What follows is a history of Lotus cars up until 1982. This is taken from The
Lotus reMARQUE
published after Colin Chapmans death. The issue is November 1982 Vol. 10 No.
9. The original
came from Autosport. I am posting without the permission of Autosport, Lotus
Limited (who
published the Lotus reMARQUE) or anyone else. Hope this doesn't get us in
trouble. As I
am only a fair typest and the print I am reading from is *very* small there may
be many errors.
Well just read and enjoy.
Mark 1 Austin 7 1930 Fabric saloon special built by Colin Chapman and Colin
Dare with
paint by Hazel Williams, later to become Mrs. Hazel Chapman. The year was 1947.
Enjoyed some success in Trials in 1948. The car was named Lotus rather than
Austin
Special.
Mark 2 Improved special for Trials, circuit and road use. Built in 1949. Beat
a Type 37 Bugatti
driven by Dudley Geoghegan at Silverstone.
Mark 3 Another Austin 7, this time modified for 750 Formula. Very light weight
with alloy
body panels. Included "de-siamesed" heads for increased power. Both ideas
continue
in Lotus cars today.
Mark 4 January 1, 1952 Lotus Engineering Company was born. Michael Allen, who
had
worked with Colin Chapman on the Mark 3 was the only full time employee. Colin
worked part time. The Mark 4 was a trials car with the road equipment removed
to stay
competitive with other trials specials that were not driven to meetings.
Mark 5 Never built. Was to be the first 100 m.p.h. 750 formula car.
Mark 6 Full-on engineering effort to build the lightest and strongest chassis
they could build.
Tubular spaceframe chassis weighed 55 pounds. Was offered as a kit using stock
Ford
suspension parts.
Mark 7 Originally was to be a Formula 2 car. Only the chassis unit delivered.
Number was set
aside to be the replacement for the "6". First shown in 1957 at the Earl's
Court Motor
show as a kit-car for racing and road use. Lotus built some 3,300. Still in
production
by Caterham as the Caterham 7. The current car is claimed to be some 300
percent
stiffer than the last Lotus built 7.
Mark 8 First aerodynamic Lotus and first sports racing car. Designed to solve
the drag problem
the Mark 6 and 7 had at speed. Body design done by Frank Costin brother of Mike
Costin. Mike was working for Lotus at the time. He later formed Cosworth. The
space
frame was more frame than space. Rumor had it that it took 12 man-hours to
remove
the engine and 24 to re-install. Capable of 125 m.p.h. in 1954 with an 85 hp MG
1467cc engine.
Mark 9 Developed from the Mark 8. Again Frank Costin body design. Used 1100 cc
Coventry
Climax FWA sohc.
Mark 10 A Mark 8 able to fit a 2-liter six cylinder engine. Actor James Dean
ordered one
intending to install an Offy four cylinder but was killed before completion of
the car.
Mark 11 Famous 1100 cc Coventry Climax engineed sports racing car. Body again
by Frank
Costin. Used stressed alloy skin for weight reduction. At this point the
numbering
scheme was changed as Colin felt that the numbers, some of which were recorded
as
roman numbers and some arabic, would become too large. Also the name Lotus
Eleven was fun to say. Lotus would go on to use "E" as the beginning of every
car that
was named. All cars from this point had "Type" numbers. 200 series 1 and 70
series 2
elevens were built by Lotus.
Type 12 First single seat built for 1500cc Formula 2 racing. Later upgraded to
2207cc Climax
FPF twin-cam to become the first Formula 1 car. Built 1956 and raced in 1957
Type 13 Called the Eleven Series 2 for superstitious reasons
Type 14 Elite. The worlds first glass-fiber moulded monocoque Grand Touring
Coupe. Intro-
duced at Earl's Court Motor Show in 1956. Very expensive to produce and almost
ruined the company. 990 officially built but 1,030 body/chassis units counted
by inde-
pendent research.
Type 15 New 1958 sports racing car aimed at Le Mans. Was smaller than the
Eleven. Possibly
30 built.
Type 16 "Mini-Vanwall" Frank Costin body design. Very unsuccessful in F2.
Type 17 Last front engined Lotus sports racing car. Built to compete with the
Lola. It didn't
until modified with
Type 18 Famous rear engined formula car. Sold as Formula Junior, Formula 2 and
Formula 1.
Over 900 were sold in these forms. Won almost everything except World Champion-
ship events where Cooper won.
