Jano had designed the well known Aurelia V6 engine for Lancia; this unit, increased in displacement from 1754cc to 1991cc, appeared in the very sporting and desirable B20 Gran Tourismo coupe.

In 1951 Giovanni Bracco had won the 2-liter class and placed 2nd overall in the Mille Miglia, defeating all the Ferraris except that of Luigi Villoresi. At Le Mans the Bracco/Giovanni Lurani Lancia again took the 2-liter class, placing 12th in the general classification.

The following year the modified Serie II Aurelias made their debut in the Giro di Sicilia (Tour of Sicily). The engines had four carburetors, a modified valve operation. and produced 106 b.h.p. at 5500 r.p.m. Innovations were the floor shift, enlarged brakes, lower body, and overall weight saving of 220 lb. The race was won by Paolo Marzotto's 2-liter Ferrari, but the Lancias took the next three places in the order Felice Bonetto, Gino Valenzano, and Salvatore Ammendola. The Gran Turismo Lancias again overwhelmed the 2-liter class in the Mille Miglia, taking the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th places overall (Luigi Fagioli. Enrico Anselmi. “Ippocampo," and Ammendola) and being beaten only by Bracco's Ferrari and Karl Kling's Mercedes-Benz 300SL. Rudolf Caracciola was 4th in another Mercedes.

At Le Mans the Valenzano/"Ippocampo" Lancia took 6th overall and, of course, the 2-liter class. In the Carrera Pan-americana Mexico the Aurelias of Bonetto and Giulio Cabianca retired on the first stage, but Umberto Maglioli turned in a beautiful and consistent performance to finish 4th behind the Mercedes of Kling and Hermann Lang and the Ferrari of Luigi Chinetti. The Lancia successes were owed more to the superb suspension and steering, plus the light weight, than to the power output, which was considerably below that of the competition.

With such an excellent background, the appearance of an entirely redesigned sports car in 1953 stirred up considerable excitement. The new model, which made its racing debut in the Mille Miglia on April 26, was still a coupe and retained a V6 engine and rear mounted clutch gearbox differential unit, but there the resemblance ended. The engine had a displacement of 2962cc, twin overhead camshafts, inclined valves, two plugs per cylinder, and three double bodied Weber carburetors; output was 210 b.h.p. at 6700 r.p.m. A triangulated frame of small tubing was employed, while mammoth brakes were mounted inboard, directly to the frame in front and to the differential in the rear. This gave a considerable saving in unsprung weight. Front and rear suspension consisted of trailing arms, transverse leaf springs, and telescopic shock absorbers. Thus the traditional Lancia sliding pillar and coil spring front suspension was abandoned.

The body was a lower, sleeker, and very handsome creation by Pinin Farrina, painted blue with an off-white roof. The radiator grille was not used, but the opening retained the classic Lancia shape. The older Aurelia continued to race as a Gran Turismo car with its displacement increased to 2451cc.

Four 3-liter cars were entered in the Brescia Rome Brescia event for Maglioli Bonetto, the Mille Miglia ace Clemente Biondetti, and Piero Taruffi. Competition was fierce in the form of several 4.1 liter Ferraris and a team of 3.5-liter Alfa Romeos. Taruffi ran second to Consalvo Sanesi's Alfa on the first stage (Brescia-Verona), but retired shortly afterward with problems in the new front brakes. Bonetto and Maglioli began to move up among the leaders, being 5th and 6th at Rome and 4th and 5th at Florence. Maglioli dropped out before Bologna, but Rosetta moved up to 3rd at the finish. Biondetti was 12th at Rome, 9th at Florence, 8th at Bologna, and undoubtedly would have finished among the first six had his car not broken down 2½ miles from Brescia. With the help of his mechanic, Biondetti pushed the car to the line, receiving 8th place for his efforts. The race was won by Giannino Marzotto's Ferrari 4.1 at 88.39 m.p.h.; Bonetto was 30 min. back and 18 min. behind Juan Manuel Fangio's Alfa Romeo, which was driven over the last two stages with only one wheel steerable after the suspension collapsed!

The Targa Florio was held over the tortuous 44 mile Sicilian circuit on May 14. Although four cars were entered for Bracco, Bonetto, Taruffi, and Maglioli, Bonetto's was involved in a needless pre-race crash and did not start. In this race, where sheer power is often an embarrassment, the chief opposition came from the Maserati team of Fangio, Emilio Giletti, and Sergio Montovani in 2-liter cars. Bracco went fast initially, but Giletti was ahead on the 2nd lap. Bracco took the lead but went off the road in the rain and retired. On the 7th lap Taruffi passed his teammate Maglioli into the lead and set a lap record of 54.07 m.p.h., but crashed near the spot that had seen Brasco's misfortune. Maglioli thus regained the first position, and the open road specialist was rewarded for his fast and steady drive with victory at 50.07 m.p.h.

