Lotus 49

Lotus 49
Car Information
Manufacturer	Team Lotus
Engine	Ford Cosworth DFV
Engine displacement	2,993 cc (182.6 cu in)
Length	2,413 mm (95.0 in)
Designer	Colin Chapman
Formula One World Championship
Years active	1967-1970
Constructor	2
Grands Prix	42
Wins	12 (28.57%)

The Lotus 49 was a World Championship winning car, renowned for being the first Grand Prix built to use the Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The 49B was driven to the 1968 FIA Formula One World Championship by Graham Hill, while a 49C would be driven by Jochen Rindt to the 1970 title.

When the 49 debuted at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix it immediately looked to be the class of the field, proved when Jim Clark swept to victory backed up by teammate Hill who had claimed pole. Clark would go on to claim a further three victories before the end of the 1967 season, before claiming the honours in the first round of the 1968 season to reach the top of the all time winners list. Hill and Rindt would also score victories for the factory run 49s and their subsequent development versions, while privateer Jo Siffert claimed a win at the 1968 British Grand Prix for the Rob Walker Racing Team.

The 49 was the brainchild of Colin Chapman and aircraft engineer Maurice Philippe, and became a test-bed for all sorts of innovations. From its very creation the 49 would be the first car to successfully incorporate the engine as an integral part of the chassis, while also allowing Chapman and Philippe to experiment with aerofoils and wings. The 49 is also noted as one of the first cars to feature a sponsored livery, with the factory Lotus cars fondly remembered for their "Gold Leaf" branding.

History

The original plan for Colin Chapman and his Team Lotus designers had been to use the Ford Cosworth DFV engine in the Lotus 43, but delays in funding for the project meant the 1966 season would be a write-off. The first two chassis were ready to race by the 1967 Monaco Grand Prix but the engines were still not race ready, although there had been some testing done over the winter. Graham Hill, who almost exclusively drove the new cars believed that the handling was delightful, but the power of the DFV was too intermittent during development for him to be confident.

Debut Delight: 1967

The Lotus 49 first appeared after an extensive testing period at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix at Circuit Park Zandvoort, with Team Lotus bringing two cars for Jim Clark and Graham Hill. Hill was still unsure about the engine but when the Englishman put his car on pole, half a second clear of anyone else, there were few complaints. Ultimately though, it would be his teammate and friend Clark who took victory after a swashbuckling climb up from eighth, the Dutch Grand Prix having been the first time the Scot had sat in the car, let alone driven it.

The following two races saw both Clark and Hill hobbled by mechanical issues (the latter having retired at Zandvoort too with a problem), before the car and team came to their home race at Silverstone. A typical display by Clark saw him dance the 49 to victory from pole having led every lap, only denied a Grand Chelem by a tenth of a second, while Hill fell to an engine problem. After both retired at the 1967 German Grand Prix, a third car was entered for the first Canadian Grand Prix, although Hill would be the only man to finish down in fourth.

The next race was at Monza 1967 Italian Grand Prix, where Clark once again dominated, having started from pole, lost a lap after a puncture before recovering to lead again a few laps from the end. Yet, the Scot would be denied victory by a damaged fuel pump, which left the Brit to limp across the line in third after one of the greatest displays in F1 history. It also ended any hopes for the Scot to win the Championship, although Clark would claim victory at the final two rounds of the season, with Hill backing him up with second at the 1967 United States Grand Prix.

Race Victories

No.	Year	Event	Driver	Notes
1	1967	1967 Dutch Grand Prix	Jim Clark	Won on debut.
2	1967	1967 British Grand Prix	Jim Clark	First win from pole.
3	1967	1967 United States Grand Prix	Jim Clark
4	1967	1967 Mexican Grand Prix	Jim Clark	Pole, fastest lap and victory.
5	1968	1968 South African Grand Prix	Jim Clark	Last win for Clark.
6	1968	1968 Spanish Grand Prix	Graham Hill
Lotus 49B
7	1968	1968 Monaco Grand Prix	Graham Hill
8	1968	1968 British Grand Prix	Jo Siffert	Last win for a privateer.
9	1968	1968 Mexican Grand Prix	Graham Hill	Hill won the Drivers' World Championship.
10	1969	1969 Monaco Grand Prix	Graham Hill
11	1969	1969 United States Grand Prix	Jochen Rindt	First win for Rindt.
Lotus 49C
12	1970	1970 Monaco Grand Prix	Jochen Rindt	Last win for the 49.

Complete Formula One Results

Complete Formula One Results
Entrant	Chassis	Engine	Tyre	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13
1967
Team Lotus	49	Ford Cosworth DFV V8	F	Clark			1st	6thP	Ret	1stP	RetP	RetP	3rdP	1st	1stP
				Hill			RetP	Ret	RetP	Ret	Ret	4th	Ret	2ndP	Ret
				Wietzes								DSQ
				Baghetti									Ret
				Solana										Ret	Ret
1968
Team Lotus	49	Ford Cosworth DFV V8	F	Clark	1stP
				Hill	2nd
Gold Leaf Team Lotus						1st
				Oliver			Ret
	49B			Hill			1stP	Ret	9th	Ret	RetP	2nd	Ret	4th	2nd	1st
				Oliver				5th	NC	DNS	Ret	11th	Ret	Ret	DNS	3rd
				Andretti									EXC		RetP
				Brack										Ret
				Solana												Ret
Rob Walker Racing Team	49B			Siffert							1st	Ret	Ret	Ret	5th	6thP
	49					Ret	Ret	7th	Ret	11th
1969
Gold Leaf Team Lotus	49B	Ford Cosworth DFV V8	F	Hill	2nd	Ret	1st	7th	6th	7th	4th	9th	Ret	Ret	INJ
				Rindt	Ret	RetP	INJ	RetP	Ret	4thP	Ret	2ndP	3rd	1stP	Ret
				Andretti	Ret
				Attwood			4th
Rob Walker Racing Team				Siffert	4th	Ret	3rd	2nd	9th	8th	11th	8th	Ret	Ret	Ret
Ecurie Bonnier				Bonnier							Ret
Pete Lovely Volkswagen Inc.				Lovely									7th	Ret	9th
Team Gunston	49		D	Love	Ret
1970
Gold Leaf Team Lotus	49C	Ford Cosworth DFV V8	F	Rindt	13th		1st	Ret
				Miles	5th	PO	DNQ	PO
				Fittipaldi							8th	4th	15th
Garvey Team Lotus				Soler-Roig		DNQ
World Wide Racing							DNA		DNA	DNQ
Rob Walker Racing Team				Redman	PO
				Hill	6th	4th
Brooke Bond Oxo Racing – Rob Walker							5th	Ret	NC	10th	6th	Ret
Scuderia Scribante				Charlton	12th
Pete Lovely Volkswagen Inc.	49B			Lovely		DNA		DNA	DNQ	DNQ	NC					DNQ
Team Gunston	49		D	Love	8th

Trivia

• The Lotus 49 was included in the video game Forza Motorsport 6, alongside several other cars from the same era.
• The Lotus 49C appears in Formula One 06 and Formula One Championship Edition.

References

Images and Videos:

• Sporti, 'File:Clark at 1967 Dutch Grand Prix (6).jpg', commons.wikimedia.org, (WikiMedia: Commons, 10/09/2012), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clark_at_1967_Dutch_Grand_Prix_(6).jpg, (Accessed 13/08/2016)

References:

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