Lotus 29
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The Lotus 29 was a British
racing car Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
built by
Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. More ...
for the
1963 Indianapolis 500 The 47th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday, May 30, 1963. Rufus Parnell Jones, also known as "Parnelli," took his only Indy 500 win. This win was controversial because ...
. It was their first attempt at the event and the two cars which were entered finished second and seventh in the hands of
Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
and
Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...
. Although they were not the first rear-engined cars built for the category, they were first to prove that the configuration was definitely a potential race-winner, and that the days of the big and heavy front-engined
roadsters __NOTOC__ Roadster may refer to: Transportation * Roadster (automobile), an open, two-seat, often sporty car ** Roadster utility, an automobile with an open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed * Roadster (bicycle), a utilitarian bicycle, typ ...
were numbered.


Design concept

Dan Gurney Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, ...
had tested
Mickey Thompson Michael Lee "Mickey" Thompson (December 7, 1928March 16, 1988) was an American auto racing builder and promoter. A hot rodder since his youth, Thompson increasingly pursued land speed records in his late 20s and early 30s.
's rear-engined
Indy Car INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...
for the 1962 Indianapolis 500 and, convinced that the layout was a potential race-winner, approached
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 ...
of Lotus with the idea of building a similar car for the
1963 Indianapolis 500 The 47th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Thursday, May 30, 1963. Rufus Parnell Jones, also known as "Parnelli," took his only Indy 500 win. This win was controversial because ...
. Chapman attended the 1962 race and Gurney then arranged a meeting with
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
to source a suitable engine. Later that year, Chapman had
Jim Clark James Clark Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. A versatile driver, he competed in sports cars, touring cars and in the Indianapol ...
and Lotus mechanics Jim Endruweit and Dick Scammell sent to Indianapolis after the 1962 United States Grand Prix to do some testing with the race-winning
Lotus 25 The Lotus 25 was a racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1962 Formula One season. It was a revolutionary design, the first fully stressed monocoque chassis to appear in Formula One. In the hands of Jim Clark it took 14 World Championship ...
. Results proved positive, and construction was started on a new car, the type 29. Based on the 25, it was a very similar car which differed principally in featuring a 4195 cc (255ci) Ford V8 with Weber carburettors producing through a Colotti T.37
gearbox Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), differe ...
. It was slightly larger all round than the 25 and was fitted with offset suspension and Dunlop (front) and
Halibrand Halibrand is an American maker of racing wheels and quick-change rearend housings. Halibrand started in Culver City, California in 1946. Its first product was a magnesium wheel for Indy cars, as a replacement for the wire wheels then commonplace ...
(rear) knock-off wheels to facilitate rapid pit stops. Three cars were built in all; the first being essentially a development prototype, after which two cars were built for Clark and Gurney.


Race history

At Indianapolis, Clark qualified 7th fastest, with Gurney 17th after an accident in qualifying; he wrote off his car and the prototype was hurriedly pressed into service with parts scavenged from the wreck. Clark started from 5th place on the grid and Gurney 12th. The lighter Lotuses needed fewer pit stops than the heavy roadsters and at one point were running first and second. Eventually, Clark finished second behind
Parnelli Jones Rufus Parnell Jones (born August 12, 1933) is an American former professional racing driver and racing team owner. He is notable for his accomplishments while competing in the Indianapolis 500 and the Baja 1000 desert race. In 1962, he became the ...
and Gurney finished seventh. The Lotus 29s' next outing was later that year at the Tony Bettenhausen 200 at the
Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectato ...
. Clark and Gurney qualified first and second, and Clark led from start to finish, lapping everyone but second placed
A. J. Foyt Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American retired auto racing driver who has raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes United States Automobile Club Champ cars, sprint cars, and midget cars. H ...
, with Gurney coming in third. Their final race in 1963 was at the Trenton 200 where they again qualified first and second. Clark led for the first 49 laps until an oil line failed. Gurney then led until lap 146 until he retired with the same problem, leaving A. J. Foyt to run home as the winner. For the 1964 Indianapolis 500
Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar, and sports car racing. More ...
had a new car, the type 34, but one of the 29s was entered for
Bobby Marshman George Robert Marshman (September 24, 1936 – December 3, 1964), was an American racecar driver. Born the son of auto race promoters George and Evelyn Marshman in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Marshman died in San Antonio, Texas of injuries sustain ...
to drive. He qualified second behind Clark and led the race for 33 laps before running off the track and damaging an oil plug. Later that year his engine failed at the Tony Bettenhausen 200, and then he crashed while testing at
Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...
and succumbed to burns incurred in the accident. At the 1965 Indianapolis 500 the 29 was still competitive enough for Al Miller to bring it home in fourth place, but in
1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
the first lap pile-up put paid to his race and the 29's last Champ Car race.


References

{{Lotus 29 American Championship racing cars