Concept Cars Home
 

1962 Lotus 25 news, pictures, and information

Monoposto
Chassis Num: R4
 
Chassis number R4 is the ex-Jim Clark Team Lotus racing car which he used during most of the 1963 F1 season. Jim Clark scored 7 Grand Prix victories and won the 1963 driver's World Championship.

In 1964, the car was driven by Peter Arundell to a second place finish, behind Jim Clark, during his first F1 race, the Goodwood Easter Meeting.

After two years racing for Team Lotus, R4 was sold to Parnell Racing where it was given a BRM V8 engine. Unfortunately, the car was involved in an accident while being driven by Richard Attwood. The tub was repaired and the chassis was re-numbered R13. It continued to race with a variety of engines for several more years, ending in 1967. After its F1 career came to an end, the car was sold to a privateer in New Zealand where it was raced in the Tasman Championship.

Australian John Dawson-Damer became the car's next owner who treated it to a fully restoration to its original Team Lotus configuration, complete with a correct Climax FWMW engine, in the 1990s. The car remained in his care for many years, until his fatal crash at Goodwood in 2000 in one of his other Lotus Grand Prix racing cars.

The Dawson-Damer collection was offered for sale by Bonhams & Goodman in Sydney in 2008. Bidding reached nearly $1 million and was sold to another Australian racing enthusiast. The car was sent to Classic Team Lotus for a restoration and to prepare it for vintage racing.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2012
Formula One racing is all about technical innovation and pushing back the boundaries of the standard norms. And while there would be many cars throughout the history of Formula One that would provide revolutions in car design and innovation, perhaps none would be as influential and long-lasting as what the Lotus 25 Coventry Climax represented to the world of motor racing.

The fact that Colin Chapman constantly pushed back the boundaries of car design and innovation was a given. Always in search of lighter, stronger and more aerodynamic concepts, Chapman and his team of engineers at Lotus would manage to create some truly remarkable designs over the years, despite not being one of the bigger manufacturers in the world.

And it was, perhaps, the size of Lotus that enabled it to try some truly futuristic and radical ideas when it came to car design. But none would revolutionize motor racing on every level as what the Lotus 25 would.

The standard for years in Formula One, and in just about every other discipline of motor racing for that matter, was some kind of space-frame/ladder chassis construction. Therefore, it would be the space-frame, or ladder, construction that would provide the strength and rigidity for a car. Pieces of aluminum would then be bent to create something of an aerodynamic shape. This kind of construction would be used in such revolutionary cars as the Ferrari 500, the Maserati 250F and others in Formula One. This form of construction would also be widely used in sportscar design as well as it would open up the inside of the car and would allow more space for fuel tanks and other components. This would become a standard in car production and continues to be used to this very day.

However, such chassis would make the ideas Chapman had in his mind impossible to build. Having a chassis and then bodywork over top of it all seemed like excess and unnecessary weight to Chapman. He would set out to devise something different. This pursuit would become an obsession when the advancements in technology were beginning to take their toll on the chassis of the day and when the governing-body would make the decision to reduce the maximum engine displacement from 2.5 to 1.5-liters. Chapman needed a stronger car, and yet, a lighter one as well. It seemed impossible. But it would be in the land of the impossible where Chapman would usually shine.

Chapman would first try to address the issue of the smaller engine displacement by building the Lotus 24. Sporting a very low profile and very sleek, the Lotus 24 would require the driver to lie down in the car nearly flat. Amazingly, the driving positioning would be something of an issue given the fuel tank needing to be moved from the sides of the car in order for the car to be as compact as possible with the space frame chassis.

While the car would be very tight and compact, the handling would not be as good as what the car looked. Although it was low to the ground, the rather high positioning of the fuel tank would negatively impact the handling of the car.

Combined with Girling disc brakes, ZF 5 speed gearbox and the new 1.5-liter Coventry Climax V8, the Lotus 24 would still be a good car. Jim Clark would score two victories with the car and a handful of pole positions. However, the Lotus 24 would not be Chapman's car of the future. He had developed a concept for a wholly-new car that would likely be the answer to all of the challenges he currently faced.

The answer would be found when folding metal and then riveting pieces together. It would be a very simple idea, but then, often it is the simple ideas that are the most far reaching and profound.

The monocoque structure was, by far, not a new idea. It had been used in aviation for decades. It would also be used at different moments throughout motor racing history. However, what Chapman and his team would manage to achieve with the Lotus 25 would be absolutely astounding and ground-breaking.