For Le Mans, June 13-14, Lancia put their faith in a moderate boost Roots supercharger, reducing the displacement to 2683cc to gain an advantage on handicap. Four cars appeared for Taruffi/ Maglioli, Robert Manion/Louis Chiron, Bonetto/Volenzano, and Froilan Gonzalez/Biondetti; all retired, the Gonzalez/ Biondetti car lasting the longest (18 hours). The lack of speed was shown by the fact that no Lancia ever got higher than 11 th place. The fastest laps of the four cars ranged from 4 min 46.7 sec. to 4 min. 59.1 sec., compared with 4 min. 29.7 sec. for the winning Jaguar XK-120C of Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton, who averaged 105.78 m.p.h. The fastest Lancia (Taruffi/Maglioli) achieved 136.48 m.p.h. over the timed kilometer; the Phil Walters/John Fitch Cunningham CSR did 154.81 m.p.h.

The Gran Premio Monza, a two-heat event limited to sports cars of 3-liters, was held two weeks later. Three Lancias, reverting to the unsupercharged 2962cc engines, were entered for Gonzalez, Bonetto, and Manzon. The first two were brand new Farina roadsters, or spyders, with a 6.3-in. reduction in wheelbase and a new rear suspension retaining the transverse leaf spring but incorporating a De Dion tube, located by a sliding guide and parallel radius rods, behind the differential.

In the first heat Alberto Ascari and Villoresi led with their Ferraris before the former was involved in a collision. Gonzales and Bonetto were right behind Villoresi until the 21st lap. when Gonzalez retired. Bonetto finished 2nd, while Manzon's coupe was not running well and ended up 13th. It retired on the 1st lap of the second heat, while Bonetto was again 2nd to Villoresi, who averaged 109.01 m.p.h. for the combined heats.

The Coppa d'Oro delle Dolomiti (Dolomite Gold Cup), held on July 12, was won by Paolo Marzotto's 3-liter Ferrari at 57.08 m.p.h. Taruffi was 2nd, 1 min. 33.4 sec. behind, in his 3-liter Lancia spyder, while Bonetto was 9th. Bonetto was consoled by a win and fastest lap in the Grande Premio do Jubileu (Jubilee Grand Prix, run at Lisbon on July 26). After Taruffi's retirement Bonetto had no difficulty building a one lap lead over Stirling Moss' Jaguar C, winning at 82.68 m.p.h.

Scuderia Lancia tested the new 3.3 liter (3287cc) D24 spyder at the Nurburgring, speeds being impressive. Fangio was now a member of the team, which seemed unbeatable in the upcoming Internationales ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen on August 30. In practice the Argentine driver lapped at 83.1 m.p.h., approaching the Formula 2 record. Nevertheless, the Ascari/Giuseppe Farina 4.5 Ferrari was the winner of the race at 74.7 m.p.h., after the Fangio/Bonetto 3.3 was eliminated by fuel pump trouble and the.Manzon/Taruffi 3.3 and the Bracco/ Eugenio Castellotti 3.0 retired with battery failure which prevented their restarting after a pit stop. Until this happened the Lancias had dominated the race. Manion set the fastest lap at 80.0 m.p.h.

The 3.3-liter cars could be distinguished from the original 3.0 spyder by the slightly longer and lower nose, the large scoop on the right fender, the replacement of the long carburetor scoop by a shorter one on the hood only, and by a generous amount of extra slots and louvers. A new gearbox was used with the four speeds below the differential instead of in line with it; a new rear suspension placed the De Dion tube in front of the final drive and used two quarter elliptic springs.

Returning to Italy for the first Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore (Merano, September 6), the team comprised Bonetto and Taruffi in 3.3-liter cars and Bracco and Castellotti in 3.0 machines. Fangio was temporarily back on the Alfa Romeo team in a 3.5-liter spyder; he won the race at 78.97 m.p.h. after Bonetto dropped out while leading. The other three Lancias also retired, making two races in a row without a finisher. In spite of having the best machinery by far, Scuderia Lancia was suffering from a lack of reliability.

Preparations for the Carrera Panamericana (November 19-23) were thus extremely thorough. The displacement was dropped to 3.1 liters on the Fangio, Bonetto, and Taruffi cars, while Castellotti's and Bracco's were the original 3.0 type. The team arrived in Mexico with an impressively large and modern transporter, plenty of spares, and a well trained crew of mechanics.

The results were in keeping with the effort. On the first leg the order was Bonetto, Taruffi, Fangio, and Castellotti, with Bracco 7th. Bonetto and Taruffi duelled on the next two stages with Bonetto holding the overall advantage, but on the Mexico City Leon leg Bonetto crashed into a lamp post and was killed instantly.

Taruffi stopped immediately with the intention of rendering aid, this loyal action dropping him from a certain 1st place to 10th on that stage, and 4th overall. Bracco retired on the same stage after losing a wheel; he had been running 6th. Taruffi won the next leg and moved up to 2nd overall, while on the last three stages Maglioli's Ferrari 4.5 (taken over from Ricci) was fastest, but not fast enough to move up among the Lancias on overall time. Fangio was the winner through consistency, not having won any of the eight stages, he nevertheless maintained a high average and led his teammates Taruffi and Castellotti to a well deserved 1-2-3 sweep for Lancia, the winning average being 105.73 m.p.h. Although he did not make as great a mark in Grand Prix racing, Felice Bonetto was one of the world's best sports car drivers; his death was a great loss to the team.

