1963 Lotus 23B

The Colin Chapman designed Lotus 23B sports racing car was introduced in 1962 and would achieve such a high level of competition success that the French ACO banned it from appearing at Le Mans, knowing that no other car in its class would have the capability to keep pace. The small-capacity racer was successful in national and International sports-racing car competition not only in the British home market but also virtually throughout the countries of Europe, the USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. It became one of the Lotus marque's biggest-selling pure-bred racing cars and was the last small-capacity pure-bred sports-racing car to be designed from the ground up by Colin Chapman and his team.

The 1100cc Lotus 23 sports-racing car was a rear-engined derivative of the 1960/61 big-engined Lotus Type 19 and the rear-engined single-seater Lotus 20/21/22 designs of 1961-62. It was introduced in 1962 at the London Racing Car Show and although it was intended essentially as a 1,100cc class contender, up-to-1,000cc engines were another option. Alternative engines were soon fitted, as small as a 745cc Coventry Climax unit in one chassis intended to run at Le Mans but was denied entry. French scrutineers rejected the 997cc Lotus 23 and the 745cc version due to the front wheels having four-stud fixings and the rears used a six-stud setup. Rules stipulated that the statutory spare wheel should fit both front and rear. In response, Chapman had the rear fixing modified to accept four studs only and so match the fronts. Scrutineers ruled out that ploy on the basis that if six studs were required in the original design, the Lotus would be plainly unsafe on only four. Thus, Chapman was forced to withdraw the two 23s, vowing that his Lotus team would never race at Le Mans again. Until his death in 1982, Lotus did not race again at Le Mans, and even then, the factory did not return again until 1997.

Early in the 1962 season, Lotus developed its own twin-cam headed version of the Ford engine, which emerged as a 1,498cc unit. A works Type 23 fitted with one of these engines was driven by Jim Cark in the ADAC 1,000Kms World Championship round at the Nürburgring. His small sports racer outpaced the entire field, including the works Ferrari team and Lightweight E-Type Jaguars. He opened up a 27-second lead over the Porsche piloted by Dan Gurney. Clark would surely have won had he not been overcome by fumes from a broken exhaust pipe, losing control of the car and crashing mildly.

The Lotus 23 was most commonly fitted with engine capacities of 1100cc while the Lotus 23B received Lotus-Ford twin-cam power of 1600cc (1,558cc) displacement. To cope with the increase in power, many components including the frame were strengthened. Thus, the Lotus 23 and 23B were suitable for racing categories at everything from the modest club to the most major International level raced throughout the UK, Europe, the Americas, Southern Africa, and Australia - from the 1-liter, 1,100cc, and 1,600cc racing categories.

By the time production ceased in 1964, a total of 130 to 131 were produced in standard 23, 23B and 23C form.

Specifications

Since these sports racers competed in a variety of races on numerous types of tracks, the specifications vary. Early cars were powered by a 1097cc Cosworth-Ford engine allied to a Renault four-speed gearbox. Typical configurations included an independent suspension with coil springs and anti-roll bars, four-wheel disc brakes, and a five-speed Hewland Mark IV transaxle. The multi-tubular spaceframe chassis used the main longitudinal members to act as oil/water conduits between the nose-located radiators and mid-mounted engine The wheelbase measured 90-inches. The Lotus-Ford 1558cc 'Twin Cam' dual overhead camshaft four-cylinder engine fitted with dual twin-choke Weber DCOE carburetors produced approximately 190 horsepower.

The Lotus 23 was aerodynamically sound and its lightweight bodywork housed a sparse cockpit featuring the semi-recumbent driving position then growing in popularity.

by Dan Vaughan

Roadster
Chassis number: 23/5/56

This is a 100 percent original Jimmy Clark car. It was raced at Sebring and Daytona in 1964. In both cases it failed to finish.

