#72
The Type 72 Lotus is the car that, more than any other, defined the shape of
Formula 1 cars in the modern era.
It has been called the 'Grandpa' of all modern grand prix cars and it is a
description that fits the bill in many ways.
The Lotus 72 came into being in the midst of a period of great change in
motorsport design thinking in 1969. The car was designed by Maurice Phillips
with Colin Chapman overseeing the process.
Chapman and Lotus had already pioneered the idea of a rear engined single
seater with the engine forming an integral part of the chassis in the Lotus 49.
The Lotus 72 brought together this and all of the elements that defined the
basic layout in grand prix racing for years to come - the wedge shape, the
airbox up behind the driving position, water radiators split on either side of the
cockpit, the position of the front and rear wings.
More than this, the beautiful Lotus 72 and, later on, it's black and gold
sponsorship livery (something of an innovation in itself) have come to
symbolise Formula 1 for those of us who remember their all-conquering run of
success throughout the early '70s.