A History of Club Lotus
Club Lotus was founded in 1956 by Colin Chapman who became its first President. Early meetings took place in London with a glittering annual ball in Park Lane which was attended by Team Lotus drivers and other personalities. Although the Club declined in the late 1970’s, it was revived in the 1980’s by Graham Arnold, a former Sales and Marketing Director at Lotus Cars. Graham ran the Club until his sudden death in 2003 and Alan Morgan has been Chairman since 2004.
Club Lotus is the largest and oldest independent Lotus club in the world with approximately 5,200 members. Around 92% of these live in the UK and we have overseas members in Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA.
The Club has a broad appeal and caters for all models of Lotus cars from the early cars to the latest Elise, Evora and Exige. Members range from 18 to 86 and come from all walks of life. The most popular model in the club is now Elise/Exige with the original Elan firmly in second place.
We’ve recently relaunched our website with plans to develop it over the coming years to be the biggest online source of Lotus history and information. Every edition of Club Lotus News from the 1950’s to the present day will eventually be accessible online by members forming a unique reference archive and period timeline. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter.
Main events
We organise 3 members-only track days at Castle Combe and Goodwood plus other events at home and abroad. Every May we host a Jim Clark memorial weekend at Duns with a dinner and guest speaker. We have Club stands and dedicated parking areas at many key events including the Silverstone Classic in July, the Le Mans Classic and the NEC Classic Car show every November.
In addition to our main National events above, we have 31 Area Leaders throughout the UK who organise local regional events throughout the year including regular evening club/pub meets.
Membership benefits include:
• Club Lotus News – our full colour 52 page award-winning quarterly magazine.
• Discounts (10%+) on quality, specialist Lotus car insurance from our approved club insurers. Members also receive a discount on their ‘everyday’ car, motorcycle, home/contents and holiday insurance
• Discounts on accessories, car covers, spares and parts including 10%+ at Hamilton Classic and Valet-Pro
• Big discounts on admission tickets and other benefits at major events such as Silverstone Classic, NEC Classic Car Show, Donington Historic, Le Mans Classic and Castle Combe Autumn Classic
• 31 local Area Leaders across the UK who organise regular events close to you. Socialise with like-minded enthusiasts, there’s always something happening.
• Regular email bulletins
• Discounts on all Club activities
• Insurance company approved valuations
• Club shop selling merchandise, books and specialist accessories
• Free Lotus specialists guide
• Free and limitless 1-2-1 technical help and buying advice from marque experts
• Discounts on the Lotus Driving Academy at Hethel
• Club trackdays open only to members at discount prices
• Assistance with all registration, licensing and model authentication matters. Club Lotus is the only club that is registered and approved by the DVLA to handle these matters for all modern Lotus cars
• A specialist accident management service
• Free access to historical, technical and members’ sections of the Club website
• Membership of, and access to, the worldwide Lotus community
Club Lotus is a friendly club and new members are always made very welcome. We’re a real club staffed by real people and our Norfolk office is open 5 days a week. We pride ourselves on always being available to offer members help, advice and assistance on a personal level.
Club Lotus benefits and regular club events
As a member of Club Lotus, we provide a range of events to visit and drive your car. We also provide a bi-montly full colour magazine, information, insurance and so much more. Regalia and clothing is also available.
Chairman: Alan Morgan
Membership Secretary: AnneMarie Brien
Club Shop and Club Lotus News Editor: Jane Woollestone
Tel: 01362 694459 / 691144
E-mail: jane@clublotus.co.uk (general and editorial); annemarie@clublotus.co.uk (membership enquiries); alan@clublotus.co.uk (Chairman)
Website: www.clublotus.co.uk
Annual full membership: £35 (UK & Ireland) or £24 (overseas)
Prospective members can call us for a free info pack