Lotus 63 DFV Cosworth 1969

[Pete05]

The Lotus 63 was an experimental Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe for the 1969 season. Chapman's reasoning behind the car was that the 3 litre engines introduced in 1966 would be better served by building a car that could take full advantage of its power while retaining the Lotus 49's simplicity.
As for the Lotus 56 built for the Indy 500 and the 56B for Formula One, the 63 chassis was designed around a four wheel drive system.
This was no revolution at the time, as four wheel drive had been used on the Ferguson P99 that won a non-championship race at Oulton Park in 1961. However, it was not a successful design. In fact, the Matra-Cosworth MS84 was the only 4WD F1 to score points with Johnny Servoz-Gavin, something neither Lotus or McLaren managed, while Cosworth didn't even race their design. The 63 was an evolution of the 49 but featured wedge shaped rear bodywork and integrated wings, something that would be used to great effect in the Lotus 72.
John Miles, Lotus' third driver was entrusted with the task of developing the car, while Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt used the 49 in the early races of 1969. The car proved extremely difficult to drive and setup and the four wheel drive system was especially problematic.
After a single test run, Hill flatly refused to drive the car again stating it was a 'deathtrap', as did Rindt, who agreed with Hill after taking the car to its best result of 2nd in the non-championship Oulton Park Gold Cup. This infuriated Chapman as he saw the 63 as another quantum leap ahead of its rivals, just as it's predecessors had been.
The car was entered at the 1969 British GP as a test run. While Rindt finished fourth in the older 49 behind Jackie Stewart, Miles could only bring the 63 home in 10th, confirming the car's uncompetitiveness. After several other fruitless outings, the 63 was abandoned. Design elements of the 63 were worked into the 72, most notably the wedge shaped bodywork.

ENGINE

Configuration
Ford Cosworth DFV 90 degree V8

Location
Mid, longitudinally mounted

Weight
168 kg / 370.4 lbs

Construction
Aluminium block and heads

Displacement
2993 cc / 182.6 cu in

Bore / Stroke
85.7 mm (3.4") x 64.8 mm (2.6")

Compression
11.5:1

Valvetrain
4 valves per cylinder, DOHC per bank

Fuel feed
Lucas Fuel Injection

Lubrication
Dry sump

Aspiration
Naturally aspirated

Power
430 bhp / 321 kW @ 10,000 rpm

Gearbox
Hewland-Lotus 5 speed manual, four wheel drive

Weight
600 kg / 1323 lbs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-wheel_drive_in_Formula_One