Aficionados of Formula One history are in for a special treat at next month’s Autosport International show.
To mark half-a-century since Colin Chapman introduced the legendary Lotus 49, all seven surviving examples of the ground-breaking racer will come together under one roof at the Birmingham NEC. Powered by the Ford DFV engine, the Lotus 49 represented an unparalleled leap forward in Formula One performance. An advanced chassis configuration, with the engine bolted directly to the monocoque and the suspension and gearbox attached to the rear of the Cosworth-developed V8, the Lotus 49 was 7.7% faster than the previous season’s Lotus, a level of speed improvement not achievement not seen in F1 before or since. Documented in the must-see Ford period film 9 Days in Summer, the Lotus 49 won on its debut outing at the 1967 Dutch Grand Prix.
The exact same example which the incomparable Jim Clark drove to victory that day is the star attraction. Clark drove it to further wins at Silverstone and Watkins Glen that year, before using it to win the 1968 Tasman Championship. It was later updated and loaned to private team owner Rob Walker, driven by Jo Siffert and Jackie Oliver, before ending up in the United States, where it was restored to its 1968 specification six years ago and is still raced regularly by current owner Chris MacAllister.
With the surviving Lotus 49s spread far and wide, bringing them all together for the show is no mean feat. Also on show will be chassis number R3, raced by Graham Hill in the latter part of the 1967 season. It has been restored to original spec by motor racing historian Doug Nye, among others, and is now owned by the Beaulieu National Motor Museum. Another example is the 49 driven to consecutive Monaco Grand Prix wins by Graham Hill in 1968 and 1969, before being used in debut drives by future World Champions Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi. Chassis number R6, initially raced by Jackie Oliver and repaired after a huge shunt in practice for the 1968 French Grand Prix, is now owned by collector Richard Mille. It was the chassis which gave Jochen Rindt his maiden F1 victory at the 1969 United States Grand Prix, and was raced by the Austrian four times during the 1970 season in which he became the sports sole posthumus World Champion. Chassis number R7 was sold new to Rob Walker in 1968, giving Jo Siffert his first victory at that year’s British Grand Prix. It is now owned by Geoff Farmer, whose occasional outings in the car have included a victory at the Goodwood Revival. Built new for1969, chassis number R8 was raced by such names as Graham Hill, Richard Attwood, and Jo Bonnier before being sold to owners in South Africa and then Australia, before being bought by renowned F1 designer Adrian Newey who has restored it back to original spec. Completing the collection is chassis number R12, built by Team Lotus as an exhibition car for the Ford Motor Company. Later donated to the Donington Collection, it has been recently re-commissioned as a runner by new owner Richard Mille.
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