Famous Firsts– The Lotus Mark I

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Dale Vinten

Before the Elans and Esprits that the legendary British firm would later become famous for had even been considered, and way back before the race-inspired 7, there was a less-revered but incredibly important car that emerged from the brain (and hands) of engineering and automotive legend Colin Chapman: the Lotus Mark I. A car that would set the precedent for things to come, paving the way for the Lotus name and everything that make it such an esteemed and respected player in the automotive industry today.

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Chapman’s famous ethos of simplify, then add lightness wasn’t just a snappy marketing sound-bite to help sell cars. It’s an ideology that goes to the very core of Lotus. A philosophy that has been in place since the beginning, since that very first car, the Mark I. While many may consider the aforementioned 7 as the first ever “proper” Lotus there were a handful of vehicles produced by Chapman prior to that popular, lightweight, two-seater sports car. There was the Mark 6 – the company’s first volume produced car – and the Eleven, which was the premiere road-going model offered by the newly formed company. But the Mark I was true genesis for Chapman and Lotus.

Fresh from studying structural engineering at University College London in 1948, Chapman, at the tender age of 20, set about building his first car. As you do. This initial effort was actually based on an Austin 7 but to label the car as merely a modified version of something that already existed would severely undermine what Chapman was able to achieve with his fledgling effort.

Designed to race in local trials events after Chapman had experienced the thrill of such competitions previously as a passenger, the Mark 1 was built upon a 1928 Austin 7 chassis. Unsurprisingly at this early stage there were no real facilities in place for the enthusiastic young Brit and so work was carried out in a garage behind his girlfriend parents’ house. This wasn’t a fully kitted out workshop however. Far from it, and with access to only basic tools Chapman crafted the body out of aluminium alloy that was bonded to plywood panels. This not only made the body more rigid but lighter too. Chapman also modified the rear end, elongating it in order to seat two extra passengers. Not because he wanted the space but because two extra bodies could potentially provide much needed ballast when hooning about in the mud at various trials courses. Chapman’s grasp of engineering principles allowed him to alter the rear suspension to be able to accommodate flatter springs to aid handling and prevent oversteer. This innovative approach made the car much more competitive and along with completely overhauling the original two-bearing, side valve engine and increasing the compression ratio to give more power, he took the thing racing.

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Despite its meagre 15 horsepower the Mark I was competitive, taking a couple of class wins along the way, but Chapman wasn’t happy with the car, identifying numerous areas that could be improved upon. The most noticeable amendments were the addition of larger steel wheels that could accommodate wider tyres and a modification to the front cross member whereby it was split in the middle and hinged to provide an early form of independent front suspension. Chapman’s engineering prowess was already shining through and following more successes with the Mark I, as well as a new name of Lotus, it was only natural that the car would evolve into what would be the Mark II and beyond.

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When we look back at the history of our favourite auto manufacturers and their initial efforts it’s not surprising to discover that a lot of those early vehicles were limited in number. It’s entirely suck it and see at that stage and so large production runs don’t factor into the grand scheme of things. It’s very much a case of “let’s try and build this car and see what happens”. A few hundred here, maybe a thousand there, but in the case of Lotus, the Mark I truly was a one off. Only a single example was ever built. Solitary. Lone. Unique in the truest sense of the word. It was all the validation a young Colin Chapman needed to pursue his dream of building cars however, and it spurred him on to continue to push boundaries and develop ever more ingenious engineering techniques in order to build competitive racing cars. From that first foray with the Mark I to Le Mans and Fomula One wins, Chapman’s ingenuity and drive to succeed have always been at the forefront of the Lotus name. Sadly all trace of that original Mark I has been lost. Fingers crossed it’s still out there somewhere, tucked away safely in a barn just waiting to be rediscovered and lovingly put back into service. We just hope we’re there when it happens, with camera in hand.

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