Instead of a whole series of space-framing, the crew at Lotus would bend and rivet together boxes of the chassis that would be joined together. For extra rigidity, the engine would be mounted in a semi-stressed configuration between the driver's tub and a mounting plate at the rear of the car. The radiator in the nose of the car would simply mount to the front of the tub with the radiator line running along the left side of the car back to the engine.

The ultimate in space-saving chassis design, the riveted aluminum chassis boxes would allow for the fuel bladders to be placed inside the chassis and lower to the ground. It would also allow for the coil sprung suspension to hide many of its components within the inside of the chassis. Especially on the front suspension, all that would be exposed out of the side of the car would be the double wishbone/rocker arm assembly and the rack and pinion steering arm. At the rear of the car, it would be a slightly different issue. Because of the presence of the engine and other mechanical components, the angles coil spring would be exposed at the rear of the car, as would the anti-roll bar and the twin-trailing links.

Since the strength of the folded sheets of aluminum proved so strong (about three times as strong as a regular space frame chassis) the amount of metal used to make the body of the car would be minimal, hence the idea of the driver's tub. In many ways, the driver sat on top of the chassis of the car, but would be surrounded by the fiberglass bodywork. This was due to the fact the chassis was so strong that it needed very little metal to do its job. When combined with the fiberglass body, the Lotus 25 would be a very light and sleek car with a low center of gravity and a very low profile.

This low profile would take a little bit of getting used to as it would require the driver to literally lay down inside the chassis. Being this low to the ground took a special kind of driver to not only drive the car, but also, to be brave enough to push it as hard as it could go. But when combined with the single-piece wraparound windscreen would make for one incredibly stylish and aerodynamic machine.

Without the fiberglass body, the driver was totally exposed lying down on top of the car. The only thing that crossed over the body of the driver would be the cut piece of sheetmetal that housed the instrument cluster and served as an attachment and rigidity point for the steering column. One feature of the steering column would be drilled holes that would allow the crews to adjust the length of the steering column to fit the desire of the driver. This instrument panel would be attached to the chassis of the car, as well as, a series of tubing to provide a roll-over crash structure over the top of the driver's legs and waist.

Chapman was all about compact size and reduced weight while increasing the rigidity of the car. This created some issues when it came to the cockpit itself. The driver's cockpit was already quite tight, especially when the fiberglass body was placed overtop of the car. However, Chapman wanted it even tighter, if it was possible. Therefore, one of the interesting features Lotus looked into was mounting the manual gear lever somewhere on or near the steering wheel instead of in the more familiar location just to the right of the instrument panel. Unfortunately, this would prove too difficult and a much more conventional layout for the ZF gearbox gear lever would be used.

Directly behind the driver's head, and behind the roll-over bar, sat the 90 degree Coventry Climax 1.5-liter V8. Utilizing Lucas fuel injection and normal aspiration, the Climax engine would produce 195 bhp at 9500 rpm. Out of the top of the engine, between the two banks of cylinder heads, would be the eight trumpet inlets feeding the necessary air into the engine. The exhaust pipes would all blend together behind the mounting plate at the rear of the car. The four exhaust pipes on either side of the car would blend into two larger pipes that would extend and protrude well out the back of the engine. All but the two exhaust pipes and the air inlet pipes would be exposed.

With all of the bodywork in place, the Lotus 25 weighed just 995 pounds but would have incredible rigidity. When combined with the low center of gravity afforded by the chassis and the position of the fuel tanks, the handling of the Lotus 25 vastly improved. In addition, the light weight of the car, combined with the Climax V8, would allow the Lotus to claw back a good deal of the performance lost through the decision to run small displacement engines.

Chapman would be involved in a bit of slight of hand as he would campaign the Lotus 24 publicly while the Lotus 25 was developed secretly. It would seem incredibly when Chapman was not all that disturbed when the 24 didn't do much better. But when the 25 made its debut at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1962, all would be understood.

The Lotus 25 would take Formula One by storm as Jim Clark would take the pole in its very first race. However, teething problems would cause the car to only come away with a 9th place result. Still, Chapman and Clark knew they had the car they needed. By the end of the season, the brand new car would earn no less than three victories and would help Clark just miss out on a World Championship title.

One year later, the car would still be the class of the field. And when combined with better reliability, Clark would go on to win seven out of ten races and would easily win the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships for Clark and Lotus.

