Fifty years ago on Sunday, the Lotus 49 appeared in public for the first time. Had you been present at the Dutch Grand Prix that weekend, it would not have seemed credible that this was the debut of a car, and particularly an engine, capable of rewriting F1 history. Low key does not make a start.
When Mercedes and Ferrari arrived in Spain to begin the European sector of the current season, every additional aerodynamic nuance, no matter how tiny, was recorded, examined and discussed in mind-numbing detail. No surprise, perhaps, because these two teams are championship contenders.
Back in 1967, Lotus was hardly unknown thanks to having won 25 grands prix and two world championships. You would think, with the introduction of a totally new car from the pen of the mercurial Colin Chapman, plus a brand new engine, their arrival in Zandvoort might have caused a stir. By today’s standards, it would be the equivalent of Red Bull turning up in Baku with a Mercedes engine in the back of a revolutionary Newey chassis…
FULL STORY: The engine that rewrote F1 history – Ford Cosworth DFV
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