Lancia tied with Cunningham for 4th place in the 1953 World Championship for Sports Cars, with 12 points. Ferrari. Jaguar, and Aston Martin scored 30, 27, and 16 points respectively. Lancia had entered four of the seven events, but the complete retirements at Le Mans and the Nurburgring spoiled their chances. After the triumph in Mexico, Scuderia Lancia arrived in Florida the favorites for the Sebring 12-hour endurance race on March 7, 1954. Ascari and Villoresi had signed with Lancia for the season (mainly to drive the eagerly awaited D50 Grand Prix cars), completing what was probably the greatest group of drivers ever assembled in one team: Fangio/ Castellotti, Ascari/Villoresi, and Taruffi/ Manzon in 3.3-liter cars, with the 3-liter car of Valenzano/Porfirio Rubirosa an added precaution. As it turned out, this last car finished 2nd behind Moss' OSCA after the other Lancias dropped out; Taruffi was once again robbed of victory after leading at ten of the first eleven hour intervals (the Ascari/Villoresi car led at the 2nd hour). When the engine of Taruffi's car seized an hour before the finish, he pushed the Lancia a mile and a half to the pits, but the mechanics could not get it going again. Rubirosa had not been running among the first 25 cars during the early hours, but the veteran Valenzano was able to bring the car up to 2nd at the end to salvage some honor for Turin. Moss averaged 72.8 m.p.h.

After this unexpected defeat Scuderia Lancia returned to Europe where the D24s won their next four races in no uncertain manner. Taruffi took one 3.3 liter car to Sicily for the Giro di Sicilia (April 4), which he won at 64.24 m.p.h. after fighting with Maglioli's 4.9 Ferrari in the opening stages.

When Villoresi was injured in a minor event at San Remo, Ascari, who had not wished to run in the Mille Miglia (May 2), took his place in the 1000 mile race, Taruffi and Castellotti piloting two additional 3.3 liter cars.

Taruffi led all the way to Rome, but dropped out shortly afterward according to the pre Moss tradition of the Italian classic. Almost in spite of himself, Ascari has scored a valuable victory for Lancia at 86.72 mph. Lancias had been 1-2-3 on the first two legs, but Castellotti retired after the Pescara control. Taruffi made up for his retirement in the Mille Miglia by winning another event in Sicily, the Targo Florio on May 30. Just as in the previous year, the 2 liter Maseratis were the strongest opponents of Scuderia Lancia. Although the 3.3 liter D24 was overpowered for the rugged test, Taruffi drove carefully and defeated the up and coming Luigi Musso (Maserati), who was suffering the results of unwise eating the night before the race and did well to place 2nd. Castellotti, in a second Lancia 3.3, set the fastest lap of the race at 57.82 mph., but went off the road, damaged the suspension, and eventually retired. Taruffi averaged 55.85 mph.

Recovering from his San Remo accident, Luigi Villoresi celebrated by winning the Grand Premio do Porto (Portugal, June 27) at 92.52 mph. Castelloti finished 2nd in a similar 3.3 liter Lancia, while Ascari, driving an enlarged 3.6 liter model, retired with transmission seizure after leading for 39 of the 45 laps.

The last international event in which the D24 sports Lancias ran was the Tourist Trophy, held at Dundrod, Northern Ireland, on September 11. An impressive team was fielded, with Ascari/ Villoresi and Fangio/Castellotti in further enlarged 3.8 liter (3750cc) cars, and Taruffi/Roberto Piodi and Manzon/ Valenzano in 3.3 liter machines. On the 3.8 liter cars the inboard brakes were abandoned front and rear, while the trailing arm front suspension gave way to a more conventional parallel wishbone layout.

The race, run on handicap, was won by the little DB of P. Armagnac/G. Loureau, although on actual laps covered the fastest car was the Mike Hawthorn/ Maurice Trintignant 3.0 Ferrari. which averaged 86.08 mph. Second was the Lancia of Tarruffi and Fangio (the latter's car having retired) and third that of Manzon and Castellotti, who replaced Valenzano. The 3.8 of Fangio/Castellotti retired with engine failure while the Ascari/Villoresi car broke a universal joint on the driveshaft. The 3.8 Lancia reached 144 mph on the flying kilometer, compared with 140 mph for the Ferrari, but Hawthorne set the fastest lap at 92.38 mph.

Competing in only four of the six qualifying events, Scuderia Lancia scored 25 points in the 1954 World Championship for Sports Cars, finishing but 3 points behind the title winning Ferrari. Lancia was actually 3 points ahead of Ferrari going into the final race, the Carrera Panamericana, but did not enter (being more concerned with the development of the Grand Prix car) and forfeited the championship when Magioli's 4.9 Ferrari won in Mexico. It would be safe to say that during 1953-54 the 3.0, 3.3, and 3.8 liter Lancias were consistently the fastest machines in sports car racing. Had the team gone to Mexico in 1954 it might well have taken the official honors from Ferrari. As it was, Taruffi at least became the 1954 Italian Sports Car Champion, having won the Giro di Sicilia and the Targa Florio.

