lotus type
The Lotus 72 was a Formula One car designed by Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe of Lotus for the 1970 Formula One season.
Development
The 72 was yet another innovative design by Chapman featuring inboard brakes, side mounted radiators in sidepods, as opposed to the nose mounted radiators which had been commonplace since the 1950s and an overhead air intake. The overall shape of the car was innovative too, resembling a wedge on wheels which was inspired by the earlier Lotus 56 gas turbine car, and the layout taken from the Lotus 63 four wheel drive project testbed. The shape made for better air penetration and higher speeds. In a back-to-back test with the Lotus 49, the 72 was 12 mph faster with the same Ford engine.
Chapman's efforts produced one of the most remarkable and successful designs in F1 history. Taking the stressed engine layout technique from the Lotus 49 and adding advanced aerodynamics produced a car that was years ahead of its rivals. To begin with however, problems with the handling of the car had to be overcome, due to a lack of 'feel' caused by the anti-dive suspension geometry - which was designed to prevent the nose of the car dipping significantly under braking - and the anti-squat set-up at the rear, which was supposed to stop the car 'squatting down' under acceleration. Once the suspension was modified, there were no further problems. The car caused a sensation amongst the media and fans, with many people clamouring to see the remarkable car in action.
Race history
The car was introduced partway into the 1970 season, driven by Jochen Rindt and John Miles. Rindt made the car successful, winning the Dutch, French, British and German Grands Prix in quick succession. Rindt was almost certainly going to win the world championship but was killed in a qualifying crash at Monza, driving the 72 with its wings removed. His replacement, Emerson Fittipaldi won the USA race, helping Rindt become F1's only posthumous World Champion. Rindt and Fittipaldi's combined points for the season helped Lotus to its fourth constructors' championship.
The car was developed during 1971 by BRM incumbent Tony Rudd. He worked especially on redesigning the rear suspension and modified the rear wing to produce more downforce. Fittipaldi struggled during the season but scored good results and finished a respectable sixth, whilst the following season was much better. The development work done behind the scenes helped him become the youngest world champion in F1's history in 1972 winning five races in the 72, whilst Lotus again won the constructors' championship. The car now sported a striking paintscheme of black and gold; Imperial Tobacco had introduced a new brand, and decided to increase exposure and provide more funds to Lotus as part of the deal. Lotus was now sponsored by John Player Special cigarettes.
The 1973 season saw new rules introduced to increase car safety. This included mandatory deformable structure to be built into the sides of the cars, causing the 72 to be further updated with integrated sidepods, larger bodywork and new wing mounts. Fittipaldi was joined for 1973 by the brilliant Swede Ronnie Peterson. Peterson fell in love with the 72; a perfect marriage of car and driver. In his first season with Lotus, Peterson won four races, while Fittipaldi won three, but their internal fight helped Jackie Stewart snatch the drivers' championship, while the large points tally built up by their two drivers helped Lotus keep the constructors championship. Fittipaldi left for McLaren in 1974, ironically to drive a car closely based on the 72, the McLaren M23.
exige elise
The Lotus Exige (pronounced /ɛxzij/ ) is a two-door, two-seat sports car made by Lotus Cars. It is essentially a coupe version of the Lotus Elise, which is a roadster.
The original Exige (NA or naturally aspirated Exige) was launched in 2000 and had a 1.8 L Rover K Series engine in VHPD (Very High Performance Derivative) tune. It produced 177 bhp in standard form and 192 bhp (143 kW) in the "track spec" version.
In 2004, the Series 2 Exige was introduced. It features a 1.8 L 16-valve DOHC Toyota/Yamaha engine that produces 190 bhp with the Toyota engine designation of 2ZZ-GE. Compared to the Series 2 Elise, it has a front splitter, fibreglass hardtop roof with roof scoop, rear engine cover, and rear spoiler. The sole purpose of these aerodynamic additions to the base Elise is to create more downforce (almost 100 lb of downforce at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Exige versus 13 lb at 100 mph (160 km/h) in the Elise).
