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Lotus 56Bsmall
Lotus 56B
Race Car
Category Formula One
Race of Champions
International Trophy
Constructor Lotus
Designer Maurice Philippe
Predecessor {{{Predecessor}}}
Successor {{{Successor}}}
Chassis
Suspension (front)
Suspension (rear)
Engine Pratt & Whitney gas turbine engine
Electric_motor {{{Electric motor}}}
Battery {{{Battery}}}
Power 500 hp (370 kW) @ N/A rpm
1150.44 lb-ft. (1560 Nm) of torque @ N/A rpm
Transmission
Weight {{{Weight}}}
Fuel
Brakes {{{Brakes}}}
Tyres
Notable entrants Team Lotus
Notable drivers Emerson Fittipaldi
David Walker
Debut 1971 Race of Champions
Races competed
Race victories
Podiums {{{Podiums}}}
Constructors' Championships
Drivers' Championships
Pole positions
Fastest laps

The Lotus 56B is an evolution of the Lotus 56 Indy 500 racing car designed by Maurice Philippe and campaigned by Team Lotus under the hands of Graham Hill, Joe Leonard, and Art Pollard in 1968. The 56 proved to be unsuccessful and unreliable leading to the governing body of American motorsport, and USAC to deem turbine cars and four wheel drive illegal.

Undeterred by USAC's decision to ban the 56's technology, Chapman developed the car as a potential F1 machine after the failure of the Lotus 63, but while the car was promising, it was too heavy and too overcomplicated for F1. The car was designated as the 56B and Emerson Fittipaldi tried it in the 1971 Race of Champions and International Trophy non-Championship meetings. At Brands Hatch, during wet practice, the 56 was far and away the fastest car on the track, but the race was held in dry weather and the car was lost in midfield. At the Silverstone-based International Trophy, the car only lasted three laps of the first heat before suspension failure forced Fittipaldi's retirement. Dave Walker ran the car in the Dutch Grand Prix, and had progressed from 22nd to 10th in five laps of the very wet track, before sliding off the road and into retirement. Fittipaldi used the car again in that year's 1971 Italian Grand Prix and managed to bring the fragile design home 8th. By then Chapman decided to cut his losses and abandoned the 56, the four wheel drive concept and the gas turbine engine to concentrate on the Lotus 72 (heir to the 56's wedge and 49's wings),[1] which went on to win the drivers' and constructors' championships for Lotus in 1972.

Gallery[]


Formula One World Championship results[]

(key)

Year Entrant Engine Tyres Driver 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WCC Pts.
1971 Team Lotus Pratt & Whitney turbine F RSA ESP MON NED FRA GBR GER AUT ITA CAN USA 21* 5th
Emerson Fittipaldi 8
Reine Wisell NC
Dave Walker Ret

* No points with the Lotus 56B

Notes and references[]

See Also[]


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LOTUS

Proton Holdings Berhad


Proton | Lotus Group Plc. | Lotus


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Group Lotus · Lotus Racing · Lotus Sport · Colin Chapman


Colin Chapman Corporate website A Division of Group Lotus



External links[]


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