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The Lotus Mark VIII car was
Colin Chapman Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman (19 May 1928 – 16 December 1982) was an English design engineer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars. In 1952 he founded the sports car company Lotus Cars. Chapman ...
’s first fully enclosed aerodynamic design. Chapman's basic requirements for the design were for a car of 1100 lbs powered by an 85 bhp engine and a maximum speed of 125 mph. Work began on this design in late 1953 and Chapman was assisted in the design of the body by the aerodynamicist
Frank Costin Francis Albert Costin (8 June 1920 – 5 February 1995) was a British automotive engineer who advanced monocoque chassis design and was instrumental in adapting aircraft aerodynamic knowledge for automobile use. Career Costin was an engineer ...
, who was the brother of Mike Costin, his main collaborator. The
spaceframe chassis In architecture and structural engineering, a space frame or space structure ( 3D truss) is a rigid, lightweight, truss-like structure constructed from interlocking struts in a geometric pattern. Space frames can be used to span large areas with ...
for the Mark VIII has been described as "the most nearly perfect sports car chassis". This was Lotus' first true spaceframe and relied on the aircraft experience of Peter Ross and Gilbert McIntosh. Extremely light (the total weight of the frame alone was only 35 lbs) and very stiff, the frame consisted of only nineteen members and was fully triangulated. However, from a practical point of view, the frame had limitations, mostly regarding maintenance; in order to install the engine, it had to be disassembled and then reassembled inside the framework. The spaceframe retained the divided front axle independent suspension that Chapman had employed on his earlier cars, and used a de Dion layout with inboard brakes at the rear. A modified MG 1500 cc engine and transmission were installed, and a stressed undertray further stiffened the chassis. In its first race at
Oulton Park Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...
, Chapman set the fastest lap of the day in Mark VIII prototype, which was designated P3, but had to retire because of a blown head gasket. However, at the next race at
Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...
Chapman won the 1,500 cc. class outright. It was at a subsequent meeting of the RAC British Grand Prix at Silverstone, on 17 July 1954, where the reputation of Lotus cars was made, as Chapman in the Lotus Mark VIII and Peter Gammon in the Mark VI beat the works quad-cam Porsche driven by Hans Herrmann, again winning the class. The Mark VIII was a precursor to the later aerodynamic Lotus cars.


Mark X

The Lotus Mark X was an aluminium-bodied sports racing car manufactured by Lotus Engineering Ltd. The Mark X, of which only 6 or 7 were made, was essentially identical to the Mark VIII but made use of the larger 2.0-litre
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
engine. The Mark VIII, Mark IX and Mark X were transitional forms, although they represent the first full bodied aerodynamic Lotus sports cars and made use of the
De Dion tube De Dion rear axle A de Dion tube is a form of non-independent automobile suspension. It is a considerable improvement over the swing axle, Hotchkiss drive, or live axle. Because it plays no part in transmitting power to the drive wheels, it is ...
as a rear
suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...
locator, together with inboard rear brakes. The more successful
Lotus Eleven The Lotus Eleven is a sports racing car built in various versions by Lotus from 1956 until 1958. The later versions built in 1958 are sometimes referred to as Lotus 13, although this was not an official designation. In total, about 270 Elevens ...
, of which 270 were manufactured between 1956 and 1958, was the direct descendant of these earlier cars. The earlier cars are today considered rare and highly valued collectible automobiles — even museum pieces — but can still be seen raced in vintage events.


Notes


References

* Costin, Michael and Phipps, David, ''Racing and Sports Car Chassis Design '', 1962, Robert Bentley, Inc. pp. 26–29. * Coulter, Jeremy, ''The Lotus & Caterham Seven: A Collector's Guide '' Motor Racing Publications, 1986. p 10. * "The Lotus Story" Cars Illustrated, 1964, Reprinted in "Lotus Sports Racers" Unique Motor Books, Hockley Essex England p165-168. * Tipler, John, '' Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road '' The Crowood Press, 1995. pp. 16–17. {{Lotus Seven Mark 08