The sports Lancias also won a number of hill climbs and point to point sprint races; the following were all won by Eugenio Castellotti, except as noted:

1953 — Coppa della Consuma (Biondetti, 3.0), Catania-Etna (3.0), Bologna-Rati-tuna (Bonetto, 3.0), Pontedecimo-Giovi (3.0); 1954 — Bolzano-Mendola (3.3), Aosta-Gran San Bernardo (3.3), Bologna-Raticosa (3.8), Catania-Etna (Ta-ruffi, 3.3), Treponti-Castelnuovo (3.3), and Firenze (Florence)-Siena (3.3). Naturally Castellotti won the 1954 Trofeo della Montages (Mountain Trophy).

Lancia continued in Grand Prix racing until the death of Alberto Ascari in the spring of 1955; toward the end of the year all the racing machinery, equipment and drawings were turned over to Ferrari, who fielded the successful Lancia Ferrari D50 cars in 1956 and the rather unsuccessful modified version in 1957. Lancia has recently taken a renewed interest in competition with the Flavia Sport Zagato prototype GT cars of 1800 and 2000cc. Perhaps the Turin firm is on its way again.

SPECIFICATIONS: Engine, 60-degree V6; twin overhead camshafts each bank, inclined valves, two spark plugs per cylinder; 86 x 85mm, 2962cc; 210 bhp (est.) at 6700 rpm, 70.8 bhp/liter. Le Mans engine, 2683cc with belt-driven, moderate-boost Roots supercharger between the cylinder banks. D24 engine, 3287cc; 240 bhp (est.) at 7000 rpm, 73.0 bhp/liter; later 3750cc, 265 bhp (est.) at 7000 rpm, 70.6 bhp/liter. Clutch, four speed gearbox, and differential in unit at the rear. Triangulated space frame of small diameter tubing; stressed-skin aluminum body by Pinin Farina. Front suspension, independent by trailing arms, transverse leaf spring, and telescopic shock absorbers, with inboard drum brakes; later replaced by parallel wishbone suspension and hub mounted brakes. Rear suspension, independent by trailing arms, transverse leaf spring, and telescopic shock absorbers; subsequently replaced by modified layout with De Dion tube behind final drive, still later by De Dion tube in front of final drive and two quarter-elliptic springs (brakes moved outboard to hubs on final 3.8-liter cars). Knock-off Borrani wire wheels. Tires, Michelin X 165 x 400 (Mille Miglia and Targa Florio 1953), and Pirelli Corsa 6.00 x 15 front, 6.50 or 7.00 x 15 rear. Dry weight, 1870 lb.

DIMENSIONS (est.): Coupe — Wheel-base 98.4 inches. Track, 50.8 inches front, 51.1 inches rear. Length 153.9 inches. Overhang, 21.7 inches front, 33.8 inches rear. Width 62.0 inches. Height 48.5 inches. 3.3 and 3.8 Spyder — As for coupe, except: Wheelbase 92.1 inches. Length 150.2 inches. Overhang, 24.8 inches front, 33.3 inches rear. Height 39.0 inches (headrest).

COLORS: Coupe bodywork medium blue with off-white roof. Hood scoops usually painted different colors to distinguish the drivers. At Monza 1953 spyders were blue with Bonetto's having a red radiator and hood scoop, Gonzalez' a red radiator and fender flashes, and Manzon's coupe a red radiator, hood scoop, and fender flashes. With the introduction of the D24, bodywork became Italian racing red overall. Numbers white, or black on a white disc (specified below as b/w).

NUMBERS: (1953) Mille Miglia — Maglioli 554, Bonetto 606, Biondetti 616, Taruffi 619. Targa Florio — Bracco 24, (Bonetto 30), Maglioli 76, Taruffi 84. Le Mans (b/w) — Taruffi/Maglioli 30, Manson/Chiron 31, Bonetto/Yalenzano 32, Gonzalez/Biondetti 63. Monza — Gonzalez 2, Bonetto 4, Manson 6. Dolomiti — Taruffi 86. Lisbon (b/w) — Bonetto 24, Taruffi 25. Nurburgring — Fangio/Bonetto 5, Manzon,Taruffi 6, Bracco/Castellotti 7. Supercortemaggiore — Castellotti 34, Bracco 36, Bonetto 38 (white checkered nose band), Taruffi 40. Mexico (b/w) —Taruffi 22, Bonetto 34, Fangio 36, Castellotti 38, Bracco 50. (1954) Sebring (b/w) — Fangio/Castellotti 36, Ascari/Villoresi 37, Taruffi/ Manion 38, Yalenzano/Rubirosa 39. Giro di Sicilia (b/w) — Taruffi 355. Mille Miglia (b/w) — Castellotti 541, Taruffi 547, Ascari 602. Targo Florio — Castelotti 70 (white nose band), Taruffi 76. Porto (b/w) —Villoresi 1. Tourist Trophy (b/w) — Ascari/Villoresi 1, Fangio/ Castellotti 2, Taruffil(Piodi)/Fangia 3, Manzon/(Valenzano)/Castellotti 4.

