Lotus 59B Formula 2 Team Lotus 1969

[JR98]

Following the failure of the Lotus 41, the Lotus 59 was designed from the ground up by David Baldwin in response to complaints of expensive repair costs on the Lotus 35 and 41. The Lotus 59 came in 2 variations, the 59 was for Formula Ford and Formula 3 while the 59B was for Formula 2 and Formula B.

The Lotus 59 first appeared at Brands Hatch in 1968 where the design proved successful with superb road holding enabling the driver to put down more power compared to rivals. The 59 was succeeded in 1970 by the Lotus 69 and the 59 was unchanged apart from using the 69's nose mid-season. This change made the Formula 3 car the 59A and the Formula Ford car the FB.

The Formula 2 car was the most powerful, using a 1.6 Cosworth FVA (220HP) while the Formula B car used a 1.6 Cosworth MKXIII (150HP). Formula 3 used a 1.0 Cosworth MAE (110HP) while the Formula Ford used a 1.6 Ford Crossflow.

The car was driven successfully in Formula 2 by Jochen Rindt, Jackie Stewart and Jean-Pierre Beltoise in 1969 but they were all excluded from the championship standings due to being "graded drivers". Emmerson Fittipaldi won the 1969 MCD Lombard Championship and the F3 Guards Trophy in a Lotus 59.

Specifications:
Body Style: Open Wheel Formula Racing Car
Length: N/A
Width: N/A
Height: N/A
Wheelbase: 2356 mm
Engine: Cosworth "FVA" 1.6 Inline 6
Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
Drivetrain: Mid Engine Rear Wheel Drive
Power: 225 BHP
Torque: N/A
Weight: N/A
Transmission: 5 Speed Manual