New stuff you'll love
Lotus Esprit: The Complete Story £30
Books in Crowood’s The Complete Story series generally do what they say on the label – telling the history of a model in great, well-illustrated detail. This latest entry, on one of Britain’s most striking-looking sports cars from the Seventies onwards, is no exception. Written by established motoring author and historian Johnny Tipler, it chronicles all the generations of the wedge-shaped Lotus from its original 1976 Giorgetto Giugiaro incarnation through to the 2002 Russell Carr re-fresh, as well as looks at the cars that succeeded it. All of the types come in for close scrutiny, with minor and major modifications detailed including the big changes such as the introduction of turbocharging and the advent of the Rover V8 engine. It’s also peppered with revealing and little-known insider anecdotes and insights. The result is a very in-depth work over 192 pages, with more than 300 images complementing the expert words.
❚ Author: Johnny Tipler
❚ ISBN: 978-0-719842-93-1
❚ Publisher: The Crowood Press
Austin Maxi 1750 £216.99
Releases from Cult Models always bring a huge smile to the face when they arrive at the CCW diecast desk, none more so than its latest 1:18-scale release of a 1977 Austin Maxi 1750. The quality of the Brooklands Green model is apparent throughout. Fall in love again with the ornate grille badge, classic dot-dash wheel covers, rear mud flaps as well as those door handles, so indicative of BL at the time. The interior is superb – as one would expect from Cult – with veneered dash, heated rear window elements, nicely-done seating and roundel-embossed steering wheel.
An AD0 14 has been mi
