Lotus 18

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The Lotus 18 is a race car designed by Colin Chapman for use by Lotus in Formula One and Formula Two. It was the first mid-engined car built by Lotus, and a marked improvement over Chapman's early and only moderately successful front-engined formula cars. It was introduced for the 1960 F1 and F2 seasons. The car was a piece of classic Chapman design being extremely light and simple; the body was made up of lightweight panels bolted onto a spaceframe chassis. Thus the car was rigid and strong. It was powered initially by a 2.5 litre Coventry Climax V8, then by a 1.5 litre Climax when new engine rules came into force in 1961.

The car took Lotus' first F1 victory, albeit by private entrant Rob Walker who leased the car from Chapman. Driven by Stirling Moss at the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, the car took a dominant win. It was an early taste of things to come for onlookers. Moss also won the American Grand Prix at the end of the season, helping Lotus finish third in the constructors' championship. Moss took victory in a legendary race at Monaco the following year, beating off the more powerful and faster 'Sharknose' Ferraris, and then won at the fearsome Nürburgring in changeable weather, while Innes Ireland took a third win in the USA to help Lotus finish second in the constructors' championship that year. The car was notable for giving Jim Clark his first Grand Prix start in 1960.

The 18 was replaced by the Lotus 25 in 1962, but only after the Lotus 21 and Lotus 24 had been built.

Lotus Cars

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