Staying Ahead

For those of you who didn’t know, 2010′s Formula One season will see the “return” of Lotus to the grid after a 15-year absence. In all likelihood, the Lotus of 2010 will be quite different from the feisty team that started life as a car maker in t1~ late 1950s, an English outfit led by its legendary founder, Colin Chapman. In all, Lotus chalked up seven championships, 79 race wins and 107 pole positions.

In true Chapman tradition, Lotus formula race cars always tended to be unconventional. The Type 25 entered for the 1962 race was the first F1 car to have a stressed monocoque chassis. The Type 49 was the first racer whose engine also served as a structural component to the chassis.

The Type 78 in 1977 was the first F1 car ever to exploit ground-effect aerodynamics, a technology that made the cars go so fast that it had to be banned by the end of 1982.

But for many, the Type 79 that followed was really in a league of its own. It was the first modern F1 car to be designed in a wind tunnel and to employ computer-aided design, giving it a truly unassailable lead over the competition. Dubbed Black Beauty, the Type 79′s elegant shape and iconic John Player Special livery made it one of the most recognisable race cars ever.

Tags: F1 Lotus Type 25 Type 49 Type 78 Type 79