[woodcote]

The gas tank ‘bulge’ was only present for ‘67, but the asymmetrical set-up -particularly the suspension, which can be seen from the overhead shot - was more established. An Indy car only has to turn left, so engineers have always experimented… 

Lotus blew away the traditional front-engined format at Indy - it was a major paradigm shift, so the mid-to-late 60s became a festival of experimentation. The glorious wedge-shaped gas-turbine Lotus 56 was probably the pinnacle - so nearly winning Indy in 1968 - and elements of the shape was inherited by the iconic and influential Lotus 72 F1 car.