1955 Lotus 9
The Lotus Mark IX
The first car built with regard to aerodynamics at Lotus was the 9. Its strange body was the work of Mike Costin who designed a fully enveloped body which could be described as streamlined. The chassis was designed to accept a multitude of engines from the MG unit to a more potent Coventry Climax FWA.
As fitted with a Coventry Climax FWA, Colin Chapman and Ron Flockhart drove a Lotus Mk9 at the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans. After 99 laps they were black flagged for going the wrong way on the course. Because of this sole effort many cars with the Coventry Climax engine are called ‘Le Mans.’
Related: Lotus Race Car List / Lotus Current Lineup / All Lotus Models / Lotus News
Specs & Performance
| type | Racing Car |
| built at | England |
| engineers | Colin Chapman |
| production | 24 |
| succeccesor | 1956 Lotus 11 |
| engine | Coventry Climax FWA Inline-4 |
| position | Front, Longitudinal |
| aspiration | Natural |
| fuel feed | Twin SU Carburettors |
| displacement | 1098 cc / 67.00 in³ |
| bore | 72.4 mm / 2.9 in |
| stroke | 66.6 mm / 2.6 in |
| compression | 9.8:1 |
| power | 53.7 kw / 72 bhp @ 6100 rpm |
| specific output | 65.57 bhp per litre |
| bhp/weight | 171.43 bhp per tonne |
| body / frame | Aluminum Body over Steel Spaceframe |
| driven wheels | RWD |
| front brakes | Discs |
| rear brakes | Inboard Discs |
| f suspension | Swing Axles w/Coil over Dampers |
| r suspension | de Dion Tube Axle w/Coil over Dampers |
| curb weight | 420 kg / 926 lbs |
| wheelbase | 2222 mm / 87.5 in |
| front track | 1232 mm / 48.5 in |
| rear track | 1207 mm / 47.5 in |
| length | 3607 mm / 142.0 in |
| width | 1422 mm / 56.0 in |
| height | 851 mm / 33.5 in |
| transmission | MG 4-Speed Manual |
| top speed | ~205.95 kph / 128 mph |
| 0 – 60 mph | ~7.8 seconds |
