1954 Lotus Mark VI

History

The Lotus Mark VI was produced from 1952 through 1957 with approximately 110 examples produced. Colin Chapman had built several trials and road going cars before the introduction of his first 'production car' the Mark VI. This new vehicle incorporated many features from Chapman's background in engineering including the space frame chassis. This design resulted from a stress analysis of loads in the frame and was extremely lightweight, yet very strong. The prototype chassis was construed by the Progress Chasis Company. The aluminum body was built by William and Prichard.

Many of the mechanical components were sourced from the Ford Perfect; this helped keep costs low and was easily available.

The Mark VI was a compressive kit package that included most of the parts needed. It had mounting points for several different engines including Ford, MG, Consul and Coventry Climax units. Some vehicles were customized for the owner's specifications and Lotus even went so far as to customize parts per owner's demands.

The Lotus MK6 proved to be an inexpensive and competitive vehicle that helped establish Chapman and his Lotus car company as a producer of specialty cars.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2011