Lotus Mk1
The Lotus Mark 1 was the first car designed and built by Colin Chapman in 1948, while Chapman was still a student at London University. The car was designed to compete as a trials car, and was constructed on an Austin 7 chassis and running gear. Chapman built the body utilizing a composite made of thin aluminum bonded to plywood. He modified the rear suspension to give better handling and the engine to give more power. His approach to automobile construction using sound engineering principles and ingenious chassis design set the stage for many more revolutionary designs to follow. Although the original Mark 1 has been lost to history, a replica (see photo) was created to the same dimensions that uses an identical Austin chassis and running gear. Both Chapman and his future wife competed with the car in English Trials, a form of competition over rough terrain against time. Chapman continued to develop and modify the Mark 1. First larger wheels and tires were fitted and the front beam axle was split and hinged in the center to provide independent front suspension. The success of the car helped encourage Chapman to continue designing competition cars.
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There is a mistake in this description. It is stated
"English Trials, a form of competition over rough terrain against time."
Trials were not against time. They consisted of a series of hills (usually muddy) that had to be climbed. Marks were awarded according to how high you got before coming to a stop. Maximum points were if you climbed the hill successfully. They were often known as mudplugging trials.
There was no time element other than that you had to move to the next hill reasonably quickly on public roads so that you attempted them all before the finishing time. This did not requuire any sort of racing on the public roads.
It should be noted that Colin Chapman's first car was not called a Lotus even when he sold it. It was always known as his Austin Seven Special. The first Lotus was what we now call the Mark II. Colin renamed his first car retrospectively after he sold the Mark II (which he had just called the Lotus without any Mark Number). He was very good at re-writing history.
What are my qualifications for writing this? I was a competitor against Colin and Hazel in another Austin Seven at the time.
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