This Lotus 23 was shipped on March 13th of 1963 to the USA, to D. Irish of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Chassis number 23/5/56 was fitted with a ten gallon long range tank for Sebring. Registered FIA specifications Arch Motors chassis A-31.

This car has been driven by David Irish, Robert Lamplan, Alex Ulman, Sergie Konorauft, Bart Martin, Judy Bonderant, Larry Haile, and Si Robin.

It was banned from the 24 Hours of LeMans and Collin Chapman never came back in later years.

Pete Lovely of Seattle, Washington - 1985 European Historic Champion and 1995 Monterey Historics under number 132 was driver of Lotus 23. Pete Lovely and Jimmy Clark are considered the greatest Lotus 23 drivers.

Roadster

This car was sold to Mr. W. Bradshaw in November of 1962, and was raced in Europe until the early 1980s. It was then brought to the United States. It was previously owned by Brian Redman and Bob Snodgrass of Brumos Racing. Mike Rahal (Bobby Rahal's father) bought the car from Brumos in 1987, and Mike raced it in vintage races throughout the country until selling it to Ed Henning in 1989. The car has just had a complete restoration, and is equipped with a Ford-Lotus twin cam 1600cc, 187 horsepower engine and a Hewland Mark IV five-speed transmission.

Roadster
Chassis number: 23S-49

In early January of 1963, John Normand (Normand Ltd.) ordered two Lotus 23Bs from the factory at a racing car show. It was announced that Norman Ltd were to run a team of two semi-works backed Lotus 23Bs for Mike Beckwith and Tony Hegbourne. The team were to be supplemented with TEAM LOTUS DRIVERS as other commitments permitted during the 1963 racing season. Chief mechanic, Colin Knight was to taker car of the cars.

April 1963

The race debut of the Lotus 23B in Britain was at the BARC Oulton Park meeting. It was also the debut for Normand Ltd, and their expanded team of Lotus 23Bs for Mike Beckwith and Tony Hegbourne (23-S-49 and 49). The race was won by A.G. Wood's Cooper Monaco after Beckwith spun, but he finished 2nd and won the class with fastest lap. 2nd was the other Normand Lotus of Tony Hegbourne. So early in the new 1963 season the domination of the Normand Lotus 23s was already becoming established. In the Formula Libre race Tony Hegbourne's 23B, 23-S-49 won for Norman Ltd and marked the first outright race win for the Lotus 23B.

On April 6, 1963 the British International race was at Oulton Park, where there was snow on the track during practice. On pole was Innes Ireland with his aging Lotus 19, with the 23Bs of Jim Clark, driving Tony Hegbourne's Normand car, then Beckwith. Ireland led from the start but pitted with gear box problems on lap 8 leaving Clark firmly in the lead. The result was the first four places to Lotus 23Bs - Clark, Beckwith, Bloor and Greene.

On April 27th the Daily Mirror Aintree took place near Liverpool. The Normand Lotus 23s of Beckwith and Hegbourne almost 'dead heated' for 3rd place overall, and first in the 2 litre class. Beckwith was the winner by 'a nose.'

May 1963

The two Normand drivers, Mike Beckwith and Tony Hergbourne flew overnight to Paris after a race at Silverstone on May 11th, for the race at Montlhery called the Prix de Paris on Sunday 12th May. They finished 1-2 in the Sports Prototype class.

The Aintree National race meeting on the 25th May was an opportunity for Mike Beckwith to improve on his 34 points from 5 races in the Autosport Championship, which he did, leading from start to finish in the 50 mile Sports Car event. Normand team mate Hegbourne was 2nd.

June 1963

On June 3rd Crystal Palace near the center of London was celebrating its 10th anniversary of racing since World War II. The main attraction was the Crystal Palace Trophy Race for Sports Cars which included the two Normand Lotus 23Bs of Mike Beckwith, while Tony Hegbourn's car was driven by Team Lotus driver Jim Clark. Jimmy Clark won the race after Roy Salvadori retired his Cooper Monaco on the 25th lap.

