The Lotus Position

NO TEAM TRANSFORMED FORMULA 1

MORE THAN LOTUS.

C D

LOTUS HASN’T COMPETED in Formula 1 since 1994, yet Colin Chapman’s team sits fifth in alltime F1 constructors’ championships and sixth in all-time wins. But the company’s F1 cars didn’t merely win; they transformed the sport. The team’s innovative engineering and relentless push past convention cemented Lotus’s legacy. One glance down a row of Hethel’s best makes their contributions to the sport clear.

Classic Team Lotus, owned and run by Colin’s son, Clive, serves as the brand’s unofficial museum and archive. It’s now housed in a thoroughly modern facility, having relocated from a bunker-like building, but the Lotus spirit is unchanged. The vehicles aren’t on display, per se. The storage area is more parking garage than museum, every car with a pan underneath, keeping oil off the concrete. And there’s a revolutionary F1 car in every corner.

Lotus introduced the Type 25, built around the sport’s first aluminum monocoque structure, in 1962. The 25 was narrower and sat lower than anything before it. Teams that bought customer cars from Lotus (like the traditional space-frame Type 24) were rightfully pissed to find out these works cars were far more advanced. The 25 dominated, with chassis R4 winning seven grands prix and the 1963 F1 championship in the hands of Jim Clark.

The 1967 Type 49 was the first to use the FordCosworth DFV V-8, which was integrated into the chassis as a stressed member. This was an astonishing innovation that not only saved weight but also shifted it lower down. The 49 won 12 races, two drivers’ titles, and two constructors’ titles. The DFV became nearly ubiquitous in F1, powering machines that took 12 drivers’ championships and 10 constructors’ titles between 1968 and 1982. Later in its life, the 49 added wings and was also one of the first to run sponsorship, an iconic livery from Gold Leaf.

The Lotus 72, introduced for 1970 and arguably the most important F1 car ever, established the blueprint all F1 cars still follow. Low nose, broad sidepods, air intake above the roll bar—they’re all there. The 72 was so good that it ran for six

A. (Previous pages)

The 72 was so good, it raced for six years.

Imagine an F1 team trying that today. B. The 25 broke the mold, won everything, and even made

Lotus’s customer teams furious. C. Chassis 49B-R10,

Graham Hill’s 1969

Monaco GP winner. D. The twin-chassis 88 was banned before it ever raced. E. These tunnels on the 79 made ground effects possible and perhaps were Lotus’s most important innovation. seasons, winning three constructors’ championships, two drivers’ championships, and 20 races. The team continued to use it as successive designs proved slower or harder to handle.

The 79 was the car that won Lotus its final constructors’ and drivers’ titles. Introduced for 1978, it was the first to fully harness ground effects, a way of generating downforce from the underbody via tunnels that Lotus pioneered on the 1977 Type 78. It was a sensation, winning six races in 1978 while delivering Mario Andretti his title.

Not all of Chapman’s designs were successful, but all showcased his rare genius. The pioneering 86 and 88 were visions of twin-chassis F1 cars meant to skirt regulations banning ground effects. Beyond its unique aero ideas, the 88 was technically the first F1 car built from carbon fiber. But before the 88 ever raced, the FIA banned it, perhaps showcasing the true measure of Chapman’s innovation: Even the Lotuses that never raced changed the game.

B R E A K T H R O U G H S T H AT D I D N ’ T

Fifth Wheel Californian inventor Brooks Walker tried for decades to sell his parking aid to automakers. A Thirties Packard was the first vehicle to show the device in action: As a powered wheel mounted parallel to the rear axle lowered, the car would swing its backside toward or away from the curb. The drawback was loss of trunk space. Detroit wasn’t buying.