Lotus 12

Colin Chapman's first foray into single-seater racing, the 12 appeared in 1957. 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"^[1] five-speed sequential shift transaxle located in the back. This transaxle was designed by Richard Ansdale and Harry Mundy. The car had a (long-undiagnosed) oil starvation problem, thus earned the nickname "Queer Box" 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.^[2]

	Lotus-Climax 12
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Lotus 12 was the first Lotus to be fitted with the iconic wobbly-web wheels.^[3] 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.^[1]

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.

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

Works team results

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

Year	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	Points	WCC
1958	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			Ret*

Notes

1 2 Setright, p. 1225
↑ Setright, pp. 1225–6
↑ Ludvigsen, Karl (2010). Colin Chapman: Inside the Innovator. Haynes Publishing. pp. 119–121. ISBN 1-84425-413-5.

Sources

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

Team Lotus

Founder: Colin Chapman

Noted personnel: Frank Dernie; Gérard Ducarouge; Maurice Philippe; Peter Warr; Peter Wright; Len Terry

World Champions: Mario Andretti; Jim Clark; Emerson Fittipaldi; Graham Hill; Jochen Rindt

Other notable drivers: Elio de Angelis; Martin Donnelly; Mika Häkkinen; Johnny Herbert; Jacky Ickx; Nigel Mansell; Satoru Nakajima; Gunnar Nilsson; Ronnie Peterson; Nelson Piquet; Carlos Reutemann; Ayrton Senna; John Surtees; Derek Warwick; Alex Zanardi

Drivers' titles: 1963; 1965; 1968; 1970; 1972; 1978

Constructors' titles: 1963; 1965; 1968; 1970; 1972; 1973; 1978

Formula One cars: 12; 16; 18; 21; 24; 25; 33; 43; 49; 56B; 63; 72; 76; 77; 78; 79; 80; 81; 86; 87; 88; 91; 92; 93T; 94T; 95T; 97T; 98T; 99T; 100T; 101; 102; 107; 109; 112

Formula Two cars: 12; 16; 18; 32; 35; 41; 44; 48; 59; 69

Formula Three cars: 22; 31; 35; 41; 55; 59; 69

Formula Junior cars: 18; 20; 22; 27

Formula Ford cars: 51; 59; 61; 69

Formula 5000 cars: 68; 70

Tasman Series cars: 32; 39; 67

Indianapolis 500 cars: 29; 34; 38; 42; 56; 64; 96T

Sports racing cars: 15; 17; 19; 23; 30; 40; 47; 53

Lotus production car timeline, 1950–present
Type	1950s										1960s										1970s										1980s										1990s										2000s										2010s
Type	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
Sports racer					Mark VIII	Mark IX	Eleven		15	17	19		23		30	40		47		62
Sports racer			Mark VI					Seven																																											340R							2-Eleven
Roadster													Elan																											Elan M100							Elise					Elise
Coupé									Elite							Elan																																			Exige				Exige								Exige
Coupé																									Eclat									Excel																										Evora
Grand tourer																		Elan +2							Elite
Grand tourer																		Europa									Esprit																														Europa S
Saloon														Ford Cortina Lotus				Ford Cortina Lotus																							Carlton/Omega
Race cars	Mark I Mark II Mark III Mark IV Mark V 12 16 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 27 29 31 32 33 34 38 39 41 42 43 44 48 49 56 59 61 63 64 69 70 72 73 74 76 77 78 79 80 81 86 87 88 91 92 93T 94T 95T 96T 97T 98T 99T 100T 101 102 107 109 112 114 115 119 T125 T127 T128 F1 T128 LMP E20 E21 E22 E23 Hybrid
Related cars	Caterham Seven Ford Cortina Lotus Talbot Sunbeam Lotus DeLorean DMC-12 Isuzu Piazza Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 Opel Lotus Omega/Vauxhall Lotus Carlton Kia Elan Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 Tesla Roadster Proton EMAS
Concept cars	M90 APX Ethos
Key figures	Colin Chapman Tony Rudd Romano Artioli Dany Bahar
Group Lotus	Official website Lotus Cars Lotus Engineering Team Lotus Lotus F1

Cars that competed in the 1958 Formula One season (ex. Indianapolis 500)

BRM P25 Connaught Type B Cooper T43 Cooper T45 Ferrari 246 Ferrari Dino 156 Lotus 12 Lotus 16 Maserati 250F OSCA F2 Porsche 718 RSK Vanwall

Cars that competed in the 1959 Formula One season (ex. Indianapolis 500)

Aston Martin DBR4/250 Behra-Porsche RSK BRM P25 Connaught Type C Cooper T43 Cooper T45 Cooper T51 Ferrari 246 Ferrari Dino 156 Fry F2 JBW Type 1 Kurtis Kraft Midget Lotus 12 Lotus 16 Maserati 250F Porsche 718/718 RSK Tec-Mec F415 Vanwall

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