Lotus
(1952 - today)
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United Kingdom
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The Lotus 25 is rightly regarded as a stroke of genius and the pioneer of a new generation of formula cars. It was designed for the masses by Jim Clark. And he thanked him with a world championship title in 1963 after curing the teething troubles. This racing car report shows the beautiful formula car in all its details and tells the story of its development and the change that was triggered.
Few designers have left their mark on Formula 1 like Colin Chapman. The Lotus boss and designer possessed enormous innovative power and was always on the lookout for new technical solutions. At the 500 miles of Indianapolis, he was the first to use a mid-engine and the concept was ultimately to prevail, as the Lotus models 34 and 38 proved. This racing car article describes the history of the Lotus Indianapolis entries in the sixties and portrays A.J. Foyt's 1964 Lotus 34 in detail, supplemented by many historical racing photos.
The creation of the G-Class was the answer to the ever-increasing dominance of works teams in Formula Junior, which was created in 1959 for racing debutants. The Lotus 23 left its mark on the races in this G-Class. Equipped with a mid-engine and a modern chassis, the Lotus 23 hardly knew any opponents. This report summarizes its history and shows the sports car in many historical illustrations, some of which are rarely shown.
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.
After the STP Paxton turbine car had impressively demonstrated its potential at Indianapolis in 1967, Colin Chapman also wanted to try out the new drive technology. The exterior of the car was at least as radically different as the technology. However, while the wedge shape of the bodywork caught on, the turbine drive remained a brief gimmick. This article from the series "Technology in racing cars from 1958 to 1978" looks at the Lotus 56 in detail and shows it in historical and contemporary images.
Around 40 years ago, Formula 1 racing cars were still comparatively simple vehicles and there were few secrets about their design principles. Most of them even used the same engine. In 1973, the magazine 'hobby' analyzed the leading Grand Prix cars. This report reproduces the original text and graphics of that article and supplements it with contemporary and current pictures of the vehicles mentioned, or rather their predecessors or successors.
Between 1966 and 1975, Lotus built almost 9,000 of the mid-engined Europa sports car model. Its advantages were its race car-like handling and high operating efficiency thanks to excellent aerodynamics. However, due to the design and Lotus-specific tricks in the construction, the compact Europa models also demanded a healthy willingness to compromise on the part of the owner. This vehicle report describes the history of the Lotus Europa and portrays a "Special" model from 1973 in detail, supplemented by archive photo material, several rare sales brochures and data sheets.
With the Lotus 79, Lotus revolutionized Formula 1 for the fourth and last time. The 79 used the underbody to generate more downforce and drove the competition into the ground in the 1978 season.
The Lotus 88 seemed like the next big thing in the first grand effect era of Formula 1. To meet the enormous demands of aerodynamic forces on man and material, the Lotus designers opted for two chassis. But then everything changed - today the Lotus 88 marks the beginning of the racing team's decline.
When Lotus presented a new Elan in the fall of 1989, many fans turned up their noses. Front-wheel drive, a transverse engine from Japan and an ultra-modern design led to criticism, especially as Mazda was simultaneously reviving the original Elan of the sixties with the MX-5. In order to compete with the much cheaper Japanese model, the Lotus had to be significantly better. It was, but it still wasn't enough. And so it remained a rare milestone that is still a lot of fun to drive today. This driving report tells the story of the Elan SE/S2 of the nineties in detail and shows it in many pictures. There is also a sound sample.
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