Lotus 69

The Lotus 69 was an open-wheel racing car that Lotus developed in 1969 for Formula Two, Formula Three and Formula Ford. Dave Baldwin built it on the Lotus 59 Formula Two car, leaving the basic construction alone and changing only the central monocoque section that held the two fuel tanks, with a new front to suit the radiator inlet rules for 1970. It used a 1.6 litre Cosworth FVA four-cylinder engine and a Hewland gearbox, and in 1971, when the Formula Two limit rose to 2,000 cc, a Cosworth BDA. By changing suspension, brakes, bodywork and wheels it could be built as a Formula Three or Formula B car, and the Formula Ford 69F had a spaceframe chassis with narrower wheels and a Ford-Lotus engine. Fifty-seven were built, eight of them for Formula Two. Jochen Rindt won the first two Formula Two races of 1970 in it, Emerson Fittipaldi won five in 1971, and Dave Walker won 25 of 32 British Formula Three races in 1971. It was the last model Lotus made for customers.