1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car
Chapman, Colin, 1928-1982, Ford Motor Company, and Group Lotus PLC1965
The Henry Ford
Dearborn, MI, United States
This is one of the seminal cars in American racing history. In 1965 Scotsman Jimmy Clark drove this car to victory in the Indianapolis 500. A few years earlier legendary road-racer Dan Gurney concluded that the proper application of European formula-one technology could capture the Indianapolis 500. He brought Ford Motor Company together with Colin Chapman, English builder of Lotus sports and racing cars. The combination resulted in a lightweight Lotus chassis powered by a specially designed Ford V-8 engine. With its monocoque chassis, four-wheel independent suspension, and rear-mounted engine, the Lotus-Ford effectively killed the traditional Indy roadster and established a new paradigm for American race cars.
Engine: Ford V-8, double overhead cam, 256 cu. in., 495 hp
- Title: 1965 Lotus-Ford Race Car
- Creator: Chapman, Colin, 1928-1982, Ford Motor Company, Group Lotus PLC
- Date: 1965-05-31
- Date Created: 1965
- Location: United Kingdom, England, Hethel, United States, Michigan, Dearborn, United States, Indiana, Indianapolis
- Subject Keywords: Automobiles, Indy cars, Lotus automobiles, Racing cars, Automobile racing, Clark, Jim, 1936-1968, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Speedway, Ind.), Indianapolis Speedway Race, Team Lotus, Indianapolis 500 (Automobile race)
- Type: Objects
- Contributor: The Henry Ford
- Original Source: http://collections.thehenryford.org/Collection.aspx?objectKey=162619
- Object Name: Racing car
- Object ID: 77.21.1
- Image ID: THF90585
- Credit: From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Ford Motor Company.
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