Technology in race cars (17): Lotus 49 - Motor car

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Technology in race cars (17): Lotus 49 - Motor car

Created on May 25, 2022

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

6

Archiv Gerhard Schütz

30

Bruno von Rotz

3

Dieter Wilm

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Ford

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Archiv

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44

Lotus-Cosworth 49 (1967) - during the demonstration drives on the occasion of the Jim Clark Tribute at the Goodwood Revival 2013

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Lotus 49 (1967) - Lotus lightweight with a lift-off at the Nürburgring 1967

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Lotus 49 (1967) - Whether the roll bar would fulfill its function remains to be seen...

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Lotus 49 (1967) - The fast Scot Jim Clark won the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort in 1967

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Lotus 49 (1967) - "Pure" original shape without spoiler

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Lotus 49 (1967) - "The perfect racing car falls apart after the finish line" (Chapman's quote). In Clark's victory at Watkins Glen in 1968, the right rear wheel was already preparing for this shortly before the line...

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Graham Hill drove the Lotus 49B to victory in the 1968 Monaco Grand Prix.

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Graham Hill in the Lotus 49B. The racing car generates downforce through the front spoiler, radiator outlets and rear spoiler.

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Lotus 49B (1968) - 49B with low wing on the chassis

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Lotus 49B (1968) - The 49B really gets down on its knees under braking.

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Graham Hill on the 49B in Monaco

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Lotus 49B (1968) - The high rear wing of the 49B acts directly on the suspension.

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Filigree double-decker

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Of course, downforce is particularly important in the rain.

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Retirement 1968 in Rouen - The monocoque chassis was significantly more stable than the delicate wing constructions of the 49B

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Jackie Oliver retired with the 49B at the 1968 French Grand Prix - predetermined breaking point rear axle

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Lotus 49B (1969) - Jochen Rindt crashed at the 1969 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona due to a defective wing.

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Lotus 49B (1969) - Fragile double-decker

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Lotus 49B (1969) - Jo Siffert takes fourth place in the Rob Walker Lotus at the GP South Africa

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Jo Siffert in the Rob Walker Lotus during his victory at Brands Hatch in 1968

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Lotus 49B (1968) - Jo Siffert in the Rob Walker Lotus during his victory at Brands Hatch 1968 - advertising for Champion spark plugs

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Lotus 49B (1969) - further development of the rear wing with three blades

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Lotus 49C (1970) - Jochen Rindt drove himself and the 49C to victory in Monaco.

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Lotus 49 (1967) - With an engine like this, you can have a good laugh - and win.

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Lotus 49 (1967) - The miracle engine Cosworth DFV, shown with this see-through drawing

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Lotus 49 (1967) - The talented engineers Keith Duckworth (left) and Mike Costin

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Lotus 49 (1967) - The components of the DFV neatly laid out.

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Lotus 49 (1967) - extreme lightweight construction

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Lotus 49 (1967) - Oil pump in compressor design

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Lotus 49 (1967) - The structure of the rear axle

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Lotus 49 (1967) - A look at the front axle construction

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Lotus-Cosworth 49 (1967) - during the demonstration drives on the occasion of the Jim Clark Tribute at the Goodwood Revival 2013

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Lotus 49 (1967) - Series E - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique

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Lotus 49 (1967) - Field "F" - Monaco Grand Prix Historique 2016

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Lotus-Cosworth 49B (1968) - during the demonstration drives on the occasion of the Jim Clark Tribute at the Goodwood Revival 2013

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Lotus 49B (1969) - at the parade of Austrian F1 legends on the occasion of the 2014 Austrian GP

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Lotus 49B (1969) - at the parade of Austrian F1 legends on the occasion of the 2014 Austrian GP

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Lotus 49B (1969) - at the parade of Austrian F1 legends on the occasion of the 2014 Austrian GP

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Lotus 49B (1969) - at the parade of Austrian F1 legends on the occasion of the 2014 Austrian GP

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Lotus 49B (1968) - at the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique 1997

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Summary

In 1967, the experimental racing team led by Colin Chapman launched the Lotus 49, a monoposto that revolutionized Formula 1 in several ways. The ingenious Ford-Cosworth V8 engine was particularly ground-breaking and shaped the premier class in the years that followed. But Lotus also did pioneering work in aerodynamic terms with the further development of the Type 49. The 17th episode of the series "Technology in racing cars" deals with the Lotus 49 and the Ford-Cosworth DFV.

This article contains the following chapters

The engine of success: Ford-Cosworth DFV
How to build the engine of the century
Key role
A chassis for champions
Always fast, but not always at the finish line
The rise of downforce
Expansion stage 1
Expansion stage 2
Expansion stage 3

Estimated reading time: 12min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The years 1958-1978 were the two most creative decades in the history of racing technology. This series portrays the most innovative, pioneering and exotic designs of Formula 1, Indy cars, sports cars and Can-Am, and at the same time traces the major lines of development that still have an impact today. The series started with Lotus, one of the most important innovation drivers of these two decades. And the series will also finish with Lotus: With the first ground-effect Formula 1 to win a world championship in 1978, the Type 79. The debut of this completely new car with a likewise completely new engine at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort in 1967 was sensational: Graham Hill took pole position in the first race and Jim Clark won in superior style. There had not been anything like it since 1954 with the Mercedes-Benz W196. A new era had begun in Formula 1 - the Cosworth era: the three-liter V8 engine, which was self-supporting, i.e. could be used without a subframe, was to record a total of 155 victories in 262 Grand Prix races in a wide variety of cars until its last success in 1983 (driven by Michele Alboreto in a Tyrrell). He won twelve Formula 1 drivers' championships and ten constructors' world championships, as well as victories at Indianapolis and Le Mans. This absolutely unique success story began with the Lotus 49.

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