Lotus 30 Race Car
 | |
Constructor: | Lotus |
Class | Race Car |
Body: | fiberglass |
Engine: | 4.7-litre Ford |
Gearbox: | ZF 5-speed gearbox. |
Brakes: | Disc front and rear |
The Lotus 30 was a racing sports car, which was developed in 1964 at Lotus.
History
The Lotus 30 was a Group 7 sports racing car, with the 4.7-litre Ford engine mounted-at the rear of a fabricated steel backbone. It appeared in 1964, and, although a works car driven by Jim Clark scored wins at Silverstone and Goodwood, it was generally unsuccessful.
The Lotus 30 is a one-off in the history of the British racing car builder and motorsport team. The car is the only Lotus according to the technical regulations of group 7. These regulations gave the designers many technical freedoms. There were virtually unlimited possibilities to experiment with displacement, power, turbochargers and the pressure of the car. In 1964, the races of the British, US and Canadian sports car championships were extended to Group 7 rules. Since Colin Chapman meant car sales in the 1960s, Chapman and Martin Wade developed the Lotus 30.
The race car had a grid frame that was clad with a fiberglass body. At Lotus, it was decided to use a 4.7-liter V8 engine as an engine, the Ford itself used in the GT40. The engine was big and heavy for Lotus conditions and was installed behind the driver's seat. The car had disc brakes on all four wheels and a ZF 5-speed gearbox.
The first use of a Lotus 30 was on April 11, 1964 in Oulton Park. Jim Clark won a championship round for the British Sports Car Championship. After a second place overall by Clark in the championship race in Aintree, the Scot won in May at a scoring no championship sports car race in Mallory Park. The only victory in a race in the United States, Americans celebrated Bill Krause at an SCCA race at Laguna Seca.
In 1965 a variety of chassis was used in many races by different teams. Victories: Homer Rader, at a race in Green Valley; Jos van Altena at the fourth round of the South African sports car championship; Jim Clark at the first round of the British Sports Car Championship at Silverstone; Jos von Altena in Killarney; Newton Davis at the SCCA race in Lime Rock; Homer Rader at the SCCA race in Stuttgart, Germany; Bob Challman at the SCCA race in Santa Barbara; Leroy Melcher at the SCCA race in Kingsville and Jerry Crawford at the SCCA race in Thompson.