The Lotus 25 would be such a ground-breaking design that it would not die easily. Although Lotus would only produce the car for a couple of years, the Lotus 25 would continue to be used and updated by teams well into the late 1960s, a true testament to Chapman's genius design.

Although not the first to make use of a monocoque structure, when combined with a low-profile design and a mid-engine Climax V8, the monocoque chassis would make for one incredibly beautiful and landmark design that would change the course of motor racing as even the modern grand prix cars of today follow the same basic idea of which Chapman drew on a napkin during a meeting with Frank Costin. Therefore, the Lotus 25 isn't just a special grand prix car in the history of Formula One, it is one of those very few that belongs in a special category all its own where success isn't just the determiner of greatness. The truly great designs are successful and ground-breaking at the same time, and the Lotus 25 would be that in spades.

Sources:
'Lotus-Climax 25', (http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/lotus25.htm). Dennis David and Family. http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/lotus25.htm. Retrieved 11 July 2012.

'Lotus 25 Climax', (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/267/Lotus-25-Climax.html). Ultimatecarpage.com: Powered by Knowledge, Driven by Passion. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/267/Lotus-25-Climax.html. Retrieved 11 July 2012.

'Lotus 24 Climax', (http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/697/Lotus-24-Climax.html). Ultimatecarpage.com: Powered by Knowledge, Driven by Passion. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/697/Lotus-24-Climax.html. Retrieved 11 July 2012.

'Lotus 25 Formula 1—Car Profile', (http://www.sportscardigest.com/lotus-25-formula-1-race-car-profile/). Sports Car Digest: The Sports, Racing and Vintage Car Journal. http://www.sportscardigest.com/lotus-25-formula-1-race-car-profile/. Retrieved 11 July 2012.

By Jeremy McMullen
For more information and related vehicles, click here

DATES CONFIRMED FOR BEAULIEU'S INTERNATIONAL AUTOJUMBLE 2013
Beaulieu is pleased to announce that the 2013 dates for its world-famous International Autojumble, held in the grounds of the National Motor Museum, have been confirmed as the 7th and 8th September. Traditionally, the International Autojumble is held on the second full weekend of September, which in 2013 falls on the 14th and 15th. In recent years the Goodwood Revival, the date of which is always dependent on the F1 Grand Prix calendar, has taken place on the following weekend. Next year the...[Read more...]
WHAT'S YOUR INTERNATIONAL HISTORIC CAR OF THE YEAR?
Voting is now open in the Car of the Year category in the International Historic Motoring Awards, in association with EFG International and Octane magazine. To have your say in what should be celebrated in 2012, visit the Car of the Year page on www.historicmotoringawards.com and cast your vote by the closing date of November 9th. In 2011 the magnificent Porsche Type 64 Rekordwagen belonging to the Prototyp Museum in Hamburg scooped the award and, for 2012, six headline-making cars (or, in o...[Read more...]
1962 Monaco Grand Prix: McLaren Carries the Cooper Flag back to the Top
By the beginning of the 1962 Formula One season Jack Brabham had left Cooper to form his own racing team. It seemed the glories days of the double World Championship were well and truly behind them. However, left in Brabham's stead would be a man very akin to the Australian in so many ways. And in Bruce McLaren, Cooper had a driver and competitor more than apt to help carry the team forward into the future. The first race of the 1962 season, the Grand Prix of the Netherlands, certainly didn't...[Read more...]
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion : A Brilliant Finish
There are times to spectate and there are times to roll up one's sleeves and participate. At the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion this year, both options brought abundant joy, as more than 550 authentic and historic race cars from nearly every decade of motorsports history popped their clutches and shifted gears on the esteemed road course of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Over August 16-19, the cars--split into 17 groups according to age and engine size and chosen for their period-correct presen...[Read more...]
Bonhams Monaco sale
Now in its 26th year, Bonhams celebrated sale 'Les Grandes Marques à Monaco' will be held at the Musée des Voitures du Prince, Monte Carlo on the 11th May and will once again be under the patronage of the Grimaldi Family. The sale also coincides with the biannual Monaco Historic Grand Prix, the focal point for historic motor racing enthusiasts during May. Highlights from the Sale include examples from Bugatti, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Maserati and Facel Vega. Partic...[Read more...]

