Lotus 72 - the wedge that changed Formula 1

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Lotus 72 - the wedge that changed Formula 1

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Created on February 15, 2021

Text:

Daniel Reinhard

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Hallo Fahrerlager (diverse Archive)

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Lotus 72 (1970) - introduced the wedge shape to Formula 1

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the monoposto is 4.2 meters long

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Lotus 72 (1970) - in the Gold Leaf two-tone paint finish

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the Formula 1 racing car is less than 90 cm high

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Lotus 72 (1970) - Jochen Rindt became world champion with this type of car

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Lotus 72 (1970) - note the air scoops on both sides of the cockpit

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the large wheels were aerodynamically suboptimal

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Lotus 72 (1970) - was a common sight for the competition at the time

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Lotus 72 (1970) - really flat, reaches just to the hips for people of normal height

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Lotus 72 (1970) - still quite narrow at just under 1.9 meters wide

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the paintwork still dominates, the sponsor stickers are less conspicuous than today

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Lotus 72 (1970) - many a racing enthusiast would love to sit in it

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Lotus 72 (1970) - extensive instrumentation

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Lotus 72 (1970) - double wishbones at the front

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Lotus 72 (1970) - Suspension and damping are located in the center of the car

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Lotus 72 (1970) - they probably didn't look that nice and shiny in racing back then

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Lotus 72 (1970) - filigree suspension at the rear

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Lotus 72 (1970) - longitudinally mounted Cosworth V8 three-liter

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Lotus 72 in 1970 with designer Maurice Philippe

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the original version from the rear

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Lotus 72 (1970) - the original version from the front

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Ring-Alarm - Jacky Ickx on Ferrari ahead of Jochen Rindt on Lotus 72 - German Grand Prix Hockenheim 1970

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Lotus 72 (1972) - Emerson Fittipaldi at the Mini Grand Prix of Vallelunga (Italy)

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The ex-Jochen-Rindt-Lotus 72 is pursued by a horde of wild Vespas...

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Lotus 72 (1971) - at the Bergsprint Altbüron 2011

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Summary

With the Lotus 72, Colin Chapman surprised the competition on the left foot. Wedge-shaped and with better aerodynamics, the monoposto showed the direction in which development had to go. Although not all of the ideas that were designed into it worked straight away, after a maturing phase, the monoposto went on to achieve 20 Grand Prix victories and two world championship titles. This report analyzes the F1 technology of the time and shows a picture of the only early Lotus 72 that has survived largely in its original condition.

This article contains the following chapters

One of nine and a half chassis
Thoughts on the 1970 F1 World Championship
The wedge from today's perspective
The idea came from Indianapolis
The most beautiful?
Technical data of the Lotus 72

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

In 1970, Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe presented another revolution. He was the first F1 designer to launch a monoposto as a wedge and not as a tube or cigar like all the others. A car that has lost none of its beauty, elegance and appeal to this day. It is often said that the black and gold paintwork of the John Player Special was one of the most beautiful, but the red and gold Gold Leaf colors look even better on this car. However, the revolutionary car initially struggled with major teething problems, so much so that even Jochen Rindt said: "I'll never get into that shitbox", and switched back to the 49C.

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