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Re: Lotus 30/40

To: "Chapman Era List" <chapman-era@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Re: Lotus 30/40
From: "Tony Clark" <lotus.tony@airmail.net>
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 1997 01:53:42 -0500
I browsed Anthony Pritchard's "Lotus: the sports racing cars" for more
about the 30/40 and ran across the reference to Chapman's disagreement
with chief designer (at the time) Len Terry over the backbone frame
design.  Chapman prevailed (of course)  though Terry thought the 'bone
impractical from both stiffness *and* construction problems.  I turned
to a book by Len Terry, "Racing Car Design and Development" and looked
for a mention of the 30/40.  Even though Terry *does* chronicle the
Lotus race cars and design projects in which he participated, I didn't
find him taking any bows for the 30!   He *did* list: Eleven S2, 12, S1
Elite, 15, 16, 17, 22, the twin-cam engine, 25, 27, 29, 37 and Gurney's
19B one off as bearing his mark to some degree.

In spite of it's design liabilities, the 30 had some successes:  some
wins and some 2nd & 3rd places behind the likes of  Chaparral and
McLaren.  Not too lousy considering Lotus must have had it's hands full
during the 1964 & 65 time period:  64 was the near miss at Indy and 2nd
in the World's Championship and 1965 saw Lotus attain:  a win at Indy,
the world's championship, the formula 2 British and European titles and
the British saloon Car Championship.

Tony   
        



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