Arrow Right 1962 Lotus models
Lotus 23B
Lotus 24
Lotus Elite
Lotus Seven
Lotus Super Seven
Lotus Type 19
Lotus Type 22
Lotus Type 23A
Lotus Type 27

Similar Automakers
Aston MartinBentley
BugattiDevon
FerrariGTA
KoenigseggLamborghini
MaseratiMaybach
McLarenPorsche
Rolls-RoyceSpyker
Tesla
Similarly Sized Vehicles from 1962
Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ
Amphicar 700 Amphibious
Austin-Healey 3000 MKII
BMW 700
Daimler SP 250
Elfin FJ
Lotus Type 19
MG MGB
Morris Minor
Nash Metropolitan

 
Lotus: 1961-1970
Similar Automakers
Lotus History
Other models by Lotus
Manufacturer Website

Related Articles and Event Coverage
8th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique


Related Drivers

 Christopher Arthur Amon
 Peter Arundell
 Richard James David 'Dickie' Attwood
 Giancarlo Baghetti
 Robert Bondurant
 Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham
 James 'Jim' Clark, Jr.
 Stanley Michael Bailey Hailwood
 Walt Hansgen
 Robert McGregor Innes Ireland
 Anthony Francis O'Connell 'Tony' Maggs
 Gerhard Karl Mitter
 Peter Jeffrey Revson
 Pedro Rodríguez
 Giacomo 'Geki' Russo
 Moisés Solana Arciniega
 Michael 'Mike' Spence
 Trevor Taylor

Related Teams

 Brabham Racing Organisation
 Reg Parnell Racing
 Team Lotus
 

1962 Formula One Season
PosTeamConstructorChassisDriversPoints
Owen Racing OrganisationBRMP57 United States Paul Richard 'Richie' Ginther
United Kingdom Norman Graham Hill 
42
Team LotusLotus
25
24 
United Kingdom James 'Jim' Clark, Jr.
United Kingdom Trevor Taylor 
36
Cooper Car CompanyCooper
T55
T60 
South Africa Anthony Francis O'Connell 'Tony' Maggs
United States Timothy A. Mayer II
New Zealand Bruce Leslie McLaren 
29
Yeoman Credit RacingLola
MK4 
United Kingdom Roy Francesco Salvadori
United Kingdom John Surtees 
19
Scuderia FerrariFerrari Italy Giancarlo Baghetti
Italy Lorenzo Bandini
United States Philip Toll Hill, Jr
Belgium Willy Mairesse
Mexico Ricardo Rodríguez 
18
Porsche System EngineeringPorsche
804
718/2 
Sweden Joakim 'Jo' Bonnier
United States Daniel Sexton Gurney
United States Philip Toll Hill, Jr 
18
Brabham Racing OrganisationLotus
24 
Australia Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham 6
Brabham Racing OrganisationBrabham Australia Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham 6
 Emeryson CarsEmeryson United Kingdom Michael John Campbell-Jones
United States Tony Settember 
 Ecurie MaarsbergenEmeryson Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort
Netherlands Bernardus Marinus Pon
Germany Wolfgang Seidel 
 Otelle NucciLDS South Africa Doug Serrurier 
 Gilby EngineeringGilby United Kingdom Keith Greene 
 Scuderia De TomasoDeTomaso
F1 Alfa 
Argentina Nasif Moisés Estéfano 
 Scuderia SettecolliDeTomaso
F1 Alfa 
Italy Roberto Lippi 
 UDT Laystall Racing TeamLotus
24 
United States Masten Gregory
United Kingdom Robert McGregor Innes Ireland 
 Rob Walker Racing TeamLotus
24 
France Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant 
 Scuderia SerenissimaLotus
24 
Italy Nino Vaccarella 
 Ecurie Nationale SuisseLotus
21 
Switzerland Joseph Siffert 
 Emeryson CarsLotus
18 
United Kingdom Michael John Campbell-Jones 
 Ecurie BelgeLotus Belgium Lucien Bianchi 
 Ecurie FilipinettiLotus
21
24 
Switzerland Heinz Schiller
Switzerland Joseph Siffert 
 Autosport Team Wolfgang SeidelLotus
24 
United States Daniel Sexton Gurney
Germany Wolfgang Seidel
Germany Günther Seiffert 
 Ecurie ExcelsiorLotus
18 
United States Jay Chamberlain 
 John DaltonLotus New Zealand Tony Shelly 
 Gerald AshmoreLotus United Kingdom Gerald Ashmore 
 Scuderia Jolly ClubLotus
18 
Italy Ernesto Prinoth 
 Dupont Team ZerexLotus
24 
United States Roger S. Penske 
 Jim HallLotus
21 
United States Jim Hall 
 Mecom Racing TeamLotus
24 
United States Robert Schroeder 
 Ernest PieterseLotus
21 
South Africa Ernest 'Ernie' Pieterse 
 Neville LederleLotus
21 
South Africa Neville Lederle 
 Ecurie GalloiseCooper
T53 
United Kingdom Jackie Lewis 
 Anglo-American EquipeCooper United Kingdom Ian Burgess 
 Bernard Marie François Alexandre Collomb-ClercCooper France Bernard Marie François Alexandre Collomb-Clerc 
 James SharpCooper United States James 'Hap' Sharp 
 John Maxwell Lineham LoveCooper
T55 
Rhodesia John Maxwell Lineham Love 
 Mike HarrisCooper South Africa Mike Harris 
 Ecurie MaarsbergenPorsche
718/2 
Netherlands Carel Godin de Beaufort
Netherlands Bernardus Marinus Pon 
 Scuderia SerenissimaPorsche
718/2 
Italy Nino Vaccarella 
 Ecurie FilipinettiPorsche
718/2 
Switzerland Heini Walter 

