Lotus 12

Lotus 12

Category	Formula One, Formula Two
Constructor	Team Lotus
Designer(s)	Colin Chapman
Successor	Lotus 16
Technical specifications
Chassis	Aluminium body on multi-tubular space frame
Suspension (front)	Double wishbone, coils springs, dampers, anti-roll bar
Suspension (rear)	Chapman strut, trailing arms, fixed length drive shaft
Length	130.9 in (332.5 cm)
Width	60 in (152.4 cm)
Height	35 in (88.9 cm)
Axle track	48 in (121.9 cm)
Wheelbase	87.9 in (223.3 cm)
Engine	Coventry Climax FPF 1,965 cc (119.9 cu in) Inline 4-cylinder, DOHC Naturally-aspirated Front engined, longitudinally-mounted
Transmission	Ansdale-Mundy transaxle 5-speed manual ZF diff. with bespoke casing
Power	175 bhp (130.5 kW)
Weight	320 kg (705.5 lb)
Fuel	Petrol
Brakes	Disc, all-round
Tyres	Dunlop
Competition history
Notable entrants	Team Lotus
Notable drivers	Graham Hill Cliff Allison
Debut	1958 Monaco Grand Prix
Last event	1959 British Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 9 0 0 0 0
n.b. Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only.

The Lotus 12 was a British racing car used in Formula Two and Formula One. It debuted at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix and was Colin Chapman's first single-seat racer.

Design

Colin Chapman's first foray into single-seater racing, the 12 appeared in 1958. It featured a number of important innovations Chapman would use on later models. To better use the power of the Coventry Climax engine, it was designed, as usual, for low weight and low drag, relying on a space frame. It placed the driver as low as possible, reducing the height of transmission tunnel by way of a "conceptually brilliant" five-speed sequential-shift transaxle located in the back. This transaxle was designed by Richard Ansdale and Harry Mundy. The gearbox had a (long-undiagnosed) oil starvation problem, thus earned the nickname "Queerbox" for its unreliability.

Although the first two examples of Lotus 12 had De Dion rear suspension, it also introduced a new suspension configuration with what came to be called "Chapman struts" in the rear, essentially a MacPherson strut with a fixed length halfshaft with universal joints on the ends utilised as a suspension arm.

Lotus 12 was the first Lotus to be fitted with the iconic wobbly-web wheels. Reflecting Chapman's emphasis on engineering for lightness, these were cast in magnesium alloy, a kind of crimped cylinder, resulting in minimum material and maximum strength, without the weaknesses induced by slots in conventional designs.

Despite its engineering advances, the 12 was not a success in F1. In F2, the car won the class in the mixed F1/F2 1958 BRDC International Trophy, driven by Cliff Allison, but in spite of a small number of podiums, was usually drowned in a sea of Coopers.

Gallery

• 
  Lotus 12 in the Donington Grand Prix Exhibition in 2007
• 
  Lotus 12, Chassis No. 353 in 2010
• 
  Lotus 12, Chassis No. 353 in 2013

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (Results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap.)

Year	Teams	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	WCC
1958	Team Lotus	Climax Straight-4	D		ARG	MON	NED	500	BEL	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	MOR	3	6th
				Cliff Allison		6	6		4	Ret	10			7	10
				Graham Hill		Ret	Ret		Ret
	Ecurie Demi Litre		D	Ivor Bueb								11*
1959	Dennis Taylor	Climax Straight-4	D		MON	500	NED	FRA	GBR	GER	POR	ITA	USA			5	4th1
				Dennis Taylor					DNQ

^1 All points scored using the Lotus 16. * F2 driver

Sources

• Setright, L. J. K. Lotus: The golden mean, in Northey, Tom (ed.) World of Automobiles (London: Orbis, 1974), Volume 11, pp. 1221–34.