Colin Chapnman originated Lotus Cars in 1952 and early on wanted to participate in Formula 1. Many of Chapman’s successes came from innovation. The Lotus 25 was the first monocoque chassis in F1, the 49 was the first car of note to use the engine as a stressed member, the Lotus 56 Indycar was powered by a gas turbine engine and was fitted with four-wheel drive, the Lotus 63 was the first mid-engined F1 car to race with four-wheel drive, and the 72 broke new ground in aerodynamics.
At the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix Team Lotus as a constructor became the first constructor to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories. Ferrari was the second constructor to do so, having won their first Formula One race in 1951, seven years before Lotus even entered into Formula One as a constructor.
The first Formula One victory for the Lotus works team came when Innes Ireland won the 1961 United States Grand Prix. A year earlier, Stirling Moss had recorded the first victory for a Lotus car at Monaco in his Lotus 18 car entered by the privateer team Rob Walker Racing Team.
In 1963, Clark drove the Lotus 25 to a remarkable seven wins in the season and won the World Championship. The 1964 title was still for the taking by the time of the last race in Mexico but problems with Clark’s Lotus and Hill’s BRM gave it to Surtees in his Ferrari. However, in 1965, Clark dominated again, six wins in his Lotus 33 gave him the championship.
The Lotus 78, and then the Lotus 79 of 1978 were extraordinarily successful, with Mario Andretti winning the F1 World Championship. Lotus attempted to take ground effects further with the Lotus 80 and Lotus 88. The team developed an all-carbon-fibre car, the Lotus 88, in 1981. The 88 was banned from racing for its ‘twin chassis’ technology where the driver had separate suspension from the aerodynamic parts of the car. McLaren’s MP4/1 beat it as the first all-carbon-fibre car to race. Chapman was beginning work on an active suspension development programme when he died of a heart attack in December 1982 at the age of 54.
After Chapman’s death, the racing team was continued by his widow, Hazel, and managed by Peter Warr. Midway through 1983 Lotus hired French designer Gérard Ducarouge and, in five weeks, he built the Renault turbo powered 94T. A switch to Goodyear tyres in 1984 enabled Elio de Angelis to finish third in the World Championship, despite the fact that the Italian did not win a race. The team also finished in 3rd place in the Constructors’ Championship.
When Nigel Mansell departed, the team hired for 1985 one of the most succesfull Formula One drivers in history: Ayrton Senna