Type 19 Widened Type 18 for sports racing. Very successful in 1960-61. Dan
Gurney raced a
Ford V8 version for Arciero Brothers.
Type 20 1961 Formula Junior replacement for Type 18. Still used half-shafts for
lateral location
for rear wheels in partnership with low-slung bottom wishbones. Dominated the
class
with Cosworth derived Ford 105E based engines.
Type 21 Formula 1 using Climax 1500cc engines until Coventry-Climax and BRM V8
became
available.
Type 22 1963 Formula 3 car. Only Brabham could beat it.
Type 23 Small capacity mid-engined sports racing car released in 1962 and
produced until
1966.
Type 24 Last spaceframe Formula 1 Lotus built. This was a Type 21 with
Coventry-Climax or
BRM V8. Sold widely to private teams as "substantivally" the same as the Type
25.
One new owner, while inspecting his new car and comparing it with the newer
Type
25, was heard to say, "Well yes it is the same but for the missing chassis in
the Team
cars."
Type 25 First successful monocoque Formula 1 car. V8 powered from the beginning.
Type 26 Elan. Replacement for the expensive Elite. Back-bone chassis and
Twin-cam powered.
First "large" production roadster from Lotus. 12.224 built when production
ended in
1973.
Type 26R Competition Elan Specially developed for racing
Type 27 Started as glass-fiber monocoque Formula Junior but did not work.
Changed to alloy
skinning and it began winning.
Type 28 Lotus Cortina Saloon using the Lotus twin-cam headed Ford engine. 97
built
Type 29 4.2 liter Ford stock-black engined Indianapolis racer for 1963. Based
upon the Lotus
Type 25 but with suspension offset for left turns. Jimmy Clark placed second.
Type 30 Lotus response to the Lola involvement in Ford's GT 40 project.
Mid-engined with
back-bone chassis to accept Ford V8 power. "Not man enough for the job." Later
Series 2 cars were said to be better.
Type 31 Space-frame Formula 3 car developed for the new 1964 1 liter class.
Based on the old
Type 22.
Type 32 1964 Formula 2 car with monocoque chassis and Cosworth's new 1 liter
SCA engine
Type 33 Built 1964-65 as a successor to the Type 25 Formula 1. Designed to
accommodate the
new broad tread racing tire. Very successful. Jim Clark won the 1967 Tasman
Champi-
onship.
Type 34 1964 Indy car using Ford 4 cam V8.
Type 35 1965 F2/3 monocoque developed form Lotus 27/32.
Type 36 Elan fixed-head coupe.
Type 37 A highly successful one-off for the `three-seven' Clubman's Formula
sports car.
Type 38 Len Terry designed 1965 Indy car with fully enclosed monocoque chassis
unlike the
previous cars open bath tub design.
Type 39 One-off for Jimmy Clark for use in the 1966 Tasman. Used tube-frame
rear bay for a
2.5 liter Climax 4 cylinder engine.
Type 40 The famous Type 30 with ten more mistakes. 5.8 liter Ford V8
Type 41 Formula 3 car to compete with Brabham in 1966.
Type 42 1966 Indy car intended for BRM H16 4.2 liter. BRM had a plant fire and
one car ran
with Ford V8.
Type 43 1966-67 Formula 1 with BRM H16 power. First Lotus to use the engine as
a stressed
member to the suspension.
Type 44 Formula 2 based on Type 35 with wide track suspension.
Type 45 Elan drop-head coupe replacing Lotus 26 and known as the Series 3 or
Elan S3.
Type 46 Renault engined Europa mid-engined GT production car. Originally built
for export
only. 9,230 Europas of all types built by 1975.
Type 47 1594cc Lotus-Ford twin-cam version for racing only. 165 hp. 55 built.
Type 48 Full-monocoque 1600cc formula 2 car with tube engine bay. green and
yellow in 1967
and Gold-Leaf colors in 1968 Jimmy Clark died in this car.
Type 49 Truncated monocoque Formula 1 car used to introduce the Ford DFV V8
engine to
Gran Prix racing. Won its first race at Zandvoort. Jimmy Clark won the title
with it in
1968.
Type 50 Elan Plus-2 Coupe. Total production 5,200.
Type 51 Space-frame Formula Ford introduced in 1967. Based on the Type 22/31.
218 built.
