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Engine Type: Coventry Climax 4-Cylinder Engine Number:FPF 430-3 1099 Color:Light Green with Red Tartan / Red 1961 Lotus 18/21 s/n 918 engine no FPF 430-3 1099 Light Green with Red Interior The Lotus 18 is an important car for Lot...
Engine Type: Coventry Climax 4-Cylinder Engine Number:FPF 430-3 1099 Color:Light Green with Red Tartan / Red 1961 Lotus 18/21 s/n 918 engine no FPF 430-3 1099 Light Green with Red Interior The Lotus 18 is an important car for Lotus, and for motorsports. Not only did Stirling Moss famously drive one to Lotus’ first ever grand prix win at Monaco, but was among the first to originate mid placement of the engine, a characteristic that remains a requirement for any serious race car to this day. Fitted with a Ford 105E series 1100cc engine the 18 was campaigned in Formula Junior events in the United States were they proved to be the dominant machine throughout the period. Fitted with a Climax FPF engine, the 18 was successfully campaigned in Formula II and Formula I, and was eventually superseded by the 21 for Formula I use. One of the most successful teams to compete with 18s was UDT-Laystall, which was led by Reg Parnell. Because Lotus reserved all of the 21s manufactured for their team Formula 1 efforts, UDT converted their 18s to 21 specification. These cars featured the more aerodynamic body of the 21, which featured significantly reduced frontal area as well more reclined driving position. The rear suspension was also revised, and the newly formed Hewland Transmission Company’s HD-5 was fitted to replace the Colotti gearboxes previously in use. Apart from the upgraded 18s, UDT-Laystall also built from scratch brand new 18/21s of which this car is one. Interestingly, these cars were given Lotus chassis plates and Lotus sequenced 18 serial numbers. This particular car has fascinating history and was quite successful in period races. Under the UDT Laystall banner, Moss won two races and placed second in two others in South Africa in December of 1961, marking the end of the last full year of his racing career. The first victory was on its first outing, driven by Stirling Moss at Brands Hatch in June of 1961. A week later, the car was to be driven by Cliff Allison at Spa at the Belgian Grand Prix, but during practice, he was involved in an accident that ultimately ended his career. The car was repaired and in August, it raced and won once more, again driven by Moss. The car was traded to Rob Walker for the 1962 season, and won on its first 1962 outing as well, at the hands of Maurice Trintignant, at the Pau GP, a famous race in which Trintignant found himself in last place after a pit stop, and proceeded to overtake the entire field to win the race. The car was driven by several others, including Graham Hill and Olivier Gendebien. For the 1963 and 1964 seasons, the car was raced by a privateer named Jock Russell, who fitted a Ford V8(!) and unsurprisingly, crashed the car. It sat in disrepair for many years, eventually being fully restored starting in 1993. Period Race History: 3 June 1961, Brands Hatch, 1st Place, Stirling Moss Belgian GP, DNS, Cliff Allison 20 August 1961, Karlskoga, 1st Place, Stirling Moss 27 August 1961, Danish GP, 8th Place, Masten Gregory 3 September 1961, Modena GP, DNF, Henry Taylor 10 September 1961, Italian GP, 12th, Henry Taylor 23 September 1961, Oulton Park, 8th, Henry Taylor 8 October 1961, US GP at Watkins Glen, 11th, Olivier Gendebien 17 December 1961, Natal GP, 2nd, Stirling Moss 26 December 1961, South African GP, 2nd, Stirling Moss 23 April 1962, Pau GP, 1st, Maurice Trintignant 12 May 1962, Silverstone, DNF, Maurice Trintignant 11 June 1962, Mallory Park, 3rd, Graham Hill 17 June 1962, Belgian GP, 9th, Lucien Bianchi 30 March 1963, Snetterton, 7th, Adam Wyllie 27 April 1963, Aintree 200, DNF, Jock Russell 14 March 1964, Snetterton, DNF, Jock Russell From 1993 to 1995, the car was meticulously rebuilt by Alan Baillie, being fitted with correct type Coventry Climax engine and returned to its original light green UDT Laystall livery with tartan flash on the nose. It raced in both the United States and the United Kingdom in the late 1990s and early 2000s
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