In the Carrera Panamericana, the first two letters of the driver's name (FA, BO, TA, etc.) appeared on the driver's door. On the last two stages, mechanics were carried, necessitating an extra screen and the removal of the fairing over the passenger seat. At Sebring the name LANCIA was lettered on the hood and on both sides. At the Mille Miglia the name LANCIA and the first two letters of the driver's name (AS, TA, CA) appeared on both sides; the same procedure was used at Porto. License plates (prefix TO for Torino) were carried in all races!

In engineering the car, Jano not only worked out all the problems of mechanical design that go hand in hand with a new model, but he also spent much thought and experimentation on factors such as roll centers, weight transfer and weight distribution. To keep both front and rear weight distribution constant, he devised a clever system of fuel storage in the main tanks, located in outrigged pontoons, with a small supplementary tank placed directly behind the driver's head.

The first official appearance of the new car was at the Spanish Grand Prix, the final event of the 1954 season, when two cars, driven by Ascari and Villoresi, were entered. Although proving to be exceptionally fast against such competition as Mercedes Benz, Ferrari and Maserati, both cars were withdrawn because of clutch trouble.

The first win came at Turin the next season and it was especially welcome because it followed still another defeat at Argentina. As the season went on, the won/lost record didn't appear to be materially improving. Races were lost because of mechanical failures and because of the loss of drivers of the calibre of Ascari.

Faced with fighting a losing battle, Lancia decided to withdraw from racing entirely. However, in order to continue to uphold the national pride, Lancia decided to turn over all its racing materials to Ferrari.

At this point, Ferrari found himself in a rather enviable position. He had the Lancia materials, he had financial aid from the giant of the Italian motor industry, Fiat, and, last but not least, he was losing competition because Mercedes also decided to withdraw from racing.

During the following winter, much of the car was redesigned and rebuilt. The idea of using the engine as a main brace for the chassis was eliminated. The main fuel tank was moved to the tail. Small tanks were retained in front of the panniers. The panniers themselves were blended into the body and the quadruple exhaust pipes on each side were routed through the panniers, to wind up at the end flaring out into megaphones.

In their first event under Ferrari's colors, the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, driving Musso's car, won at Argentina. This was the first of many successes. Fabulous Fangio clinched his fourth World's Championship in a later modification of this same car.

The era of the Lancia/Ferrari came to an end in Casablanca in 1957, at which race the Ferrari team appeared with the hot new Formula 2 V6 Dino.

The experience gained with the Lola 6.T car during 1963 was used to the full in this new design. The hull is of monocoque construction, featuring two large pontoons down each side which are filled with polystyrene foam to give additional stiffness. The oil and water service pipes are carried inside these pontoons, being insulated from vibration by the polystyrene.

The front suspension is by double wishbones located on ball joints and self aligning roller bearings, using coil springs enclosing telescopic shock absorbers. At the rear the double wishbones are located by radius rods using coil spring damper units.

The power unit is the well tried 4.7 litre Cobra-Ford V.8, developing 350 b.h.p. at 5,600 r.p.m., and is mounted in the rear of the chassis driving the rear wheels through a five speed Z.F. gearbox. The newly announced Hewland H.D.5 gearbox may be specified as an alternative as also can the Traco tuned 4.5 litre Oldsmobile V.8 engine.

Girling disc brakes are fitted to all the wheels to cope with the estimated top speed of 200. The 15in. wheels are of cast magnesium alloy of six spoke design with six stud fastening. The spare wheel is housed just in front of the windscreen and its cover forms an air outlet for the twin radiators mounted in the nose of the car.

The bodywork of the Lola 70 is of glass fibre with very wide, low sleek lines. Finished in dark blue with white central stripes, it was the centre of interest throughout the duration of the Racing Car Show.

Essential prototype details: wheelbase, 7ft. 1 lin.; front track, 4ft. 6in.; rear track, 4ft. 6in.; overall length, 13ft. 0in.; overall width, 5ft. 8in.; overall height, 2ft. 7in.; front tyre size, 6.00 x 15in.; rear tyre size, 7.00 x 15in.

This car will probably be as successful as most of Eric Broadley's previous creations have been since the first Lola 1172 c.c. was built in 1956. Since then, he has designed Formula I, II and III cars, sports cars and Indianapolis Speedway cars, the latest of which won the 500 miles event at that circuit with an average speed of 144 m.p.h. The first Lola G.T. appeared in 1963 and formed the basis of the Ford G.T's which finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd at Le Mans last year.

The chassis of this new car is a monocoque structure of aluminium alloy which is a development of the original T.70 and the Ford G.T. The main feature of this car is that it can be economically converted from Grand Touring bodywork to a sports car, reducing the cost of running in European G.T. championship races as well as the Sports car events in the Americas.

The G.T. version of the Mark III will be fitted with a 333 cu. in. (5.5 litre) Chevrolet V.8 engine for homologation. The car can, however, be fitted with a Ford V.8 and may also be run later in the season with the new Aston Martin 5 litre V.B.

