Lotus Type 12
Chassis number 301
The first of 12 chassis to be constructed
- The first Lotus single seater, 10 years since the first Lotus Mk I
- First Grand Prix for Team Lotus; 1958 Monaco Grand Prix, Graham Hill & Cliff Allison (finished 6th)
- The lightest weight F1 car ever; chassis frame weighs 17kg, car weighs 390kg
- Sequential Lotus gearbox
- Magnesium ‘wobbly web’ wheels derived from aircraft
- ‘Chapman Strut’ featuring driveshaft acting as part of 3-element rear suspension assembly (one part doing two jobs)
- Minimum frontal area to minimise aerodynamic drag
The Type 12 is the lightest F1 car to have lined up on the grid of a Grand Prix
