1971 Lotus Type 56B chassis number 56B/1

Chassis 1 (of 1)

This unique Four-wheel-drive car is the only ever gas turbine powered F1 car

Drivers: Fittipaldi, Walker, Wisell
Powered by gas turbine engine running on aviation fuel
Horsepower: 500bhp+
Weight: 644kg
Top speed: 175mph
The engine exhaust is directly behind the driver’s head
Gas turbine provided more power and 100% reliability
For a Grand Prix distance the 56B needed 50% more fuel than a Ford Cosworth DFV which made the car very heavy on the grid
The engine suffered from significant throttle lag
Four-wheel drive proved to be unsuited to F1 circuits
Engine connected to the fore/aft propshafts by a transfer box driving a Morse chain
56B/1 is exactly as it was when Emerson Fittipaldi finished the 1971 Italian Grand Prix
Classic Team Lotus restored the car during Covid and preserved all the original ‘patina’ of this unique F1 Lotus