Lotus Mark IX

The Lotus Mark IX was an aluminium-bodied sports racing car that Lotus Engineering Ltd made in 1955, and about thirty were built. It was closely related to the Mark VIII of 1954 and largely based on the space frame of the Lotus Mark VI. Frank Costin designed its highly aerodynamic body, which Williams and Pritchard built. Lotus was still a fledgling company, so cars were delivered in varying states of completion on special order, with engines including the 1500 cc MG, the 1500 cc Connaught and the 2-litre Bristol, although most had the 1100 cc Coventry Climax. Two models were offered, the Club and the Le Mans, the latter with larger drum brakes. The chassis was a new brazed steel tube space frame that avoided the Mark VIII's need for stiffening panels, and the wheelbase was shortened to 7 feet 3.5 inches so that Colin Chapman could fit the car on his transporter. Two went to the 1955 Sebring 12 Hours, and Chapman's own car, a prototype for the Eleven, started at Le Mans that year but was disqualified.