The Lotus 69 was an

open-wheel An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

formula racing Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...

car developed by Lotus in 1969 for use in

Formula 2 Formula Two (F2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009 to 2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned aga ...

Formula 3 Formula Three (F3) is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

, and Formula Ford.

Development

Since the Formula 2 regulations for 1970 provided for extensive changes to the vehicles, Dave Baldwin developed the Lotus 69 based on the Lotus 59 Formula 2 car. He left the basic Lotus 59 construction untouched and only changed the central monocoque section, which contained the two fuel tanks. The chassis mounts have been modified and the front has been adapted to the new regulations to reduce the radiator inlet. Since only engines up to a maximum of 1600 cc were allowed in Formula 2 from 1967 to 1971, the car received a 1.6-liter

Cosworth FVA Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industries ...

four-cylinder engine The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized. Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categoriz ...

and a

Hewland Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particul ...

F.T.200 gearbox. The basic vehicle construction was designed in such a way that by adding other suspensions and brakes, and by changing the body parts and the wheels, the Lotus 69 could be built into a Formula 3 or Formula B- compliant racing car. Lotus-69-2

With the increase in the displacement limit to 2000 cc in Formula 2, the racing cars were equipped with a Cosworth BDA engine in 1971. The Lotus 69F was built to Formula Ford regulations and featured a space frame chassis with a modified front end and narrower wheels than the Formula 2 and Formula 3 variants. It was delivered with 1.6-liter Ford/Lotus engines. A total of 57 racing cars were produced by the Lotus 69, of which eight cars were built for Formula 2. A Formula 2 vehicle was purchased by Pete Lovely and briefly converted into a Formula 1 car. He used this in 1971 at the Canadian Grand Prix and the US Grand Prix without success. The Lotus 69 was the last model developed and produced for customer use. In 1971 Colin Chapman closed Lotus Racing Ltd. and concentrated on Formula 1 motorsport with his works team.

Achievements

Jochen Rindt Karl Jochen Rindt (; 18 April 1942 – 5 September 1970) was a racing driver, who competed under the Austrian flag in Formula One from to . Rindt won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Lotus, and remains the only driver to ...

won the first two races of the 1970 Formula 2 season with the Lotus 69 before concentrating on Formula One. The following year,

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Fittipaldi won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won in and with Team ...

won five Formula 2 races with the car. In the two British Formula 3 championships in 1971, Dave Walker won 25 out of a total of 32 races with the racing car and thus won the two championship titles.

Complete Formula One results

(

key Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to: Common uses * Key (cryptography), a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message * Key (instrument), a component of a musical instrument * Key (lock), a device used to operate a lock * K ...

) * All points scored by other Lotus models

References

{{F1 cars 1971 Formula Two cars Formula Three cars Formula Ford cars 69