SELOC staging review
Published 30 August 2024

Chapman Bespoke and the art of speccing a Lotus

From the archive. Prices, availability and references describe the original publication date.

Chapman Bespoke covers finishes and personal touches as well as one-off commissions. The fun part is picking something you still want to look at after the novelty wears off. Think about how the colour looks outside on a grey day, or whether a pale seat bolster will survive the way you climb in.

Lotus Emira V6 in Vivid Red
Lotus Emira V6 in Vivid Red. Mr.choppers / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On a used car, ask which bits were done by Lotus and which were added later. A specialist retrim can be lovely, but if the seller asks a premium for a factory interior, the build sheet should say so. Keep the paperwork with the service history.

The photograph here shows a Vivid Red Emira V6. It’s an illustration of the model, rather than a claim that the pictured car is a Chapman Bespoke commission.