The suspension has been modified from the T.70 Mark II as a result of development, the front consists of double wishbone on self aligning roller bearings and ball joints, telescopic shock absorbers and coil springs. Rack and pinion steering is used, Girling 12½ in. disc brakes are fitted front and rear.

The low glass fibre body has been wind tunnel tested and designed and built in conjunction with Specialised Mouldings Limited. The body is, at present, very clean and tidy but no doubt, hot air outlets and cool air intakes will appear in the bonnet and body sides when the car appears in competition. The car at the Racing Car Show was painted British racing green with a central yellow stripe. It was fitted with a Chevrolet engine and the 15 in. cast magnesium wheels were fitted with Firestone Indianapolis tyres. It is rumoured that the Lola Aston Martin G.T. will later appear in Team Surtees' colours and be driven by the ex world champion himself.

Dimensions Wheelbase 7 ft. 11 in. Track (front and rear) 4 ft. 10 in.

In changing his F.1 design to fit F.I.A. sports car specifications Chapman altered very little of the basic layout. Wheelbase, track and suspension design remain nearly identical. The Climax 2.5 litre power plant and the compact Lotus transaxle lie in the same position as the Lotus 18 with only the widening frame causing small changes in mounting the Climax unit.

The light tubular space frame using semi bulkheads to locate in seamless tubular framework at the cockpit area, and the extreme rear of the chassis, is very similar in layout and design to the Lotus 18 F.1 car, only the widened centre section of the chassis to accommodate the stipulated two seats being a major design difference.

Clothed in a body work composed of sheet aluminium underpan, and removable front and rear colour impregnated fibreglass mouldings, the car is provided with a relatively dent free shining finish no matter how it's handled, except of course when the driver overcooks it and hits something solid. Car is christened Lotus Monte Carlo, in deference to John Cooper's Cooper Monaco.

Suspension is of course to the highly original design of Colin Chapman, the rear being his very controversial case hub carriers located by reversed lower A wishbone, and the upper suspension member being the actual drive shaft, using the universal couplings as the pivot points. Due to this drive shaft forming part of the suspension, no sliding splines are used, and it appears that the lateral wheel forces are transmitted directly into the differential bearing, but suspension geometry is such that all loads on the axle are in stretch tension rather than compression. This tends to neutralize any load at the differential casing.

Upper and lower radius arms of equal length absorb acceleration and braking loads. Inboard disc brakes complete the rear set up, most cars have outboard rear discs brakes but the car featured in the drawing uses the inboard set up with cooling ducts let in the side of the undertray to provide ventilation for the 9½ in. discs.

Front suspension is by unequal length tubular wishbones welded into A arms with adjustable threaded rise joints for a small camber changes in the suspension geometry. 10⁹⁄₁₆ in. discs are sunk into the wheel hubs and prove adequate in stopping the car, but according to Dan Gurney are prone to fade a little, and have a high rate of wear when used excessively. Armstrong coil shock absorber units are used in conjunction with anti roll bars both front and rear to control body roll on turns. Steering is by rack and pinion with leading steering arms.

The well known 2.5 litre 4 cylinder Coventry Climax engine is reputed to put out 232 b.h.p. in sports form, and is fed with fuel from two 58DCO3 Weber twin choke carbs. Dual electric pumps supply fuel to the carbs via separate filters from two 16 gal. fuel tanks with individual crossover network, either tank can be used separately at will.

Cooling radiator for oil and water are provided at front and rear, and separate oil and water pipes are used to transport the coolant from engine to radiator. On some cars these pipes run on the outside of the undertray from the four holes shown in the drawing.

Cockpit is comfortable and is fitted with two low slung bucket seats, gear shift is located centrally, controlling a Lotus five speed gearbox rear axle unit mounted behind rear axle. Instruments are mounted directly in the forward cockpit bulkhead, centred behind wheel and running down the right. Hand brake operates cable that pulls footbrake down, (as though some one has put their foot on it) hardly safe if the brakes fail, but complies loosely with regulations.

Model described and drawn is the very successful Frank Arciero's Lotus 19 which Dan Gurney has driven to victory at Nassau, Daytona and many others. Dan's comments on handling are, "best he's ever driven, almost dead neutral in terms of oversteer and understeer, and extremely high in adhesion under all circumstances". Colour of Dan's car is brilliant orange and the No. 99 is his Nassau winning number for those interested.

Main dimensions are Wheelbase 90 in. Track : Front 51 in., Rear 50 in. Overall height 31 in. Width 60.5 in. Length 139¼ in. Weight 1,240 lb. Tyres : front 5.20 x 15, rear 6.40 x 15.

Well, there's not much point in rehashing it here again, but we too subscribe to that viewpoint. All we can say is "Wait 'til next year!" (Editor's note: As this is written, the big Memorial Day race is well in the future, but by the time you read this, the '64 race will practically be over. Let's see if we're right!—MW).

The idea for this car was prompted by Dan Gurney, famous American GP driver and the car was built by Colin Chapman —Mr. Lotus, himself— with power supplied by Ford.