Type 52 1968 Lotus Europa prototype fitted with a twin-cam engine for
home-market. Project
shelved. Twin-cam Europa released in 1971.
Type 53 Lotus Components project sports-racing car derived from the Type 23.
Project
shelved.
Type 54 Europa S2 with removable body. The Type 47 used a body bonded to the
chassis.
Type 55 One-off Formula 3 with wedge body. Driven by John Miles in 1968.
Type 56 "Door-stop" wedge gas turbine Indy car. Pratt-Whitney powered all 4
wheels. STP
sponsorship. Dominated the race until the fuel pump fail-safe failed stalling
the
engine. 1968. Type 56B developed for Formula 1 driven by Fittipaldi, Dave
Walker,
Reine Wisell in 1971.
Type 57 Design study for F2 in 1968 with de Dion front suspension. Was to have
been tested by
Jimmy Clark when he returned from Hockenheim.
Type 58 Type 57 uprated as Formula 1 for test purposes. Graham Hill tested it
and did not like
the de Dion front suspension. Project will shelved.
Type 59 1969 Formula 2/3/B spaceframe with distinctive divided nose inlet.
Type 60 Lotus 7 Series IV. The plastic Lotus 7.
Type 61 1969 Formula Ford spaceframe with sedge shaped body.
Type 62 Tube framed Europa with 1990cc 220bhp slant four engine. Two cars built
and raced
in Gold Leaf colors.
Type 63 Four wheel drive Formula 1 car for 1969. Did not work and was dropped.
Type 64 Most complex Lotus race cars ever built at the time. 1969 Indy car with
four wheel
drive and turbocharged Ford V8. 530bhp from 2.605 liters. Andretti set record
times
until a rear hub failed. Parts could not be made in time and the cars were
withdrawn
from the race. Andretti stepped into Granatellis Hawk-Ford and won.
Type 65 1970 Federal body regulation compliant Europa for US market.
Type 66 Unknown
Type 67 Proposed 1970 Tasman car. Regs changed to admit Formula 5000 so car not
built.
Type 68 Prototype Formula A/5000 with wedge body. Built in 1969 for 480bhp Boss
Ford V8.
later developed as the Type 70 production F5000.
Type 69 1970 F2/3 developed from Type 59. Produced in several variants with
spaceframes
and monocoques.
Type 70 Formula 5000 car with an American V8. Generally thought to be a nasty
car.
Type 71 Unknown
Type 72 Taught the F1 world about low unsprung weight. Inboard brakes and hip
radiators.
Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi won World Championships in one.
Type 73 Formula 3 car. Two built not a success
Type 74 Applied to both the Team Lotus F2 Texaco Star project and the Europa
Twin-cam cars.
Type 75 Revived Lotus Elite with new styling and Lotus-made engine. by spring
1982 2,820
cars built.
Type 76 Applied to both the replacement for the Type 72 but was as heavy,
handled worse and
was less reliable than the 72. Also the fast back Eclat version of the road
going Elite.
Type 77 The `adjustcar' experimental Formula 1 design evolved to replace the 72
and unfortu-
nate 76 in 1976. Brought Team Lotus back to success after problems in 1975.
Type 78 Another landmark Formula 1 car. Introduced the F1 world to ground
effects.
Type 79 Black beauty, the John Player Special Mark IV in which Andretti and
Peterson beat all
comers in 1978.
Type 80 1979 Formula 1 hope with extended ground-effects and under wings
extended around
the gear box. Taught Lotus that they did not know everything about
ground-effects.
The car persistently porpoised.
Type 81 Applied to both the 1980-81 F1 car and Lotus Cars for the Sunbeam
saloon car project
with Talbot.
Type 82 Production Turbo Esprit introduced in 1980.
Type 83 Series II production Elite 1980.
Type 84 Series II production Eclat 1980.
Type 85 Series III Esprit. Production of this model all types reached 2,511 by
spring 1980.
Type 86 First dual chassis ground-effects Formula 1 car intended to insulate
the driver from the
hard riding aerodynamically loaded car. One off for testing.
Type 87 Schemed as conventional car in the first half of 1980 with the Type 88
running gear
enclosed in conventional Type 87 body. Was resurrected when the Type 88 was
banned
from racing.
Type 88 An improved and lightened `dual chassis' development of the Type 86.
Never raced.
Type 89 Unknown
Type 90 Unknown
Type 91 1982 Formula 1 car.
mikej@apd.mentorg.com
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