1962 Season Review
RaceCircuitDateWinning DriverConstructor
 Dutch Grand Prix  ZandvoortMay 1962  Norman Graham HillBRM 
 Monaco Grand Prix Monaco Grand Prix MonacoJun 1962  Bruce Leslie McLarenCooper 
 Belgian Grand Prix  Spa-FrancorchampsJun 1962  James 'Jim' Clark, Jr.Lotus 
 French Grand Prix  Rouen-Les-EssartsJul 1962  Daniel Sexton GurneyPorsche 
 British Grand Prix  AintreeJul 1962  James 'Jim' Clark, Jr.Lotus 
 German Grand Prix  NürburgringAug 1962  Norman Graham HillBRM 
 Italian Grand Prix  MonzaSep 1962  Norman Graham HillBRM 
 United States Grand Prix  Watkins GlenOct 1962  James 'Jim' Clark, Jr.Lotus 
 South African Grand Prix South African Grand Prix Prince GeorgeDec 1962  Norman Graham HillBRM 

Formula One World Drivers' Champions
1950 G. Farina
1951 J. Fangio
1952 A. Ascari
1953 A. Ascari
1954 J. Fangio
1955 J. Fangio
1956 J. Fangio
1957 J. Fangio
1958 M. Hawthorn
1959 S. Brabham
1960 S. Brabham
1961 P. Hill, Jr
1962 N. Hill
1963 J. Clark, Jr.
1964 J. Surtees
1965 J. Clark, Jr.
1966 S. Brabham
1967 D. Hulme
1968 N. Hill
1969 S. Stewart
1970 K. Rindt
1971 S. Stewart
1972 E. Fittipaldi
1973 S. Stewart
1974 E. Fittipaldi
1975 A. Lauda
1976 J. Hunt
1977 A. Lauda
1978 M. Andretti
1979 J. Scheckter
1980 A. Jones
1981 N. Piquet
1982 K. Rosberg
1983 N. Piquet
1984 A. Lauda
1985 A. Prost
1986 A. Prost
1987 N. Piquet
1988 A. Senna
1989 A. Prost
1990 A. Senna
1991 A. Senna
1992 N. Mansell
1993 A. Prost
1994 M. Schumacher
1995 M. Schumacher
1996 D. Hill
1997 J. Villeneuve
1998 M. Hakkinen
1999 M. Hakkinen
2000 M. Schumacher
2001 M. Schumacher
2002 M. Schumacher
2003 M. Schumacher
2004 M. Schumacher
2005 F. Alonso
2006 F. Alonso
2007 K. Raikkonen
2008 L. Hamilton
2009 J. Button
2010 S. Vettel
2011 S. Vettel
2012 S. Vettel

16
18 FJ
340R
51 and 51A
61
81
Carlton
Cortina
Elan
Eleven
Elise
Elite Type 14 Coupé
Esprit
Europa
Evora
Excel
Exige
Fifteen
Mark VI
Seven
Type 19
Type 20
Type 21
Type 22
Type 23
Type 24
Type 25
Type 27
Type 30
Type 38
Type 49

© 1998-2012. All rights reserved. The material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.