Although the L/F 29 bears a number of similarities to the Lotus 25, the 29 is bigger all around. Both employ the monocoque principle of construction. The 29's wheelbase is 96 inches, the minimum required at Indy; 5 inches more than the 25. The extra length came in handy when the time arrived to stuff in the big V-8 and Gurney! Front and rear tread measure out to be 56 inches (3 inches greater than the 25 ).

Overall length is 150 inches; height 30.5 inches; ground clearance 3.75 inches; and the chassis is offset 2⅜ inches to the left in typical Indy style.

All wheels are of the pin drive knock off type made of special alloy, and carry 6 and 8 inch rims front and rear. Front tires are 15x6.00; in the rear 8.20x15 or 15x8.25.

The rear-mounted engine is an all aluminum V-8 of 256 c.i. displacement. Valves are push rod operated. Fuel gushes through three Bendix pumps and four dual downdraft Webers. Lube system is dry sump.

In the mixing department, we find a Colotti-Francis 4-speed box but only two ratios were used for Indy. Stopping power is supplied by out-board Girling discs all around, in the large, economy size 11½ inches.

This victory, coming two weeks after Hill's victory in Spain, where he drove a Lotus 49, provided a tremendous fillip for the team after two of the World's finest drivers had been tragically killed driving Team Lotus cars.

The 49B uses the same monocoque centre section as the Lotus 49, but the nose and tail section differ considerably from the 49's. The tail section of the car is a wedge shape as used by all Lotus single seaters, while the nose has two elevators or 'de-elevators' growing from it. The wedge shaped tail was found to be necessary when the 49 was seen to be rising to full suspension on fast circuits and it is designed to eliminate this lift at the rear, the elevators are designed to perform a similar function at the front of the car. The elevators have several positions of adjustment, while they were kept horizontal at Monaco where little lift is encountered, at Spa where speeds and therefore lift forces are high, they were angled to destroy this extra lift.

As well as these obvious differences between the 49 and the 49B there are many others. The geometry of both the front and rear suspensions has been altered, as have the pick up points. The suspension systems remain much the same as the 49's, however, at the front the upper and lower wishbones have been angled forwards to offer a two inch longer wheelbase, the steering arms now enter the body further back in the monocoque. These modifications have improved the handling, steering, stability and braking of the car quite a lot over that of the 49.

The rear suspension mounting points and geometry of the 49 are both altered for the 49B, this has helped to eliminate rear end bump steer which was one of the major vices of the Lotus 49.

The running gear of the 49 is also altered for the 49B; new, wider wheels are fitted at the rear, the wheels being the widest ever fitted to a formula 1 car. They measure 15 in. between the rims and give the Firestone tyres an almost convex tread arc. The oil tank and cooler are moved to the rear of the car, above the gearbox, thus offering better weight distribution. A large N.A.C.A. duct is used to draw air into the oil cooler. The mounting of the oil tank and cooler at the rear also helps to prevent frothing in the oil system because, the shorter the distance the oil has to travel, the less chance there is of it frothing. The engine of the 49B differs little from 1967's Cosworth V-8. The only obvious differences are that the engine has been tidied up externally so that it looks much less cluttered, detail changes have also been made to the breathing and throttle slides.

Lotus have forsaken the ZF gearbox used for so long on their formula 1 cars, in its place they have fitted the new Hewland FG400 box to the 49B. This box is Hewland's Formula 2 gearbox with the crown wheel and pinion from their old Formula 1 'box, the Formula 2 box's selectors have also been considerably strengthened. While the ZF gearbox was both light and reliable it was not designed for motor racing and the Lotus mechanics had to strip the 'box down before they could change a gear ratio, with the Hewland gearbox however, the ratios can be changed very quickly thus putting the Team Lotus mechanics on a par with the mechanics of other teams.

New type driveshafts are fitted to the 49B, they are made by Hardy-Spicer and are constructed with ballrace type constant velocity joints, on the same principle as those used by the B.M.C. 1800s.

The 49B while not a wholly new design, is very different from the 49 which it replaces. Colin Chapman is now reported to be working on a successor to the 49B which will be a completely new car, indeed it is rumoured that this car will have a revolutionary new type of suspension system.

Chapman is, at the time of writing, the only grand prix car constructor to make full advantage of the F.I.A.'s new (in Europe) regulations concerning advertising. As the name of the entrant as well as 55 square inches of advertising stickers are now allowed on the side of the cars; Colin Chapman, by calling his racing team Gold Leaf-Team Lotus, is able to advertise Players Cigarettes, together with the normal tyre, plug and fuel stickers on the side of his cars; he is therefore gaining twice the advertising revenue of the other Formula 1 teams, good luck to him if he can get away with it.

The Team Lotus cars have, therefore, since early this year, been painted like a giant Gold Leaf packet. For the benefit of non-smokers, that is with a red body top and white lower body, the red and white are separated by a thin gold stripe which widens over the nose. The 49B carries 'Autolite' and 'Firestone' stickers and just in front of the windscreen is an 'I'm Backing Britain' Union Jack. The 'Gold Leaf' lettering on the car's sides is white, while the 'Team Lotus' part of the message is gold. On the nose of the car 'Lotus Ford' is written in white and in between the words is a small 'Lotus' badge.

