Page 1 of 2 Next >> In the 1960s the presentation of a new Lotus Formula 1 racer was a rare occasion. Lotus introductions were highly anticipated since they always included some revolutionary design ideas. Once a car was introduced it would usually serve for a few seasons, and not just one; impossible in current day F1 racing, but fine for Colin Chapman's Lotus. In that decade chassis design was first turned upside down with the monocoque Lotus 25 in 1962 and then engine design was taken in a new direction with the load bearing Cosworth DFV engine in the Lotus 49. By 1970 the Lotus 49 was ready for upgrades, and not surprisingly its replacement was again well ahead of the field.
Launched at the second race of the 1970 season, the all-new Lotus 72 was the final step from the 1950s and 1960s cigar shape to the sharp look of the current single seaters. The front mounted single radiator previously used was replaced by two smaller radiators mounted on either side of the cockpit. This had both the advantage of better weight distribution and improved aerodynamics. The radiators were mounted in two big fiberglass ducts, which would later be known as sidepods. The chisel shaped nose pierced through the air much better than the rather blunt air intakes of earlier designs.
Designer Maurice Philippe also focused on keeping the unsprung weight to a minimum for ideal handling. This refers to the mass that is moving independently from the chassis; the suspension arms and wheels for example. On the Lotus 72 this was achieved by relocating both the front and rear brakes inboard and cooling them with two NACA ducts in the nose and two funnels above the brakes. With a traditional radiator setup it would have been much more complicated to move the front brakes. Another novelty was the use of torsion bars instead of the more common coil springs, which further reduced the unsprung weight. The suspension also featured anti-dive geometry, which was later abandoned.
Unlike its predecessors the Lotus 72 was not an immediate success, and after its first race problems forced Lotus to revert to the old 49. Now in its fourth season, Jochen Rindt drove the 49 to a final victory at the 1970 Monaco Grand Prix. Two races later at the Dutch Grand Prix, the Lotus 72 with revised suspension made its return and showed its true worth with Jochen Rindt winning four races in a row. Unfortunately the Austrian driver crashed fatally in the Parabolica corner at Monza after one of the shafts to the inboard front brakes failed. Rindt had however gathered enough points from previous races to be posthumously crowned World Champion at the end of the season. When Lotus returned two races later, Emerson Fittipaldi drove his 72 to victory, just like Graham Hill had done after Jim Clark's fatal accident.
In Lotus tradition, a virtually unchanged Lotus 72 was entered in 1971, but with remarkably little success. A possible reason was the preoccupation with developing a turbine engined Formula 1 racer; not all Lotus' designs proved to be successful. In the off-season after, the 72 received the proper development and debuted in 1972 with a new livery and look. The red, white and gold of long time sponsor Gold Leaf was replaced by the black and gold of John Player Special. A large airbox was mounted on top of the engine to force feed cool air into the intake trumpets and the rear wing was shifted further back. Page 1 of 2 Next >>
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In the 1960s the presentation of a new Lotus Formula 1 racer was a rare occasion. Lotus introductions were highly anticipated since they always included some revolutionary design ideas. Once a car was introduced it would usually serve for a few seasons, and not just one; impossible in current day F1 racing, but fine for Colin Chapman's Lotus. In that decade chassis design was first turned upside down with the monocoque Lotus 25 in 1962 and then engine design was taken in a new direction with the load bearing Cosworth DFV engine in the Lotus 49. By 1970 the Lotus 49 was ready for upgrades, and not surprisingly its replacement was again well ahead of the field.