In February 2005, Lotus announced a limited production run of 50 Exiges, using the Toyota engine with a supercharger, that increases the power output to 243 bhp. These vehicles were only available in yellow or black, representing the colours of Lotus Sport, and are badged 240R. They have a projected 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds and 0-100 mph (0-160 km/h) of 9.9 seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h) at a cost of £44,000.00 (approximately $76,500.00 or €65,000.00).
The North American Exige was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January 2006. In February 2006, Lotus announced the Exige S model which used a supercharged Toyota engine producing 220 bhp. The S was also made available in North American markets as a 2007 model.
Exige Specifications
According to Lotus, the standard Exige Series 2 model has the following specifications:
Engine:
Transmission: 6-Speed, Close Ratio with Single-Plate Dry Clutch
Weight: 2016 lb (914 kg)
Performance:
Exige S Specifications
According to Lotus, the Exige S model has the following specifications:
Engine:
Transmission: 6-Speed, Close Ratio with Single-Plate Dry Clutch
Weight: 2057 lb (935 kg)
Exige S Performance:
2008 Exige S 240
In 2008, the Exige S had a 240bhp option that was sold alongside the regular Exige S (220hp). The package includes upgraded AP racing brakes from the Exige Cup 240 and a larger roof scoop from the Exige Cup 255. 0-60mph (0-97km/h) is trimmed to under 4 seconds with this option. The 2008 USA Exige S 220 features a non-intercooled supercharger identical to the Elise SC.The 2008 UK Exige S 220 AND The 2008 Exige S 240 retain the intercooler for the supercharger.
2009 Exige S
In 2009 model year, Exige will be offered in the United States in two configurations: S240 and S260. S240 is the continuation of the 2008 model, it weighs 2077 lbs and comes with a 240 hp supercharged engine. New for 2009, S260 weighs 2020 lbs; its engine has been improved to produce 257 hp. Base manufacturer suggested retail prices for S240 and S260 are $65,690 and $74,995, respectively.
Exige 265E Specifications
The Exige 265E is a factory-built Exige S optimized to run on E85, comprised of 85% ethanol. The higher octane of this biofuel allows a higher compression ratio and/or more supercharger boost. Lotus says it has no intention to build the 265E ( 265 indicates the approximate horsepower and the E indicates the "environmentally favourable bio-ethanol E85 fuel" powering the engine) as a production car, and that it is simply a biofuels demonstrator. According to Lotus, the Exige 265E model has the following specifications:
Engine:
Transmission: C64 6-Speed, Close Ratio with Single-Plate Dry Clutch
Weight: 2050.3 lb (930 kg)
In this model, which saw the ECU re-mapped as well as upgraded injectors and fuel pump to cope with the new fuel type, the brakes have also been upgraded to four-piston AP Racing calipers with sport brake pads and increased diameter 310 mm drilled and vented discs at the front. Brembo single-piston sliding rear calipers with 282 mm diameter discs are fitted at the rear.
Exige 265E Performance:
Exige GT3 Specifications
According to Lotus, the Exige GT3 model has the following specifications:
Engine:
Transmission: C64-speed, Close Ratio with uprated clutch and cover, open differential
Exige GT3 Performance:
Note: While the mass of the vehicle has yet to be disclosed, it can be estimated to be around 2170 lb (980 kg) from the disclosure of the power to weight ratio.
References
- ^ a b Chris Walton (2006-06-28). "Full Test: 2006 Lotus Exige". Edmunds Inc. . http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=115908 . Retrieved on 2008-03-07 .
- ^ Greg N. Brown. "Newcomers: 2007 Lotus Exige S". MotorTrend . Source Interlink Media, Inc. . http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupe/112_0702_2007_lotus_exige_s . Retrieved on 2008-03-07 .
- ^ Lotus Engineering, "Exige 265E Bio-Fuel: British, Racing and Very Green," http://www.grouplotus.com/engineering/casestudies.html
External links
- Exige 265E review
- Article on Exige 265E by GreenerMachine.com
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2008 Lotus Exige S 240 Review and specs;
Posted at 10am on 10/02/09 | Filed Under: read on