Lotus 18
Encyclopedia
The Lotus 18 was a race car designed by Colin Chapman
for use by Lotus
in Formula Junior
, Formula Two
, and Formula One
. It was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only moderately successful front-engined formula cars, the 12
and 16
. It was introduced for the 1960 F1, F2 and FJ seasons. As a stop-gap before the introduction of the 18's successor models, the Lotus 20
and 21
, some 18 chassis were rebodied with 21 skins to create the interim Lotus 18/21 hybrid derivative.
It was powered initially by a 2,494.93 cc Coventry Climax
(3.70 x 3.54 in) four cylinder engine inherited from the Lotus 16 which produced 239 hp (178 kW) at 6,750 rpm from a weight of only 290 lbs (132 kg) and had a wide torque range. In order to capitalize on this weight advantage, Chapman designed a light, sleek machine only 28 inches (71 cm) high (excluding windscreen) and weighing just 980 lbs (440 kg). To help facilitate this, the driver was placed in a semi-reclining position, pioneered about a decade before by Gustav Baumm of NSU
.
racing had ever seen, eclipsing even the legendary Auto Unions
and being widely copied. It was also built as a two-seat sports-racer called he Lotus 19 or Monte Carlo.
in the non-championship Glover Trophy
, in 8 April 1960. Its first World Championship win happened six weeks later, in 29 May, albeit by privateer
Rob Walker, who leased the car from Chapman. Driven by Stirling Moss
the car took a dominant win at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix
. It was an early taste of things to come. Moss also won the United States Grand Prix
at the end of the season helping Lotus finish second in the constructors' championship.
Moss repeated his win in a legendary race at Monaco the following year, beating off the more powerful and faster 'sharknose' Ferrari
s. He then won at the fearsome Nürburgring
in changeable weather, while Innes Ireland
took a third win in the USA to help Lotus finish second in the constructors' championship in 1961. The Lotus 18 was also notable for giving Jim Clark
his first Grand Prix start in 1960.
The 2.5 litre engine was replaced by a 1.5 litre Climax with new Formula One
engine rules in 1961, and a Formula Junior
variant used a 998 cc Ford MAE. The Formula Junior version also used smaller gauge chassis tubing and Alfin drum brakes on all four corners as it did not have to cope with so much power.
The 18 was replaced by the Lotus 21
in Formula One and the Lotus 20
in Formula Junior in 1961.
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
for use by Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
in Formula Junior
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI . The class was intended to provide an entry level class where you could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles...
, Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
, and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
. It was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus and was a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only moderately successful front-engined formula cars, the 12
Lotus 12
The Lotus 12 was an unsuccessful Formula Two and Formula One racing car.Colin Chapman's first foray into single-seater racing, the 12 appeared in 1957. It featured a number of important innovations Chapman would use on later models. To better use the power of the Coventry Climax engine, it was...
and 16
Lotus 16
The Lotus 16 was the second single-seat racing car designed by Colin Chapman, and was built by his Lotus Cars manufacturing company for the Team Lotus racing squad. The Lotus 16 was constructed to compete in both the Formula One and Formula Two categories, and was the first Lotus car to be...
. It was introduced for the 1960 F1, F2 and FJ seasons. As a stop-gap before the introduction of the 18's successor models, the Lotus 20
Lotus 20
Lotus 20 was a Formula Junior car built by Lotus for the 1962 season as a successor to the Lotus 18.The chassis was a spaceframe, clothed in fibreglass bodywork. It had front double wishbone suspension, but the rear had a lower wishbone with the driveshaft being fixed length and therefore used as...
and 21
Lotus 21
The Lotus 21 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman. It was a mid-engined design using a tubular spaceframe structure skinned with fibreglass panels, of a more advanced build than seen in the Lotus 18...
, some 18 chassis were rebodied with 21 skins to create the interim Lotus 18/21 hybrid derivative.
