1967 Lotus 49B

The late 1950s and early 1960s was a revolutionary time for many Formula racing series, as the benefits of mid-engine placement were utilized and cars made the drastic switch. This simple change of moving the engine from in front of the driver to behind, had a profound effect on performance and drastically changed the way the mechanical components operated.

In the early 1960s, Formula 1 regulations limited engine displacement to just 1.5-liters. By the mid-1960s, the regulations were changed, capping displacement at 3-liters.

For the 1967 season, Colin Chapman approached his friends Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth - the founders of the Cosworth engine company - to produce a suitable engine to comply with F1 specifications. They were interested but lacked the necessary resources to produce the engine. Lotus, who had just won the Indy 500 with Ford, persuaded Ford to help fund the project. Thus, the birth of the Ford and Cosworth relationship.

To house the engine, Chapman created an aluminum monocoque chassis. The chassis ended after the driver and the engine was bolted onto chassis, thus eliminating the need for a rear subframe. Both the engine and the ZF five-speed transmission carried the rear suspension load. The rear suspension had lower wishbones, anti-roll bars, coil springs and radius arms. The steering was a rack-and-pinion setup with Girling internally ventilated disc brakes at all four corners. Unique lightweight wheels carried the Firestone tires.

The Lotus 49 was not ready for the start of the 1967 season. It made its racing debut mid-way through the season, in June at Zandvoort with Graham Hill at the wheel. Its qualifying run was impressive; it was fast enough to capture the pole position. In the race it had the fastest lap time and went on to capture the overall victory. Three more victories were earned by the Lotus during the remainder of the season, but the championship would elude the car. Part of the reasons were its late start in the season; the main Achilles heal was its DNFs, which it encountered on several occasions.

As the 1968 season came into view and the Cosworth engine had become available to other teams, the Lotus entry was still the favorite. Jim Clark won the first race of the season at Kyalami. A short time later, while racing a Lotus Formula 2 car, he was involved in an accident which claimed his life. The next Formula 1 event, with the loss of Clark still heavily on everyone's mind, Graham Hill was able to soldiered on to an outright victory. At the next F1 event, Chapman introduced his next iteration of the Lotus 49 - the 49B.

The Lotus 49B was given a longer wheelbase and a Hewland gearbox. The most significant addition was aerodynamic aids in the form of wings. At its racing debut in Monaco, Hill scored another convincing victory. He would not repeat this performance until the end of the season. This was enough to earn Graham Hill the driver's title and the constructor's title for Lotus.

For Cosworth, their engines would win all but one of the races during the season. For many years to come, teams would turn to Cosworth to supply their engines.

The Lotus 49 remained in competition through mid-1970. The 1969 season was dominated by Brabhams and Matras and the Lotus 49, with drivers Jochen Rindt who had just joined the team and Graham Hill, would finish the season in third. The highlight was an overall victory at Monaco with Hill at the wheel.
For 1970, the 49 ran in the first few races of the season as the Lotus 72 was still being developed.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2009