The Lotus 49B like its predecessor, the 49, began its competition career in a blaze of glory. Graham Hill took the first 49B to be completed, R49B/5, to Monaco, and with it he won his fourth Monaco Grand Prix in six years, the first driver to win this race four times. Hill dominated this meeting in the style of his late team leader, Jim Clark. He set up the fastest time in the two dry practice sessions, and led the race for all but the first three laps. He won the race at a canter, setting a new race record and only just slower than the late Jim Clark's outright lap record.

Two weeks later, at the Belgian Grand Prix, the 49B's luck which had started good, turned all bad. Only one of the two cars entered, Hill's, turned up for the first practice session, and Graham could only complete four laps before the car was wheeled away with an engine that would not pull over 8,000 r.p.m. The second 49B to be completed, R49B/6, appeared for Jackie Oliver on the second day of practice. On that day, however it did nothing but rain, and even though Oliver managed third fastest time of the day, this was only good for 16th place on the grid, a place lower than Graham Hill. Hill's car never ran well in the race, and he retired after six laps, while in 10th place, the car breaking a driveshaft. Jackie Oliver drove a steady race to finish in fifth place, however, his car had stopped on the circuit when Jackie was holding fourth place, with less than two laps to go. Oliver's 49B retired with identical trouble to Hill's, the new type driveshafts which had worked so well at Monaco, did not seem to be able to cope with the high speeds attained at Spa.

The car's ill luck continued at Zandvoort, where Jackie Stewart scored the Matra marque's first Grand Prix victory. Graham Hill spun his car in the last 10 laps of the race while lying fourth, and Jack Oliver finished 10 laps behind Stewart after a number of spins and pit stops caused by the wet weather conditions.

After the Dutch Grand Prix the 49B's were drastically modified for the French G.P. which was held two weeks later on the Rouen Circuit. The wedge tail was taken off the car and an airfoil mounted above the rear suspension exerting downward thrust directly on to the suspension. The 'de-elevators' on the nose of the car were extended to a point in the centre of the wheels. Oliver crashed his 49B in practice and was unable to race while Hill retired on the 15th lap with a repetition of the Spa drive shaft failure.

The next Grand Prix on the schedule was the British held at Brands Hatch. The cars had only minor changes since their unsuccessful outing at Rouen. The wings on the cars were mounted five feet from the ground, 12 in. higher than at Rouen, and a lip was fitted across the top of the nose to separate the airflow and kill lift. A third 49B, R49/7 appeared in this race, driven by Jo Siffert, and entered by Rob Walker; the car was painted in the famous blue and white colours of this team. Hill and Oliver completely dominated the practice sessions and gained first and second positions on the grid while Siffert qualified fourth. From the start of the race the three Lotus cars circulated in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places until Hill retired with transmission trouble and Oliver with a broken crankshaft, both retiring while in the lead. This left the race to Siffert who finished in front of Chris Amon and won his first Grand Prix by four seconds.

At Spa and Zandvoort both 49B's carried small spoilers tacked onto the tail. Hill's car carried the numbers nine, one, three, 12 and eight in the fiveraces men-tioned above, and Oliver's, the numbers two, four, 14 and nine. The numbers are carried in white discs just behind the gold stripes on the nose, and behind the Gold Leaf-Team Lotus stickers on the side of the car, the numbers being black. The 49B's windscreen is tinted yellow and the tail spoiler bare metal. It would appear that the Team Lotus G.P. cars are again the fastest competing in Formula 1 racing, as they usually are.

Wings have suddenly become a part of G.P. racing during '68, first appearing on the Ferrari and works Brabhams at the Belgium G.P. For the Dutch G.P., the Matra Ford had aerofoils to attach to the front upper wishbones and for the French G.P., Ferraris Brabhams, McLarens and the two works Lotus 49 Bs, all sported aerofoils.

The Lotus wings are the widest and highest of all, each team having its own ideas and each driver claiming that their version improves the handling of their car. The basic idea of the wing at the rear is to create a downthrust over the rear wheels to help transmit the power of the engine down on to the road. Drivers were experiencing wheelspin at high speed as the cars tended to lift up over the airstream and they were also unable to transmit the power during bumpy and adverse conditions.

While the Ferrari, Brabham and McLaren type of wings act directly on to the engine putting the stress on the suspension, the Lotus wing is mounted on to the rear wheel uprights, as were the Chaparral's wings. The Lotus wing produces 400 lb. downthrust at maximum speed.

The front canard fins counteract the force exerted by the wing and stop the nose lifting, with both aerofoils working as they should, the combined pressure tends to push the car down on to the road surface.

The cars drawn are the Monaco tailed Lotus and a side view of Jo Siffert's British G.P. winning machine which used the low wing and short fins. Graham Hill's French G.P. car used the same set up, but for the British G.P., Hill had a high wing and wide front fins.

Vital Statistics — Lotus 49B Cosworth V8 Wheelbase: 99 in. Track: f. 60 in., r. 63 in.