Hazel Chapman, Racing Driver And Lotus Co-Founder, Passes Away At Age 94

The automotive world lost a very important figure yesterday with the passing of Hazel Chapman, an accomplished racing driver and businesswoman who founded Lotus Cars with her husband Colin.

“This is a very sad day for everyone around the world associated with Lotus. Without Hazel Chapman there would be no Lotus,” said Matt Windle, Lotus Cars’ managing director. “The entire Hethel team, and those working at our facilities around the world, send their sincere condolences and best wishes to the Chapman family.”

Born Hazel Williams on May 21, 1927, in North London, she met Colin Chapman at a dance in 1944 when he was just 16 and she just a few months older than her. As their relationship developed, she invited Colin to start building what would become the first Lotus, the Mark 1, in her family’s garage.

When he gained a commission into the Royal Air Force, Hazel continued building the Mark 1, then the Mark 2 without him. Both entered races and their success led others to seek their services.

The Lotus business was formed on January 1, 1952, and became a limited company later that same year, funded by a payment of £25 (the equivalent of £735 today, or $972 USD at current exchange rates) from Hazel herself who was propelled by her business acumen.

The couple married in 1954 and as their business grew, Hazel took a seat on the boards of Lotus Cars, Team Lotus, and Lotus Components, among others. Over the years, she prided herself on working with almost every Formula 1 driver who joined the team, including Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Ayrton Senna.

After Colin’s death in 1982, she decided to sell Lotus Cars. She later became a Director of Classic Team Lotus, the Chapman family business that preserves the cars and legacy of the brand’s global racing business.

Even after selling Lotus, though, convention dictated that Hazel be shown the latest Lotus road cars prior to their public unveiling. She continued the tradition until 2019, when she was shown the all-electric Evija with her son Clive two weeks before its debut in July 2019.

Along with her role at Lotus, Hazel Chapman was also the founder of The Dog House women’s motorsport club.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Chapman family.