JIM CLARK - By far the greatest driver ever - no doubt. He is and was the Best of the Best. No other driver in history until today was so superior as Clark. This man is the Olymp of driving - the Michelangelo of racing - a dynamic art at the highest level. So smooth, so precise, so fast....simply out of this world. One, who won in Spa by 5 minutes (!) in monsoon rain...One, who takes back a complete lap (!) in Monza and back into the lead... One, who took pole on the original 22,8 km Nürburgring track by 9 (!) seconds and more....One who won Indy by 2 whole (!) laps...For eternity and by lightyears unmatched in the sport. That`s just four examples of his mesmeric unique genius...

[@williamg4961]

^^ Lotus Owner. Where can I buy that jacket your team wears? It's wonderful.

[@pauli5506]

AT classicteamlotus, UK!

[@nicholashansen1477]

Lotus is so underrated and do not recieve the love they deserve. However, that is also part of their charm in my book. The underdog, only for TRUE car enthusiasts, people who truly love and appreciate motorsport and its history, and truly for the people who just love driving.

[@nickypoundtown9568]

Underrated....they're practically ranked in the top 5 teams of grand prix history and have the most loved livery ever in all motorsports, have multiple titles and had the pleasure of having nearly every great driver drive for them, they get the credit they deserve

[@nicholashansen1477]

@@nickypoundtown9568 Im talking about general sentiment within the automotive world. Im not strictly talking about the race team or statistics. You say they credit they deserve, but I feel again your comment is indicative of the point im actually trying to make.

[@nickypoundtown9568]

@@nicholashansen1477 on sentiment they're mentioned in nearly every conversation about f1

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Lotus as a car maker there's some truth in that, of being "Only for enthusiasts." Lotus cars are for people who love driving. But Lotus F1, that is so renowned.

[@maxmulsanne7054]

Unfortunately living in the states (the land of morons), most people here subscribe to the notion of _’Lotus’_ only motor cars - having no knowledge at all of the Lotus racing history nor its’ influence on the sport. Much less any remote clue as to who Colin Chapman is…

[@maxmulsanne7054]

2:34 - 2:39 Extraordinary building structure that compliments an extraordinary marque and it’s history. 🏆🏁💨👍 5:04 Osterreichring 1982 - Colin’s brilliant display of indescribable joy. Deservingly so, as it was a terrible duration of 4yrs of F1 victory drought for team Lotus. Oddly enough the last win for Lotus then was also at this same circuit in Austria. 1978 Österreichring Ronnie Peterson ✝️ 1982 Österreichring Elio de Angelis ✝️

[@pauli5506]

I saw the first GP on television in August 1970 at the Österreichring with Jochen Rindt on the wheel of the Lotus 72! Since this time I was a big Lotus-Fan! It was so sad, because Rindt died 3 weeks later in Monza......

[@jonelson1983]

Fantastic stuff

[@k0namiman]

I had a Hot Wheels car, that was just named "Grand Prix Racer" or somesuch. Looking back, it was very clearly a Lotus 72. And that early memory crystalized in my mind what an F-1 car SHOULD look like.

[@mikenowland2739]

Thank you 👍

[@VarietyLevel7]

Lovely stuff.

[@Formaldehydex]

RIP Jochen Rindt. It is interesting that the criticism that Colin Chapman built unsafe cars to reduce weight isn’t even mentioned, even after going into such great adoration of the Lotus 72.

[@markmorey799]

These days Lotus 72s are in the hands of private owners, and when stripped down and rebuilt they are described as being as strong as contemporary but slower Formula One cars like March or Surtees. The cause of the Jochen Rindt crash has never been determined. It could have been a broken front brake shaft because it was incorrectly machined by a sub-contractor. The car was running without wings, so with downforce over the front of the chassis from the wedge shape, not trimmed by a rear wing, it was hideously unstable (John Miles found this out - he almost crashed his 72 when it snapped sideways). It could have been Lotus were running soft tyres on one side of the car and hard tyres on the other side, making it unstable, but less unstable as the hard tyres warmed up after a few laps when the crash happened. Rindt wasn't wearing crotch straps which was the direct cause of his fatality in this crash. The chassis Rindt crashed (R2) survived the crash relatively intact and has since been rebuilt.

[@Formaldehydex]

@@markmorey799 Jochen Rindt complained about this himself, as did many others at the time.

