Quite possibly. Paradigm breaking in an era when it was possible to break paradigms (it seems less possible now, with more prescriptive regulations). His untimely death was a great shame, as the sport was robbed of someone capable of leading innovation.
Lotus debuted at Indy in '63, and very nearly won - in fact had USAC followed their own rules and black flagged Parnelli Jones for dropping oil, Clark would have won at his first attempt. Finishing 2nd under those circumstances is hardly a failure.
Chapman was a genius; from racing to engineering to marketing to accounting - he pushed envelopes at every turn. The 72 - if not the greatest F1 car - was certainly the most beautiful imho. The cars tell a great story. And Chapman changed the face of F1 twice. How many engineers could you say that about...
Hai Paul, Yes,Genius,cap,and I love my Esprit turbo SE 268bhp British Racing Green,in state of new. My gf doesn't like it,lol!! Yep,it's a real man car. Grtz Amst
Have you missed one? The Lotus 49 was first to run the engine as a stressed member, first to run Ford's legendary DFV and, possibly biggest innovation of all, first to run a sponsor's colours rather than a national livery (Gold Leaf).
In the 56, Chapman had wanted to replace the fuel pump drive shafts, which were hollow, with solid versions. Pratt & Whitney refused on "safety" grounds (thinking of helicoptors, the engine's main application). Late in the race, under a caution yellow, both remaining 56's were suffering overheating of the pumps due to slow running - as soon as the green was waved, and drivers floored the pedal, the shafts sheared, as Chapman had foreseen.
It’s a tough call. Lotus and Colin Chapman were virtually untouchable in the 60s and 70s. A truly iconic era for team Lotus. The likes of we’ll never see again sadly. The type 79 is the stuff of legend and is I think the most beautiful formula 1 car ever produced.
98T for me, especially with Senna's iconic helmet. Obviously not a great, but achieved what it did because of one man's genius. Back in the day when F1 cars looked different from each other and the driver still had a lot to do with it.
While I agree that the 49 deserves a place on the list, the car I really think should have been included is the humble 7. I know it never one any high-profile championships, but it probably introduced more people to proper motor racing thsn any other car in history.
Visually Senna's JPS Lotus Renault 98T was the sexiest F1 car ever built. Unfortunately it doesn't have the accolades of some of its predecessors hence not talked as much. 2nd Camel Lotus Honda 99T 3rd Marlboro McLaren Honda MP4/4 4th JPS Lotus Ford Cosworth DFV 72 5th Elf Team Tyrrell Ford Cosworth DFV 006 6th Elf Team Tyrrell Ford Cosworth DFV 003 7th Matra MS120C 8th Marlboro McLaren Honda MP4/5B 9th Benetton BMW B186 10th Renault R.S. 17
