Искусственный эксклюзив: подписанное и золотое издание Lotus 72d от Эмерсона Фиттипальди

Эмерсон Фиттипальди

1974 Monaco Grand Prix

Peterson clips a barrier and spins from third place, is struck by Carlos Reutemann’s Brabham, which retires on the spot, and loses three places. Fewer than 30 laps later, the inspired Swede and his warhorse take a lead that they hold to the finish.

The replacement Lotus 76 had been a disappointment – in fairness it had a lot to live up to – and Peterson in particular would remain unconvinced. He stuck with the 72 to win the French GP and, as late as September’s Italian GP, left the unloved ‘future’ languishing in the transporter to win in the ‘spare’: the 20th and final GP victory for a 72.

It couldn’t last, of course, and time eventually overtook even this futuristic machine. When ‘likely lads’ John Watson, Jim Crawford and Brian Henton got their hands on it – in its final form, with coil springs at the rear – the 72’s story was to all intents and purposes over.

Henton was still running at the finish of the 1975 Grand Prix of the United States but was 10 laps down – after a damaging spin and a later collision with a barrier – and was unclassified.

‘Superhen’ was driving a reconstituted R5. The mangled original was for a time used to store technical drawings back at HQ, but Classic Team Lotus has since rebuilt it. A reunion at Goodwood’s 2019 Festival of Speed brought Fittipaldi to tears.

Lotus 72 is that sort of car – as charismatic as it was successful – its legacy assured even before factoring its inspiring of a pre-teen Adrian Newey.

1970 US Grand Prix

Feeling ill and under pressure, Fittipaldi fluffs his start from the second row and drops to eighth. He is back in the right place at the right time, however, when Jackie Stewart’s runaway Tyrrell loses its oil and the BRM of Pedro Rodríguez makes a splash-and-dash with nine laps to go.

That lack of experience would come home to roost during a problematic 1971: a batch of dodgy DFVs; an unsettling switch to lower-profile tyres; and a road smash in a Ford Capri. In thrall to the turbine still, Chapman was slow to meet Fittipaldi’s requests. A one-piece wing, reworked rear suspension – a second radius rod, and parallel links replacing lower wishbones – plus Koni dampers and bump rubbers finally had the car to the Brazilian’s liking. Just in time for 1972.

1970 Dutch Grand Prix

A commanding pole position compromised by a chaotic start, Rindt sweeps around Jacky Ickx’s Ferrari at Zandvoort’s banked Tarzan curve to take the lead on lap three. This was, he opines after a comfortable victory, the only time he had tapped the car’s potential.

Rindt was champion elect after four consecutive wins in Type 72 – plus an interregnum Monaco victory aboard a 49C – when he crashed fatally during practice at Monza, his car turning sharply left into an inadequately secured barrier. He was running without wings, seeking more straight-line speed; the accident’s cause, however, was a broken front brake-shaft.

Lotus takes new colours for a new success in Formula 1

For the season of 1972, Lotus repainted their cars in recognizable colours: from red to black with gold stripes, the mix later became one of the most famous liveries in the history of Formula 1. With a new look, all the cars entered the season with a D specification chassis and the team led by Emerson Fittipaldi did an excellent job. Lotus won the Constructors championship by 10 points while the Brazilian won the Drivers championship after scoring five wins and three podium finishes.

Emerson Fittipaldi on the way to becoming the youngest world champion driving a Lotus 72 with a famous John Player Special livery

Lotus kept the D specification chassis but also introduced the E specification for 1973. The team had a proper rival in Tyrrell, so Lotus decided to pair Fittipaldi with somebody who was able to fight for the top of the standings. The choice was the Swedish hot prospect, Ronnie Peterson. Paired with the reigning champion, he did a brilliant job and Lotus defended its Constructors title. Fittipaldi failed in his attempt to win the second consecutive title and finished as a runner-up while Peterson was third at the end of the season. Reliability was a huge problem for Lotus that year. Fittipaldi started well, but later suffered a lot and left Lotus at the end of the year, while Peterson struggled in the first half and later scored four wins, just as his teammate.

The fundamental problem of the chassis

Relying on E model of chassis in 1974, Lotus 72’s glory slowly started to fade. Lotus had a plan to race with the new 76 model, but this type soon proved to be a failure and the old 72 was reverted to the track. Peterson was paired with Jacky Ickx, and the Swede clinched three wins even though he was still unable to parry to other title contenders. In Constructors championship, Lotus finished fourth what wasn’t so bad considering all the circumstances.

Jacky Ickx and Ronnie Peterson ready for racing in the Lotus 72

1975 was the last year for Lotus 72 in Formula 1 and it was a complete disaster. Lotus tried to improve things with an F specification chassis but nothing could help the car which was outdated in comparison to the other cars on the grid. Jacky Ickx left the team in mid-season while Peterson fought until the end with a faint result: a total score of only five points, two of them in the last race of the year, the US Grand Prix.

Video – Lotus 72

That was the end of the Lotus 72 era. At the same time, it was the start of the Lotus’ downfall in Formula 1. The 72 model has earned a legendary status throughout the years among the fans with a good reason, and some models of this wonderful and successful car can still be seen at certain historic events.

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