Lotus 49 F1 OW 1967

Specifications Lotus 49 F1 OW 1967 blueprint

The Lotus 49 F1 was a race car produced by the British company Lotus from 1967 to 1968. It was the successor to the Lotus 33 and the first car to win a Formula One (F1) championship with a Ford Cosworth DFV engine. The car was an evolution of the 33 and had a monocoque chassis made of a honeycomb-shaped aluminium sandwich. It had wide, low-slung sidepods and a hump-backed aluminum chassis. The car had an unassisted 4-wheel disc brakes system, and adjustable suspension to cope with varying track conditions. The engine was a Ford-Cosworth DFV, a 3.0L V-8 rated at 410 bhp at 9,500rpm, and drove the rear wheels via a Hewland 5-speed gearbox. It had a compact aerodynamic design with a three piece slipper skirt that improved the aerodynamics around the rear wheels, and front wing flaps that improved air velocity. The 49F1 also featured Lotus's market-leading ground-effect aerodynamics, designed by Tony Rudd and Peter Wright, which helped the car to grip the track with greater efficiency, giving it an edge over the competition. In the 1967 season, Lotus and Ford changed the whole landscape of F1 powertrains with the introduction of the 49 F1, as it provided the first truly competitive Cosworth-powered car. This car dominated the 1967 season, winning 3 out of the first 4 races. The 49F1 was driven by Jim Clark who went on to win his second World Championship that year, as well as Graham Hill and Mike Spence capturing multiple wins with the car. The 49 F1 was a revolutionary F1 car and the benchmark for all following F1 cars for many years. It was a symbol of power, performance, and innovation for drivers and teams alike, and provided the tipping point in what became a golden age of racing.