The Lotus 24 was a Formula One racing carAutomobile Year, No. 10, 1962-1963, Page 198. designed by Team Lotus for the 1962 Formula One season. Despite some early success in non-Championship Grands Prix, it was eclipsed by the technically superior Lotus 25 and rarely featured in the points in World Championship races.
Concept Having devised the monocoque Lotus 25 for use by the works team, Colin Chapman decided to build a 'conventional' back-up spaceframe design which he would also sell to privateers. The 24 was a completely different design from its predecessor, the 21, and used much of the same suspension as the 25. Both Coventry Climax FWMV and BRM P56 engines were generally fitted, with at least one example running with the Coventry Climax FPF four-cylinder.
Racing history
The Lotus 24 made its debut at the 1962 Brussels Grand Prix. Jim Clark put it in pole position for the first heat, but retired after only one lap. Two weeks later Clark won the Lombank Trophy race at Snetterton. Its first World Championship event was the 1962 Dutch Grand Prix, where it finished second with Trevor Taylor. However, that would be its best Championship finish; the Lotus 25 had arrived on the scene and was obviously the way ahead, much to the chagrin of those who had paid good money for their 24. Colin Chapman had promised his customers that the team cars would be mechanically identical to the customer cars, leaving himself free to alter what he classified as the cars' "bodywork".
The 24 continued to be run by private teams in 1963 and 1964 with limited success, and by 1965 only one World Championship entry was made, Brian Gubby failing to qualify for the British Grand Prix.
World Championship results (key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Engine Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Points WCC Team Lotus Climax V8 NED MON BEL FRA GBR GER ITA USA RSA 36 (38) 2nd Trevor Taylor 2 Ret Ret 8 Ret Brabham Racing Organisation Jack Brabham Ret 8 6 Ret 5 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Maurice Trintignant WD Ret 8 7 WD Ret Ret Ret Dupont Team Zerex Roger Penske 9 John Mecom Climax L4 Rob Schroeder 10 Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Nino Vacarella Ret UDT Laystall Racing Team Climax V8 Innes Ireland Ret Ret Ret Ret 16 Ret 8 5 Masten Gregory 7 BRM V8 7 6 1 8th Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Dan Gurney DNS Wolfgang Seidel Ret DNQ Tony Shelly DNQ Günther Seiffert DNQ Ecurie Filipinetti Jo Siffert Ret DNQ Heinz Schiller Ret British Racing Partnership Climax V8 MON BEL NED FRA GBR GER ITA USA MEX RSA 54 (74) 1st Innes Ireland Ret Ret Bernard Collomb Bernard Collomb DNQ 10 Reg Parnell Racing Maurice Trintignant 8 Mike Hailwood 8 BRM V8 Hap Sharp Ret 7 4 8th Roger Ward Ret Chris Amon Ret Masten Gregory 11 Tim Parnell Ret Ret Ecurie Filipinetti Phil Hill NC British Racing Partnership Jim Hall Ret Ret 8 11 6 5 8 10 8 Siffert Racing Team Jo Siffert Ret Ret 7 6 Ret 9 Ret Ret 9 Selby Auto Spares Paddy Driver DNS Bernard Collomb Climax V8 MON NED BEL FRA GBR GER AUT ITA USA MEX 37 (40) 3rd Bernard Collomb DNQ Siffert Racing Team BRM V8 Jo Siffert 8 3 8th British Racing Partnership Innes Ireland DNS Trevor Taylor RetReg Parnell Racing Peter Revson DSQ Ret Revson Racing DNQ 14 13 Brian Gubby Climax V8 RSA MON BEL FRA GBR NED GER ITA USA MEX 54 (58) 1st Brian Gubby DNQ
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