On this day, 30 years ago, Colin Chapman passed away. The creator of the famous Lotus road cars and race cars died December 16, 1982 of a heart attack at the young age of 54.
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (the letters of the original Lotus logo, ACBC) was born May 19, 1928.
Chapman studied structural engineering and learned to fly while still a student. In 1948 the young engineer built the Mk1, a modified Austin 7 car which he entered privately into local racing events, notably trials.
Chapman built his first single-seater racing car in 1956. The Formula 2 -- the Lotus 12 -- enjoyed some success in 1957. He then decided to enter Grand Prix racing, running a pair of Lotus 12s at Monaco in 1958 for Graham Hill and Cliff Allison.
Chapman was obsessed with getting his race cars as light as possible. His Lotuses were small, lightweight, mid-engine cars that gave away much in terms of power, but their superior road handling meant they often beat the all-conquering front-engined Ferraris and Maseratis.
Meanwhile, the road car business was also doing well with the Lotus Seven and the Lotus Elite, followed by the Lotus Elan in 1962, and the Lotus Cortina in 1963.
Lotus clinched its first F1 World Championship in 1963 with Jim Clark driving the Lotus 25. In 1965, Chapman won the Indy 500 with Clark.
Colin Chapman was a great innovator. He was the first to introduce a monocoque chassis in F1; the first to use the engine as a stressed member; the first to introduce commercial sponsorship to F1; and the first to implement aerodynamic ground effect in F1.
In 1978, motorsport legend Mario Andretti clinched the World Championship for Chapman, driving the first-ever F1 wing-car, the mighty Lotus 79.
From 1978 until his death, Chapman was involved with John DeLorean in his development of a stainless steel sports car to be built in a factory funded by the British government. However, a large sum of money went missing and Chapman died of a heart attack on December 16, 1982.
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (the letters of the original Lotus logo, ACBC) was born May 19, 1928.
Chapman studied structural engineering and learned to fly while still a student. In 1948 the young engineer built the Mk1, a modified Austin 7 car which he entered privately into local racing events, notably trials.
Chapman built his first single-seater racing car in 1956. The Formula 2 -- the Lotus 12 -- enjoyed some success in 1957. He then decided to enter Grand Prix racing, running a pair of Lotus 12s at Monaco in 1958 for Graham Hill and Cliff Allison.
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| Jim Clark and Colin Chapman. (Photo: WRi2) |
Chapman was obsessed with getting his race cars as light as possible. His Lotuses were small, lightweight, mid-engine cars that gave away much in terms of power, but their superior road handling meant they often beat the all-conquering front-engined Ferraris and Maseratis.
Meanwhile, the road car business was also doing well with the Lotus Seven and the Lotus Elite, followed by the Lotus Elan in 1962, and the Lotus Cortina in 1963.
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Lotus clinched its first F1 World Championship in 1963 with Jim Clark driving the Lotus 25. In 1965, Chapman won the Indy 500 with Clark.
Colin Chapman was a great innovator. He was the first to introduce a monocoque chassis in F1; the first to use the engine as a stressed member; the first to introduce commercial sponsorship to F1; and the first to implement aerodynamic ground effect in F1.
 |
| Mario Andretti and Colin Chapman. (Photo: WRi2) |
In 1978, motorsport legend Mario Andretti clinched the World Championship for Chapman, driving the first-ever F1 wing-car, the mighty Lotus 79.
From 1978 until his death, Chapman was involved with John DeLorean in his development of a stainless steel sports car to be built in a factory funded by the British government. However, a large sum of money went missing and Chapman died of a heart attack on December 16, 1982.