Lotus 51
title: "Lotus 51" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["formula-ford-cars", "lotus-racing-cars", "open-wheel-racing-cars"] topic_path: "general/formula-ford-cars" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_51" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/1968Lotus_51BFormulaFord.jpg" caption="1968 Lotus 51"] ::
The Lotus 51 was an open-wheel Formula Ford race car built in 1967 by the British motorsport team Lotus. It was powered by a 1.6 L Ford Crossflow four-cylinder engine (the same type of engine used in the Ford Cortina), developing a respectable 110 hp, which drove the rear wheels through either a Renault R-8 type 330 4-speed, or a Hewland 5-speed manual transmission.
The Lotus 51 became a bestseller for Colin Chapman and the Lotus team in 1967. 218 vehicles were built and sold (some sources speak of only 150 vehicles). The price for one vehicle was £955.
The car was derived from, and based on, the Lotus 31, a Formula 3 car from Lotus. The racing car was agile and fast, had a short wheelbase, and was extremely light with a curb weight of 900 lb. In 1969 the car was replaced by the Lotus 61. In 1968 the 51R - a one-off - was built. The car had wider sidepods and was originally intended as a concept for a successor. The car was sold for £1095 to a US collector who never entered the 51R in racing competitions.
References
References
- "1968 Lotus Type 51".
- (21 October 2021). "1967 Lotus 51A Formula Ford".
- "1967 Lotus 51 Formula Ford".
- "1968 Lotus Type 51 technical and mechanical specifications".
- (February 2006). "1967 Lotus Type 51 FF".
- "1968 Lotus Type 51".
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