Lotus 16...a special interest
Chassis Numbers
1958:- 362, 362-2, 363, B1
1959:- 364, 365, 366, 367,
368.
The Lotus 16 presents a real “what if “ scenario. If the car had appeared a little bit earlier, with a bronze welded chassis using slightly heavier gauge tubing, and a slightly less compact version of its clever gearbox (as intimated by Keith Duckworth at the time), great things might have been achieved. Stretching things a great deal further, I like to ponder what a car it could have been if the FPE V8 had been available, and not abandoned by Climax so prematurely. But then such retrospective observations on racing car designs are always easy. I am actually surprised that the car happened at all and Chapman didn't go direct from 12 to 18, such was the writing that Cooper put on the wall. It was as if Chapman thought that the optimum front engined F1 chassis had not been created, and it had to be done to close the chapter.
The 16 has been regarded in a different light at various times over the years. When introduced it represented the state of the art of front engined Grand Prix chassis design. By 1959, however, this was very obviously not the place to put the engine in a racing car. The only way one could be sold was as the wrapping for a 2.5 Climax FPF, which were in short supply. Then in later years 16s became hot property in Historic racing, particularly after Bruce Halford had shown what a properly put together 16 could do.
And ....it appeared in the movies!
I am currently researching the Lotus 16 for the
Historic Lotus Register. If you have any photos of the Lotus 16 from years ago
or in modern historic racing, I'd be pleased to hear from you.
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