Club Lotus has been shortlisted for Club of the Year, in partnership with Lockton, at the 2026 International Historic Motoring Awards.
The Awards are organised by Hothouse Media, publisher of Octane and Magneto. They recognise the people, clubs, events and organisations making an exceptional contribution to the historic and collector car world. The winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at The Peninsula London on Friday 13/11/2026.
Club Lotus is one of seven clubs on the shortlist. The others are 3A Lyon, the Antique Automobile Club of America, Berkshire and District Classic Car Club, Lamborghini Club UK, Porsche Club Great Britain and the Vintage Sports-Car Club. It is good company, with clubs from Britain, France and the United States, and some of the longest-established names in the old-car world.
Seventy years young
Club Lotus was formed in 1956, when Colin Chapman’s young company was making its name with the Eleven. Seventy years on, it is the world’s largest independent club for Lotus owners and enthusiasts, with an increasingly global membership.
The Club’s entry, “Club Lotus – 70 Years Young (1956-2026)”, set out a simple aim for the anniversary year: that the Club should reach its hundredth birthday in better shape than it reached its seventieth.
Independent, and investing
At the start of 2026 Stuart Brown became Chairman, and Alan Morgan took on the role of Club President. The change kept Club Lotus independent and run by enthusiasts for enthusiasts. It also gave the Club the freedom to invest in its future rather than simply maintain what it had.
A better service for every member
Over the past twelve months the membership service has been rebuilt from the ground up. Members who join online and members who still prefer to deal with the Club by post now sit in a single record. In a 70-year-old club, the second group is a large one. Every member now receives the same service, however they choose to keep in touch.
New member benefits have followed:
- My Garage, a record for each car a member owns. It is enriched with official DVLA and DVSA data and can hold the car’s documents and ownership history. This is the start of a digital provenance file for every member’s Lotus.
- An agreed-value insurance valuation service.
- Digital membership certificates issued through the BlockMark Registry.
- Free member classifieds, in print and online.
- A touring discount with Scenic Car Tours.
Keeping the story
The Club’s magazines are a continuous record of Lotus ownership, racing and people from 1956 onwards. This year the Club Lotus News archive went online for members, back to the late 1970s. The earliest Sports Car and Lotus Owner issues have been scanned to preservation standard – 1956 to 1961. The work follows The National Archives’ guidance, and the Club is preparing for Archive Service Accreditation. It is the first stage of a five-year plan to digitise Lotus history worldwide. The archive has also been shortlisted in its own right, for Digital Media of the Year.
Volunteers and events
The Club runs on its volunteer Area Leaders across the UK. This year each has been given proper tools: shared storage, Club email and templates. Members’ choices of local area newsletters are now honoured automatically.
The anniversary calendar has included a track day at Castle Combe on 23/05/2026 and the Silverstone Classic. In September the Club marked the Lotus Europa’s 60th anniversary with a display of eleven Europas at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace. The year continues at the NEC Classic Motor Show in November.
Looking outward
The Club is building its systems so that other marque clubs can use them. In 2027 it will launch a private, Lotus-only research assistant over the archive. The Club also plans to create a Digital Archive and Content Assistant apprenticeship, opening a route into heritage work for someone at the start of their career.
A word from the Chairman
“Seventy years ago a small group of owners started a club. This year we made sure it stays theirs, serves every member equally, and keeps the story of their cars for the next seventy. To be shortlisted alongside clubs of this standing is a credit to our members, our Area Leaders and every volunteer who keeps Club Lotus running.”
Stuart Brown, Chairman, Club Lotus