Design
The car was a classic Chapman design, being extremely light and simple; the body was made up of lightweight panels bolted to heavily-triangulated tube frame (almost spaceframe) chassis. Thus the car was rigid and strong, maintaining the 16's forward weight distribution despite the engine moving behind the driver.It was powered initially by a 2,494.93 cc Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
(3.70 x 3.54 in) four cylinder engine inherited from the Lotus 16 which produced 239 hp (178 kW) at 6,750 rpm from a weight of only 290 lbs (132 kg) and had a wide torque range. In order to capitalize on this weight advantage, Chapman designed a light, sleek machine only 28 inches (71 cm) high (excluding windscreen) and weighing just 980 lbs (440 kg). To help facilitate this, the driver was placed in a semi-reclining position, pioneered about a decade before by Gustav Baumm of NSU
NSU Motorenwerke AG
NSU Motorenwerke AG, normally just NSU, was a German manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and pedal cycles, founded in 1873. It was acquired by Volkswagen Group in 1969...
.
Race performance
The Lotus 18 had remarkably good handling with a unique suspension system which drastically reduced weight transfer and body roll in cornering. Shortly, the Lotus 18 was proving to be faster than any car Grand PrixFormula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing had ever seen, eclipsing even the legendary Auto Unions
Auto Union racing car
The Auto Union Grand Prix racing cars types A to D, were developed and built by a specialist racing department of Horch works in Zwickau between 1933 and 1939....
and being widely copied. It was also built as a two-seat sports-racer called he Lotus 19 or Monte Carlo.
Grand Prix success
The car took Lotus' first F1 victory, by Innes IrelandInnes Ireland
Robert McGregor Innes Ireland , was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver. He was a larger-than-life character who, according to a rival team boss, "lived without sense, without an analyst and provoked astonishment and affection from everyone."Ireland was born on 12 June...
in the non-championship Glover Trophy
1960 Glover Trophy
The 8th Glover Trophy was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 18 April 1960 at Goodwood Circuit, England. The race was run over 42 laps of the circuit, and was won by British driver Innes Ireland in a Lotus 18.-Results:-References:...
, in 8 April 1960. Its first World Championship win happened six weeks later, in 29 May, albeit by privateer
Privateer (motorsport)
In motor sport, a privateer is usually an entrant into a racing event that is not directly supported by an automobile manufacturer. Privateers teams are often found competing in rally and circuit racing events, and often include competitors who build and maintain their own vehicles...
Rob Walker, who leased the car from Chapman. Driven by Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
the car took a dominant win at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix
1960 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1960 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 29, 1960.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Stirling Moss - 1:36.3*Fastest Lap: Bruce McLaren - 1:36.2*First win for a Lotus in a World Championship Formula One race...
. It was an early taste of things to come. Moss also won the United States Grand Prix
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor race which has been run on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The race later became part of the Formula One World Championship. Over 41 editions, the race has been held at nine locations, most recently in 2007 at the...
at the end of the season helping Lotus finish second in the constructors' championship.
Moss repeated his win in a legendary race at Monaco the following year, beating off the more powerful and faster 'sharknose' Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing....
s. He then won at the fearsome Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
in changeable weather, while Innes Ireland
Innes Ireland
Robert McGregor Innes Ireland , was a British military officer, engineer, and motor racing driver. He was a larger-than-life character who, according to a rival team boss, "lived without sense, without an analyst and provoked astonishment and affection from everyone."Ireland was born on 12 June...
took a third win in the USA to help Lotus finish second in the constructors' championship in 1961. The Lotus 18 was also notable for giving Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
his first Grand Prix start in 1960.
The 2.5 litre engine was replaced by a 1.5 litre Climax with new Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
engine rules in 1961, and a Formula Junior
Formula Junior
Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI . The class was intended to provide an entry level class where you could use inexpensive mechanical components from ordinary automobiles...
variant used a 998 cc Ford MAE. The Formula Junior version also used smaller gauge chassis tubing and Alfin drum brakes on all four corners as it did not have to cope with so much power.
The 18 was replaced by the Lotus 21
Lotus 21
The Lotus 21 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman. It was a mid-engined design using a tubular spaceframe structure skinned with fibreglass panels, of a more advanced build than seen in the Lotus 18...
in Formula One and the Lotus 20
Lotus 20
Lotus 20 was a Formula Junior car built by Lotus for the 1962 season as a successor to the Lotus 18.The chassis was a spaceframe, clothed in fibreglass bodywork. It had front double wishbone suspension, but the rear had a lower wishbone with the driveshaft being fixed length and therefore used as...
in Formula Junior in 1961.