Lotus 41

Lotus 41 in brief

The Lotus 41 was a Formula 3 and Formula 2 racing car used from 1966–1968. It was a single-seater race car, not a road-going model.

We examine its creation and place in Lotus history.

Construction

The car was designed by John Joyce, then Lotus chief engineer, assisted by Dave Baldwin. They started with a clean sheet of paper. The chassis is a welded steel tubular spaceframe.

At the time, minimum weights were set for racing classes, so steel could be used instead of aluminium without a weight penalty. The key feature is the extensive use of flat steel plates in bulkheads around the footwell and engine bay.

Interesting solutions

One clever solution was using the rear bulkhead as an oil overflow collector; even the overflow from the front oil tank was routed via a maze of tubes through the frame to the end.

The Formula 2 Lotus 41 chassis was considered as a potential basis for a sports racing car with a 500 AG V8 engine of type 868, but nothing came of it. Known variants include the 41C and 41X, whose suspension solutions were later used in the Lotus 59.

Commercial failure and can you see one?

The Lotus 41 was not a commercial success, so its successor, the Lotus 59, was decided to be built from scratch.

Surviving cars participate in historic races and collections; buying an original is a collector's pursuit.

Versions

This is a race car, so there are no trims; we list the main variants.

Lotus 41 and Lotus 59

The Lotus 41 was meticulously crafted but commercially unsuccessful; its lessons were applied in creating the simpler Lotus 59.

Frequently asked questions