Lotus 69

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Jochen Rindt in the Lotus 69 Formula 2 in 1970

The Lotus 69 was a racing car that was developed by Lotus in 1969 for use in Formula 2 , Formula 3 and Formula Ford .

Development history

Since the Formula 2 regulations for 1970 provided for extensive changes to the vehicles, Dave Baldwin developed the Lotus 69 based on the Lotus 59 Formula 2 car.

The Lotus 69 at the Formula 3 race in Zandvoort in 1970

He left the basic Lotus 59 design untouched and only changed the central monocoque section that contained the two fuel tanks. The chassis suspensions have been changed and the front has been adapted to the new regulations in order to reduce the cooler intake. Since only engines up to a maximum of 1600 cm³ were allowed in Formula 2 from 1967 to 1971, the car received a 1.6-liter Cosworth FVA engine and a Hewland FT200 transmission.

The basic vehicle construction was designed in such a way that by adding other suspensions and brakes, as well as changing the body parts and the wheels, the Lotus 69 could be built into a Formula 3 or Formula B racing car.

With the increase in displacement to 2000 cm³ in Formula 2, the racing cars were equipped with a Cosworth BDA engine in 1971 .

A Lotus 69 for Formula Ford

The Lotus 69F was built according to the Formula Ford regulations and had a space frame chassis with a modified front section and narrower wheels than the Formula 2 and Formula 3 variants. It was delivered with 1.6 liter Ford / Lotus engines.

A total of 57 racing cars were produced by the Lotus 69, eight of which were built for Formula 2.

A Formula 2 car was purchased from Pete Lovely and converted into a Formula 1 car. This he set in 1971 at the Canadian Grand Prix and the Grand Prix of the United States but to no avail one.

The Lotus 69 was the last model that was developed and produced for customer use. 1971 Colin Chapman ended Lotus Racing Ltd. and concentrated with his works team on Formula 1 motorsport.

successes

The Formula 2 Lotus 69 driven by Emerson Fittipaldi

Jochen Rindt won the first two races of the 1970 Formula 2 season with the Lotus 69, before he then concentrated on Formula 1 . The following year Emerson Fittipaldi won five Formula 2 races with the car.

In the two British Formula 3 championships in 1971, Dave Walker won 25 out of a total of 32 races with the racing car and thus won the two championship titles.

Web links

Commons : Lotus 69  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Britishracecar - website: Kyle Kaulback's 1971 Lotus 69 Formula B (Upgraded) Racecar. From: www.britishracecar.com , accessed January 21, 2019 .
  2. ↑ a b Qualitythatgoes - Internet site: Lotus 69. At: www.qualitythatgoes.com , accessed on January 21, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Conceptcarz - website: 1971 Lotus Type 69. From : www.conceptcarz.com , accessed on January 21, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Vulcano Racing - Website: Lotus 69. At: www.vulcano-racing.com , accessed on January 21, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Racingsportscars - Website: Complete Archive of Lotus 69. At: www.racingsportscars.com , accessed on January 21, 2019 .
  6. ↑ StatsF1 - Internet site: Lotus 69. At: www.statsf1.com , accessed on January 21, 2019 .