THE CAR THAT SPARKED THE BIRTH OF LOTUS

It’s 1947 as Colin Chapman, the man who would go on to found Lotus, has his first taste of motorsport. He’s a passenger in a muddy trials competition with his friend Derek Wootton. Chapman is instantly hooked.

Fired with enthusiasm, he sets out to build his own machine so he can take himself from the passenger seat to the driver’s.

In a lock-up garage behind his girlfriend Hazel’s parents’ house in Muswell Hill, North London, he starts to make his own trial car from a 1928 Austin Seven, registered PK 3493. A defining step in his illustrious career as engineer, inventor, builder and founder.

STARTING WITH THE CHASSIS

With the post-war UK fuel ration abolished in 1947, Colin Chapman’s career as a novice car dealer ended abruptly. It gave him more time to work on the car in between his undergraduate lectures at London University.

His increased focus paid off, because the car really began to take shape.

The chassis of the Austin 7 was scraped clean, checked, painted and given boxed main members by welding a 4th side to the ‘U’ section chassis rails.

DISTINCT DESIGN

Facilities were basic to the extreme, which the end product reflected. An angular body from alloy-bonded plywood panels. The rear end was extended so that 2 passengers (i.e. trials ballast) could easily be accommodated. The car had no doors, merely cut-outs on the body sides. The radiator surround was crafted out of copper sheet, making it look rather like a Rolls-Royce grille.

THE CHAPMAN WAY

Colin’s learning curve and innate talent for innovative thinking became apparent quickly. The Austin 7 had the unfortunate habit of over-steering on corners, because the rear quarter-elliptic springs flattened as the body rolled.

Chapman being Chapman, he decided to swap the axle casings from side to side and turn them upside down. By doing so he fit the flattened springs and still achieved adequate ground clearance.

FIRST RACES, FIRST FIXES

In the spring of 1948 Chapman took part in a number of trials, with Hazel as passenger. He gained two class honours, but competition had revealed a few weaknesses in the car. Remedial work was carried out, including the addition of new Ford steel wheels to take larger tyres.

To gain greater control, the front beam axle was split and hinged in the centre to create independent front suspension.

IN SEARCH OF GREATER POWER

The tweaks and changes couldn’t mask the Austin Seven lacked power to be truly competitive in racing events.

Colin Chapman didn’t want to waste time and quickly embarked on the construction of his next project — a Ford-engined car, the Mark II.

THE ONGOING SEARCH FOR MARK 1

When Colin Chapman started work on the Mark II, the Mark I was advertised for sale. It was sold in November 1950 for £135 to a new owner, somewhere in the north of England.

But that’s where the trail ends. Despite many years of research, the Mark I remains untraceable. Lotus, collectors and fans around the world hope that one day it will turn up as a ‘barn-find’, with a great story attached to it.