Lotus 20 was a

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level cla ...

car built by Lotus for the 1961 season as a successor to the Lotus 18. Lotus 20 engine detail

The chassis was a spaceframe, clothed in fibreglass bodywork. It had front double wishbone suspension, but the rear had a lower wishbone with the driveshaft being fixed length and therefore used as a top link. Originally fitted with Alfin

drum brake A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfa ...

s at all four corners, it was soon upgraded to discs in front and inboard drums at the rear. Equipped as standard with the Cosworth Mk.IV engine and with either a

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

Dauphine gearbox or

Hewland Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particul ...

-modified VW box. Compared with the Lotus 18, the 20 had a much reduced frontal area and lower centre of gravity, aided by the fact the driving position was reclined so the driver was nearly lying down, compared with being more upright in the Lotus 18. A 1962 Lotus 20 can be found hanging from the ceiling on the first floor at the

Canadian Automotive Museum The Canadian Automotive Museum is an automobile museum located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum features many Canadian-made cars as the automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of the General Motors, known as General Motors Ca ...

, located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.

Lotus 20B

The 20B was mostly the same as the 20, but with

sway bar An anti-roll bar (roll bar, anti-sway bar, sway bar, stabilizer bar) is a part of many automobile suspensions that helps reduce the body roll of a vehicle during fast cornering or over road irregularities. It connects opposite (left/right) whee ...

and stock inboard drum brakes in the rear. Occasionally, 20Bs ran with Lotus TwinCam, and therefore didn't race as a

, but as Formula Libre and in other series such as the Tasman series. A Lotus 20 was entered in the 1965 South African Grand Prix for

Dave Charlton David William Charlton (27 October 1936 – 24 February 2013) was a racing driver from South Africa. Charlton was born in Brotton, Yorkshire. He participated in 13 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1965. He scor ...

but failed to pre-qualify.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

References

20 Formula Junior cars Tasman Series cars {{motorsport-stub