Page 1 of 1 After working for a consultant for Vanwall and BRM Colin Chapman formed his own company, Lotus. The first single seater design was shown at the 1956 London Motorshow but it was nothing more than a mock-up. The first outing for the single seater, dubbed the 12, was at the 1957 Easter races at Goodwood in F2 shape. The first cars featured a DeDion rear axle but it was soon replaced by a setup that was later know as the 'Chapman strut' to save unsprung weight. The Chapman strut was made up of a substantial hub, long coil springs, radius arm and half shaft. The first F1 outing for the 12 was the Silverstone International Trophey of 1958 and the first finish was at Monaco in the same year, 10 laps behind the winner. It was replaced by the more sophisticated Lotus 16. It is seen here at the 2002 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it celebrated 50 years of Lotus Engineering. Page 1 of 1
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After working for a consultant for Vanwall and BRM Colin Chapman formed his own company, Lotus. The first single seater design was shown at the 1956 London Motorshow but it was nothing more than a mock-up. The first outing for the single seater, dubbed the 12, was at the 1957 Easter races at Goodwood in F2 shape. The first cars featured a DeDion rear axle but it was soon replaced by a setup that was later know as the 'Chapman strut' to save unsprung weight. The Chapman strut was made up of a substantial hub, long coil springs, radius arm and half shaft.