[@carlosemartinez1114]

IN 1973 WHEN EMERSON AND LOTUS SHOWED THE CHAMPIONSHIP-WINNING CAR BACK HOME IN BRAZIL I WAS ONLY 17 YEARS OLD. THE CAR WAS SHOWN AT THE PRACA ROOSEVELT IN SAO PAULO, AFTER CLASS I WENT TO SEE THE CAR AND I COULD NOT RESIST I DID JUMP INSIDE OF THE COCKPIT AS SOON AFTER SECURITY TOOK ME OUT OF THE CAR. BUT AT THE TIME I WAS WALKING ON CLOUDS. THE THING I NOTICED WAS THAT IT WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND HARD, THE FIRST THOUGHT WAS HOW THEY DRIVE THIS FOR 2 HRS ?

[@firedawg4u2go]

Simply WOW!!!

[@insanebilly]

I still have the Toy.

[@truthseeker8483]

1970 F1 Lotus inboard disc brakes just like a 1955 Citroen DS

[@monty6545]

As Murray Walker would say..... ' Fantastic ' .

[@scottl.1568]

Awesome...

[@kevindimauro9689]

Reminds me of my youth when I’d anticipate the arrival of the latest issue of Road and Track magazine. Rob Walker used to do a summary of f1. I stopped subscribing when everyone started dying, but things have changed, and I see guys emerge from burning cars and death defying rollovers unharmed. The point is that I’m back getting personally attached to this sport.

[@vimcfy5216]

1.01 to 2.30 .............what is that lovely piano piece?

[@sfoley123]

72 is 🐐 AF

[@metrichotrods1763]

So you could say Clive Chapman is Making Lotus Great Again.

[@K1lostream]

Really enjoyed the video - not so impressed by the researcher who wrote the title! 😳

[@pwddogman]

Always wanted a Lotus Europa in this livery.

[@GaryL2707]

I've still got one. Had it for 45 years and it's as much fun to drive now as it was back in the day.

[@pwddogman]

@@GaryL2707 sold my 914 to buy an engagement ring, guy near my apt then had a red one, rebuilt motor in the street in NYC

[@ianadriaanse8705]

Team Lotus the team i beg in the 70 tees

[@Joescuderia]

With all respect Mr Chapman , why the Lotus 98T of Ayrton is missing?

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Yrs, and I'd really like to see Mario's 79 from 1978. Ground effects cars. Another Lotus innovation.

[@THE_Michael_Westen]

The black and gold looks so classy. In that regard it's a shame that tobacco sponsoring is not allowed any more.

[@nickypoundtown9568]

There's really no flat surfaces on today's cars to really get the best out of a tobacco theme, everything is lost in bulges and broken lines

[@THE_Michael_Westen]

@@nickypoundtown9568 Never thought about it that way but you are right.

[@nickypoundtown9568]

@@THE_Michael_Westen the new design will probably make way for vape companies I imagine when there's a legal way to make them taxable, I can see vapour flumes going up the sides in a gradient effect

[@ianalderton6683]

great, really : )

[@BauAuslese]

12:45 James Hunt?

[@rogerking7258]

There are 51 years between the current era and the Lotus 72. If you put it next to a modern F1 car a person with no interest in motorsport might not realise they are that far apart in time; on the other hand, if you put a 72 next to a grand prix car from 1919 even that person would have no difficulty in telling the difference. Changing the subject, why, when warming an engine up do people insist on blipping the throttle all the time? All they're doing is giving it extra fuel enrichment with every blip, diluting the oil that lubricates the bores and causing unnecessary wear. A constant, gradually increasing speed (oops! that might be an oxymoron) is what is needed to get some temperature into the thing.

[@debjoy75]

It's Colin Chapman

[@farmerlamb2372]

Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life! Stuff of dreams

[@j.n.5255]

Who are the nine people who disliked this? What goes on in their minds?

[@juliataylor2623]

Clive your dad was an original thinker, thats why he never called it Chapman F1,or got obsessed with horsepower a la V12 Ferrari or Matra, thats why Lotus were even more charismatic than Ferrari.

[@pauli5506]

Mr.Lotus Colin Chapman was a charismatic man in opposite to the old awful Enzo Ferrari!

[@KimiButNoDrink]

Pretty sure that's not Colin Chapman's grandson...

[@kallesundqvist2582]

HOPE CLIVE CHAPMANN AND HIS LOTUS CLOCKWORKS F1 TEAM BULDS I AN NEW LOTUS EXIGE LONTAIL GTR EV HYBRID WITH A LOTUS CLOCKWORKS V12 ENGINE THUBS UPP FOR LOTUS GREAT

[@thomaselliott573]

Unfortunately those days are gone. They were days when people had character and a love of life. All we have now are nobodies. It will never happen again.