Lotus 16

The Lotus 16 was a single-seater racing cars of the 1958 developed by Lotus and used until 1960.

The Lotus 16 was the successor to the Lotus 12 and was conceived, designed and built both as Formula 1, as well as a Formula 2 race car. The 16 was, like his predecessor, a front-engine race car, but clearly oval and in its line shape elegant than the Lotus 12 The car had a slight but very fragile tube frame. The suspensions were identical to the 12 The current supplied by Climax 2-liter 4-cylinder FPF engine was installed slightly inclined to the front end to keep slim. The power transmission ran along the left of the cockpit. Colin Chapman worked for the design work closely with Frank Costin together, who was responsible for the aerodynamic aluminum body.

In Formula 1, the Lotus 16 in 1958 his debut at the Grand Prix of France with Graham Hill at the wheel. Hill fell out of the race to 33 laps with an overheated engine. The best result in 1958 was the sixth rank of Hill at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The end of the 1950s was the front-engine technology to end in Monopostosport, we also remarked the 16. With Lotus you worked long on the first mid-engine racing cars of the team, the Lotus 18 Therefore, the car was in 1959 no longer being developed. The best result in Formula 1! Innes Ireland with fourth place in the Grand Prix of the Netherlands in 1959. Also in Formula 2 remained modest successes. After the release of the 16 by the Lotus 18 the beginning of the 1960 season, factory cars were sold to privateers.