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The Lotus Mark I was the first car designed and built by
Motorbase
Accessed 17 February 2006.
The Lotus Mark I was the first car designed and built by 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 ...
in 1948, while Chapman was still a student at the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
. The car was designed to compete as a trials
In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribun ...
car, and was constructed on an Austin 7
The Austin 7 is an economy car that was produced from 1923 until 1939 in the United Kingdom by Austin. It was nicknamed the "Baby Austin" and was at that time one of the most popular cars produced for the British market and sold well abroad. ...
chassis and running gear and given registration number OX 9292. Chapman built the body utilizing a composite made of thin aluminum bonded to plywood. He modified the rear suspension to give better handling and the engine to give more power. His approach to automobile construction using sound engineering principles and ingenious chassis design set the stage for many more revolutionary designs to follow. Although the original Mark I has been lost to history after being bought by a mysterious buyer in 1950, a replica (see photo) was created to the same dimensions that uses an identical Austin chassis and running gear. Chapman and his future wife competed with the car in English Trials, a form of competition over rough terrain against time. Chapman continued to develop and modify the Mark I. First larger wheels and tyres were fitted and the front beam axle was split and hinged in the centre to provide independent front suspension. The success of the car helped encourage Chapman to continue designing competition cars.
Further reading
* Tipler, John, '' Lotus and Caterham Seven: Racers for the Road '' The Crowood Press, 1995. pp. 13–14. * Coulter, Jeremy, ''The Lotus & Caterham Seven: A Collector's Guide '' Motor Racing Publications, 1986. p 9. * Wliiam Taylor, ''The Lotus Book: The Complete History of Lotus Cars '' Coterie Press, Limited, 1998, pp. 12–13.External links
Motorbase
Accessed 17 February 2006.
References
{{Lotus First car made by manufacturer Mark 01