On June 30th following the French Grand Prix at Rheims which Jim Clark won for Lotus, the Sports and Prototype race included Ferraris, Aston Martins and Jaguars. In the smaller capacity class were the Normand 23Bs of Beckwith and Hegbourne who finished 7th and 8th.

July 1963

The British teams stayed in France for the Clermont Ferrand Auvergne Trophy race the following weekend of 6th/7th of July. The race was over 3 hours, and began with a LeMans start. Hegbourne was the first away. The race was won by Lorenzo Bandini in a Ferrari with Tony Hegbourne's Normand 23B in 2nd place.

The following weekend at Mallory Park 3 hour race saw Tony Hegbourne winning the race in his 23-S-49.

August 1963

At the end of August the Normand Team were at Mallory Park again in central England where there was prize money at this National event. Tony Hegbourne won the prize money from Beckwith after a 2 litre 23B had expired.

September 1963

The last British race qualifying for the Autosport Championship was at Oulton Park for the Gold Cup race on the 28th. Most of the leading contenders were competing. Jim Clark, the new World Champion, was entered in one of the Normand Lotus 23s which created a bit of a problem as both Mike Beckwith and Tony Hegbourne, the Normand drivers, were in contention lying 1st and 2nd in the Sports Racing 1151-2000cc class, whist Jim Clark was only 4th. It was team leader Beckwith who lost out, largely as he had a 6 point lead over Hegbourne in the Championship. On pole position was Frank Gardner in his Brabham with Roy Salvadori second in the large capacity Cooper Monaco. Alongside him were the two Normand 23s of Clark and Hegbourne. Salvadori took the lead from Clark on lap 2 but the World Champion was really motoring. He was 5th by lap three and 2nd by lap 5. Salvadori won by 20 seconds from the Lotus 23Bs of Clark and Hebourne. Clark's 2nd place at Oulton Park put him in striking distance of the Class F Championship on points. So he was now racing seriously as part of the Autosport Championship.

In 1962 Lotus introduced their next iteration of the compact, rear-engined sports cars, the Type 23. It was a derivative of the Lotus 19 which had been produced from 1960 through 1961, as well as the Lotus 20, 21, and 22 cars. The Type 23 made its inaugural racing debut at the Nordschleife in May of 1962. The Lotus was fitted with a 100 horsepower engine, but it was enough to propel the car to the front of the pack, ahead of the Porsches, Ferraris, and Aston Martins. At the wheel was the very capable Jim Clark who had brought the car to the front after the first lap, in the wet. Some of the other cars have as much as four times the horsepower. Sadly, on lap 12 Clark was forced to retire when a damaged exhaust manifold leaked exhaust fumes.

The Type 23 raced extensively in national and international races winning many class victories and oftentimes beating the large-engined competition. It quickly became a popular favorite with many racers and one of Lotus's best-selling race cars of all time.

During its production lifespan Louts offered the lightweight car with a variety of options that included the Coventry Climax 750 cc four-cylinder engine and even a 12-cylinder Rotorvic motor for competition at LeMans. In standard form, the Type 23 came equipped with an 1100 cc engine. A popular option was to upgrade to the Type 23B specification which included the 1600cc Lotus/Ford twin-cam engine. The Lotus 23B was given stronger chassis tubes and fitted with a more potent Ford-based 1.5 and 1.6-liter Lotus Twincam engine.

In 1962 a Type 23B driven by Jim Clark easily proved its potential by leading the Ferrari and Jaguar cars at Nurburgring 1000KM before mechanical difficulty led to a crash. The cars dominated many of the races they entered; even in modern times they still provide podium time for their drivers in vintage and historic racing events.

The Type 23 was constructed of fiberglass and outfitted with a Hewland MK gearbox. The suspension was comprised of double wishbones and dual trailing arms. The steering was rack-and-pinion.

by Dan Vaughan