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| Colin Chapman |
Colin Chapman
If Charles and John Cooper brought about the rear-engined revolution in F1, it was Colin Chapman who took it a stage further with his monocoque-chassis Lotus 25 in 1962. At a stroke, he introduced a stronger, lighter structure, which was simpler to build than the old welded space frame and was so much more rigid that it also handled better...
Possessed of one of the most fertile minds the sport has known, Chapman followed the 25 with the 49 in 1967, echoing Lancia's D50 of 1954 and BRM's 1966 P83 by using the Ford Cosworth DFV engine as a stressed part of the chassis structure. At the same time, he created a car that was lighter and slimmer, yet more powerful, than anything the opposition could present.
The 1970 Lotus 72 introduced side radiators, the wedge shape and torsion-bar suspension. The 1977 Lotus 78 brought the concept of ground effect, and its successor, the 79 of 1978, developed the concept of under-car downforce sufficiently to dominate that year's World Championship. Where Chapman led, his rivals were forced to follow.
Together with McLaren, Colin Chapman pioneered carbon fibre chassis, then came his final legacy to F1: computer controlled 'active' suspension, which maintained the ideal ride height to optimize a car's handling and aerodynamic behaviour.
Chapman pioneered all these things in a glittering career that embraced Drivers World Championships for Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti, and seven Constructors World Championships. But there was another legacy. In 1967, Lotus enjoyed exclusive use of the new Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine, and only minor mechanical problems prevented Clark from taking another championship. But when Ford's Walter Hayes approached Chapman with the idea that the unit should be sold to his rivals for 1968, the Lotus boss just shrugged and agreed. As a result, the DFV went on general sale, and teams such as McLaren, Matra, March, Williams and Brabham proceeded to challenge Lotus superiority. It was the act of a selfless and supremely confident man.