Classic Team Lotus acquires ‘treasure trove’ of parts from retiring specialist

by Jon Burgess

5 May 2022 2 min read

After 46 years of independent trading, the husband-and-wife team behind Paul Matty Sportscars have called it a day, selling their extensive stock of spares to Classic Team Lotus which intends to offer in-house restoration and servicing to customers in the near future.

Paul Matty Sports Cars, set up by June and Paul Matty in 1976, has long catered to owners of Elans, Elan +2s, Europas, Esprits, Elan M100s, and Elises. The Worcestershire-based business also comprises a showroom and workshop.

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A special hillclimb series, called the Paul Matty Sportscars Lotus Championship, celebrated its 30th anniversary last year and remains open to Lotus cars old and new. Hagerty understands that Paul intends to keep the hillclimb events running.

“When we heard that Paul was retiring, and that [the parts were] available we had to go for it,” said Rupert Mainwaring, Business Manager at Classic Team Lotus.

Paul Matty’s cache of spares will be moved to Lotus’s headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk, having bought the moulds, tooling and supplier details that Paul Matty had used to create parts. A note on Paul Matty’s website confirms that car sales will continue, though a note on Instagram suggests that’s while stock lasts.

Classic Team Lotus, headed by Clive Chapman, son of company founder Colin, fixes and maintains the firm’s historic single seater racing cars campaigned in Formula 1, the Tasman Series and Indycar.

Speaking of the move, Clive Chapman said: “I have enjoyed knowing Paul for many years and admire him for doing so much to celebrate and support the history of the marque. I am pleased that Classic Team Lotus has acquired his ‘Lotus Treasure’ and we will do our best to maintain and build upon such an important resource for Lotus owners worldwide. A big ‘thank you’ to Paul for entrusting us with this exciting opportunity.”