Lotus 31

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In 1964 the Lotus 31 was the first 1-liter Formula 3 racing car for the British motorsport team Lotus .

The Lotus 31 was the British brand's first racing car for the new 1-liter Formula 3. The car was derived from the Lotus 22 , the Formula Junior car from 1962. The car had a tubular space frame and was launched in small numbers. All copies had been sold by mid-1964. However, many privateers converted the car to Formula Junior. Usually a BMC engine from Janspeed or a 997 cm³ engine from Cosworth were used, which could also be used in Formula Junior.

However, Lotus could not catch up with the experience that Cooper had with the construction of Formula Junior and Formula 3 racing cars, and so the season in the British Formula 3 championship was dominated by Jackie Stewart , who started in a Cooper for Ken Tyrrell's team . The Lotus 31 could only achieve a victory in a single Formula Junior race. They didn't win in Formula 3.

In 1965 an improved version was offered, and in 1966 the car was finally replaced by the Lotus 41 .

literature

  • David Hodges: Racing cars from A – Z after 1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-613-01477-7 .